http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/06/14/Obamacare-Repeal-Plan-Cripples-State-Budgets-and-Economies
If Republicans finally make good on their vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act — but without adopting a suitable replacement — 24 million Americans would be removed from the health care insurance rolls in 2021. And federal spending on health care would decline by $927 billion over the next decade, according to a provocative new study by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Vermont becomes first state to require drug makers to justify price hikes
Despite opposition from the pharmaceutical industry, Vermont late last week became the first state in the country to require drug makers to justify price hikes for medicines.
The U.S. Is Failing in Infant Mortality, Starting at One Month Old
Many more babies die in the United States than you might think. In 2014, more than 23,000 infants died in their first year of life, or about six for every 1,000 born. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 other industrialized nations do better than the United States at keeping babies alive.
One of the component’s of Oliver’s weekly show is an in-depth investigation into the social, political and commercial issues troubling America. His most recent installment was on the debt buying and collection business. It has a ridiculously low bar of entry–“Last Week Tonight” incorporated such a company online in Mississippi for only $50. In many states, there is no license required to collect debts.
Among the most disturbing tactics of these debt-buying firms is to sue individual debtors–even if they have already had their debt dismissed through bankruptcy or barred by the statute of limitations. Those companies bet the defendants won’t show up in court, allowing them to win by default. These debt-buying firms can then legally garnish the debtors’ wages to satisfy the judgment.
https://www.propublica.org/article/who-makes-sure-hospital-mergers-do-no-harm-almost-nobody
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http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2016/06/07/the-ripple-effects-of-medicaid-expansion/
The 19 states that continue to decline federal funding to offer Medicaid coverage to more uninsured residents are missing out on more than just improvements to their uninsured and uncompensated care rates. In fact, the ability of providers in Medicaid expansion states to deliver care to their most vulnerable patients has notably improved.
Residents of Medicaid expansion states—both adults and children—are more likely to have insuranceand thus more likely to have a usual source of care and less likely to have unmet health care needs or problems paying medical bills. Furthermore, Medicaid expansion has helped the financial bottom line forsafety-net clinics and hospitals because more of their patients can afford to pay for their care.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/CardioBrief/58258
The FDA wants to lower sodium consumption in the general population by targeting food manufacturers and restaurants. According to the FDA, most of the sodium in the U.S. diet comes from processed and prepared foods. The long-term goal is to gradually lower sodium intake from the average of about 3,400 mg/day to 2,300 mg/day. In the short-term, the FDA aims to reduce sodium intake to 3,000 mg/day.
Hillary Clinton last month dusted off a long-standing proposal of hers to expand health care coverage by allowing uninsured people 55 and older to qualify for Medicare – the government health care program for the elderly.
Her proposal potentially could help nearly 13 million Americans below the age of 65 who are currently without insurance. It also provided the former secretary of state with a rejoinder to rival Sen. Bernie Sanders’ call for supplanting Obamacare with a European-style national health insurance program he called “Medicare for All.”
Senate Nixes Bill Requiring Disclosures From Disciplined Doctors
The state Senate this week rejected legislation that would have required medical practitioners to notify their patients if they were on probation for serious infractions. The bill’s supporters said consumers were ill-served by the Senate’s decision.
“Today’s vote means that most Californians will remain in the dark when their doctor is on probation for offenses that could jeopardize their health,” said Lisa McGiffert, manager of the Safe Patient Project at Consumers Union.
Opponents of the bill, including the California Medical Association, had argued that, as written, it would undermine physicians’ rights to due process and amount to a de facto suspension by severely restricting their ability to practice. They also noted that information about doctors’ offenses is already available on the internet.
HENRY KOTULA 