ACOs Do Not Improve Patient Outcomes or Lower Costs Abstract Importance People with complex needs account for a disproportionate amount of Medicare spending, partially because of fragmented care delivered across multiple practitioners and settings. Accountable care organization (ACO) contracts give practitioners incentives to improve care coordination to the extent that coordination initiatives reduce total spending […]
Continue readingNumber of Uninsured Children Rising Since 2016
Number of Uninsured Children Rising Since 2016 “The Number of Uninsured Children Is On the Rise Key Findings The number of uninsured children in the United States increased by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018 bringing the total to over 4 million uninsured children in the nation. Bipartisan initiatives and the Affordable Care Act […]
Continue readingPublic Health Officials Say Single-Payer Healthcare Systems More Effective Against COVID-19 Pandemic than Fragmented For-Profit Healthcare System of U.S.
Public Health Officials Say Single-Payer Healthcare Systems More Effective Against COVID-19 Pandemic than Fragmented For-Profit Healthcare System of U.S. “Public Health Experts: Single-Payer Systems Coping With Coronavirus More Effectively Than For-Profit Model “Having a healthcare system that’s a public strategic asset rather than a business run for profit allows for a degree of coordination and optimal use […]
Continue readingBusiness Group Endorses Medicare for All as Less Expensive for Households, Businesses, and Saves Lives
Business Group Endorses Medicare for All as Less Expensive for Households, Businesses, and Saves Lives “Read the full letter below: We are economists interested in public policy and healthcare. Some of us have worked to estimate the cost of alternative healthcare programs. Others have reviewed such estimates. We believe the available research supports the conclusion […]
Continue readingMedicare for All would Create Net Increase in Jobs and Wages
Medicare for All would Create Net Increase in Jobs and Wages “Job loss claims are misleading, and substantial boosts to job quality are often overlooked Fundamental health reform like “Medicare for All” would be a hugely ambitious policy undertaking with profound effects on the economy and the economic security of households in America. But despite oft-repeated claims of large-scale job […]
Continue reading36% of Virginia Hospitals Garnished Wages of Patients in 2017
36% of Virginia Hospitals Garnished Wages of Patients in 2017 “… We identified 20 054 warrant-in-debt lawsuits and 9232 garnishment cases in 2017. Garnishing was conducted by 48 of 135 Virginia hospitals (36%), of which 71% were nonprofit and 75% urban, compared with 53% nonprofit and 91% urban among hospitals that did not garnish. The mean […]
Continue readingPast 25 Years Show Lack of Progress in Health Equity in U.S.
Past 25 Years Show Lack of Progress in Health Equity in U.S. “.. Abstract Importance Health equity is an often-cited goal of public health, included among the 4 overarching goals of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020. Yet it is difficult to find summary assessments of national progress toward this goal. Objectives To […]
Continue readingKaiser Permanente Nearly Triples Profits to $7.4 billion in 2019
Kaiser Permanente Nearly Triples Profits to $7.4 billion in 2019 “..Not-for-profit Kaiser, which consists of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, generated $2.7 billion in operating income in 2019 on $84.5 billion in revenue, compared with $1.9 billion in operating income on $79.7 billion in revenue for the prior year. That works out to […]
Continue readingFor-profit Insurance Companies Had a 66% Increase in Revenues in 2019, $913 billion
For-profit Insurance Companies Had a 66% Increase in Revenues in 2019, $913 billion “..Despite growing support for Medicare for All that could jeopardize their future, America’s major health insurers are riding pretty high. According to a recent analysis from Modern Health care, the nation’s seven largest publicly traded health insurers saw revenues of $913 billion in 2019. […]
Continue readingWait Times for Doctor Appointments in U.S. have Increased by 30% Since 2014
Wait Times for Doctor Appointments in U.S. have Increased by 30% Since 2014 “Key Findings Following are selected key findings from Merritt Hawkins’ 2017 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates: • Average new patient physician appointment wait times have increased significantly. The average wait time for a physician appointment […]
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