1 In 3 Vets Concerned Over Health Care Costs, 8% Forgo Treatment
A survey shows more than a third of military veterans under 65 worry over their ability to pay medical bills, no matter their type of coverage. Separately, a report says medical debt in Illinois disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities. Varying costs of brain imaging are also in the news.
Bloomberg:
More Than A Third Of US Military Veterans Worry About Health Bills
More than a third of US military veterans under age 65 have concerns about their ability to pay medical bills, whether they get their coverage from private or government programs, according to a survey. About 13% of veterans had problems paying medical bills and over 8% had forgone medical care altogether, according to the report from the National Center for Health Statistics. (Peng and Meghjani, 3/22)
Chicago Tribune:
Medical Debt In Illinois Disproportionately Affects Black And Latino Communities, Advocates Say
In May 2022, Alma survived a car accident that left her with several chronic injuries. But after being released from a hospital near Little Village, the trauma continued with constant calls from debt collectors seeking payment for more than $10,000 in medical bills she accrued from the nearly yearlong treatment she’s received for her injuries. (Presa, 3/22)
Axios:
Brain Imaging Costs Vary Widely By Hospital Type, Location
Nonprofit and public hospitals charged commercially insured patients up to 25% more for brain scans with an MRI for-profit facilities, a new JAMA analysis found. It's one of the first comparisons using data from a Trump-era hospital price transparency law to show variations in what facilities negotiate with insurers for common services. (Dreher, 3/22)
In news about health care workers —
Detroit Free Press:
Michigan Has A Shortage Of Primary Care Doctors. What's Being Done?
As many as 20% of Michigan adults and 8% of children don’t have a primary care physician — a situation expected to worsen in the years ahead as a doctor shortage intensifies, according to a new report from the Milbank Memorial Fund, a nonpartisan foundation that centers its work on health policy. (Jordan Shamus, 3/21)
MiBiz:
Michigan Family Physicians Seek Funding To Halt Rural Staffing Crisis
The group representing 4,300 primary care doctors in Michigan is calling for more public funding to stem a worsening shortage of family physicians, especially in rural markets. (Sanchez, 3/21)
Modern Healthcare:
How Health Workers Are Getting Mental Health Help From Employers
Healthcare providers such as Advocate Health, Ochsner Health and Inspira Health are turning their focus to long-term, creative and cost-effective investments to support employee mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened existing challenges surrounding labor shortages and employee burnout. Scrambling to accommodate healthcare workers suffering through the crisis taught employers key lessons that inform new approaches to employee well-being and mental health, executives said. (Berryman, 3/21)
Stat:
Chicago ER Doctor Struggles Against Violence Around Him
Abdullah Hassan Pratt is giving a tour of a sheep heart that sits, heavy and sodden, in his hand. Dressed all in black, with his Jordans and easy manner, Pratt doesn’t look all that different from his audience: dozens of teenagers from this city’s roughest and poorest neighborhoods. One student raises a tentative hand, utterly confused by how blood travels through the heart. The grayish organs lying limp on tables in front of the students look nothing like the crisp diagram marked with bright red and blue arrows projected on a screen behind Pratt in the high-tech simulation center at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. (McFarling, 3/22)
More health care industry updates —
Reuters:
US Drops Appeal Of UnitedHealth Acquisition Of Change Healthcare
The U.S. Justice Department has dismissed its own appeal challenging UnitedHealth Group's nearly $8 billion acquisition last year of Change Healthcare, a court filing showed. The healthcare deal was seen as a blow to the Biden administration's tougher enforcement of antitrust issues. (3/21)
Stat:
Cerebral, Telehealth Startups Face Privacy Pushback Over Ad Models
A potential class-action lawsuit against troubled digital prescribing startup Cerebral raises crucial questions about whether standard online marketing methods violate legal and ethical standards — an issue with important implications for dozens of other telehealth companies doing largely the same thing, experts tell STAT. (Ravindranath and Ross, 3/22)
Stat:
Medicare Ruling Could Give VR Companies Easier Path To Payment
The path to payment for virtual reality companies working in health care just became slightly smoother. AppliedVR, a company targeting chronic pain, has become the first digital therapeutic to find an easy way to secure reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Lawrence, 3/21)
