Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
AMA Adopts Policy Opposing The Presence Of Federal Immigration Agents In Hospitals, Clinics
WBUR: American Medical Association Takes Stance Against ICE Patrolling Inside Hospitals
The American Medical Association (AMA) is opposing the presence of federal immigration agents in hospitals and clinics. A new resolution declaring this stance was passed Wednesday by the AMA's House of Delegates, the policy-making body for the association. (Dooling, 11/15)
The Baltimore Sun: Hospital Presidents Talk About Health Issues With Business Owners
Leading a major hospital in an era where health care is a political hot button means having to deal with constant change and uncertainty, the presidents of Baltimore’s two major medical centers told business leaders Wednesday. Dr. Mohan Suntha, speaking to members of the Greater Baltimore Committee, said that just that morning, he awoke to texts asking what he thought about tax reform efforts moving through Congress. Senate Republicans now want to include an amendment in their tax bill that would repeal the so-called individual mandate, the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most people have health insurance. (McDaniels, 11/15)
Politico: Tax-Exempt Mayo Clinic Grows, But Rural Patients Pay A Price
The Mayo Clinic, which sprawls across this Midwestern city, is the nation's top-ranked hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report. But that might undersell its prominence: The clinic is arguably the best-regarded health care system on the entire planet. Patients from nearly 150 countries travel to Mayo Clinic sites in Minnesota, Arizona, Florida and beyond. Famed filmmaker Ken Burns is making a documentary about Mayo and the story of its founders — Will and Charlie Mayo, a pair of brothers and doctors who have assumed near-mythic status in the health care field. (Diamond, 11/16)
The Denver Post: Despite Political Turmoil, Colorado Hospitals And Insurers Turned Profits In 2016
Colorado hospitals and health insurers both turned overall profits in 2016, a sign of the state health care system’s general stability despite ongoing political debate around health care funding. Denver-area hospitals last year reported combined pre-tax net income of more than $1.3 billion — about 15 percent of net patient revenue — according to a new report by a nationally recognized health care business consultant. Many of the larger hospitals outside the metro area also reported profits. (Ingold, 11/15)
CT Mirror: House Gives Final Approval To CT Budget Fix
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly gave final approval Wednesday to a measure fixing technical flaws with the hospital tax, a renters’ rebate program and other aspects of the new state budget. ...The hospital tax is a complex legal and fiscal maneuver designed to increase federal Medicaid reimbursements. (Phaneuf, 11/15)
Georgia Health News: State OKs New Hospital For Lee County
In the biggest state health care licensing decision in years, Georgia regulators have approved Lee County’s bid to build a 60-bed, $123 million hospital. The certificate-of-need (CON) decision, announced Wednesday by the Department of Community Health, is being celebrated as a triumph for the southwest Georgia county and a significant setback to Phoebe Putney Health System, based in nearby Albany. (Miller, 11/15)
The Associated Press: 17 Escapes From Hawaii Hospital Since 2010
More than a dozen escapes have occurred over the past eight years at a Hawaii psychiatric hospital where a patient described as dangerous walked off the grounds and made it to California before he was captured this week. Many of the 17 escapes between 2010 and this year happened when a patient broke "curfew" and didn't return from the Hawaii State Hospital after being allowed to leave for a period of time, according to information obtained by The Associated Press from police and the state Department of Health. (11/16)
