Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden's Salary May Impact Battle Over Health Executive Pay
Los Angeles Times: Fight Over Health Exec Pay Could Hinge On US President Salary
Should Los Angeles clamp down on how much hospital executives are paid? That decision could be put to Los Angeles city voters, under a ballot measure supported by a union representing healthcare workers. But whether that happens may hinge on another question: How much does the president of the United States make? (Alpert Reyes, 4/2)
More about health care workers —
Modern Healthcare: Hospital Float Pools In Flux As Contract Labor Shifts
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several provider organizations turned to so-called internal staffing agencies or float pools, through which workers are paid a premium to rotate to different facilities within the health system. The organizations using such strategies often do so when they aren’t able to bring on full-time employees. The practice allows them to shift individuals—usually nurses—to the areas of highest need, without having to pay a third party. (Devereaux, 4/3)
Modern Healthcare: Community Health Workers Find Funding, Grants Through Medicaid
The Charleston County Public Library offers more than just books. With more than 19 locations along South Carolina’s Atlantic Ocean coastline, the facilities have become a hub of resources for area residents. There are sewing machines, cooking classes and free birth control, made available through partnerships with local organizations. A branch on Edisto Island, a 1,800-person community on the southern edge of the county, hosts health fairs to make up for a lack of infrastructure. (Hartnett and Tepper, 4/3)
Bloomberg: CVS Health Care Delivery President Amar Desai Returns To UnitedHealth
The leader of CVS Health Corp.’s new health-care delivery business left after less than six months to return to his former company, UnitedHealth Group Inc. (Tozzi, 4/3)
KHN: 'An Arm and a Leg': A Doctor’s Love Letter To ‘The People’s Hospital’
Could a charity hospital founded by a crusading Dutch playwright, a group of Quakers, and a judge working undercover become a model for the U.S. health care system? In this episode of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Dr. Ricardo Nuila to find out. (4/3)
In corporate news —
Mississippi Today: Holly Springs Hospital Ends Inpatient Care
Alliance Healthcare System in Holly Springs is Mississippi’s first rural emergency hospital – the first in a trend some say indicates the further decline of health care access in the one of the country’s poorest and sickest states. Hospitals were able to apply for the new federal designation mere weeks ago, when the Mississippi Department of Health rolled out its rules for “rural emergency hospitals.” The federal government finalized the program in November. (Bose, 3/31)
AP: Wellstar Agrees To Takeover Of Augusta University Hospitals
Georgia officials have approved the takeover of the Augusta University hospitals associated with the state’s only public medical school. The state Board of Regents on Friday approved agreements to transfer control of the hospitals to Marietta-based Wellstar Health System, saying the deal may take effect in late summer. (Amy, 3/31)
North Carolina Health News, Charlotte Ledger: Hospital Systems Get Millions In Property Tax Breaks
Every year, Terry Taylor-Allen and her husband, William, pay property taxes on their bungalow in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood. Although the bill has skyrocketed since they moved in 30 years ago, they know the money supports schools, police and other important services. The owner of the houses next door, meanwhile, don’t pay a cent on those homes. That’s because the houses on either side of them are owned by The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, a governmental entity otherwise known as Atrium Health. (Crouch, 4/3)
On health care costs —
The Washington Post: They Pushed Back When Their Insurers Refused To Cover Costly Treatments
Shortly after I shared the story of my family’s struggle to obtain medicine for my 3-year-old son in The Washington Post, more than 200 readers wrote to us about their health insurance ordeals. Health insurance battles are a perennial hot topic — lawmakers in dozens of states have passed legislation aimed at reforming some of the barriers insurers erect, and for years, surveys and studies have detailed the administrative burden on doctors and nurses. (Johnson, 4/2)
KHN: States Step In As Telehealth And Clinic Patients Get Blindsided By Hospital Fees
When Brittany Tesso’s then-3-year-old son, Roman, needed an evaluation for speech therapy in 2021, his pediatrician referred him to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. With in-person visits on hold due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Tessos met with a panel of specialists via video chat. The specialists, some of whom appeared to be calling from their homes, observed Roman speaking, playing with toys, and eating chicken nuggets. They asked about his diet. (Hawryluk, 4/3)
