Billions In Federal Provider Aid Is Bypassing Poorest Hospitals In Favor Of Large Medical Systems
State Medicaid directors are calling for more aid “in the next two weeks” to avoid widespread disruptions. Meanwhile, the pandemic is exposing the deep divide of how care is paid for in the U.S. versus Europe.
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Administration Skimps On Coronavirus Aid For Medicaid Providers
The Trump administration’s program to aid hospitals and doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis is leaving behind the nation’s Medicaid safety net — the pediatricians, mental health providers and hospitals that serve the poorest patients. That result is likely to deepen inequalities in America’s healthcare system as tens of billions of dollars of federal assistance go primarily to large medical systems that serve higher-income patients with Medicare or private health insurance. (Levey, 4/30)
CNN:
Same Coronavirus Treatments. Very Different Price Tag.
Leah Blomberg and Marco Paolone both called an ambulance when their coronavirus symptoms worsened. Both spent time in intensive care, both were unconscious for days, and both were on a ventilator. They were lucky -- they survived a disease which has so far killed more than 230,000 people around the world. But while Blomberg, an American, walked away with medical bills totaling several thousands of dollars, Paolone's treatment was free. In his home country of Italy, cost isn't something coronavirus patients need to worry about. (Kottasova, Luhby and Di Donato, 5/1)
