Conn. Hospital Funding Battle Increasingly Bitter
The fight, which stems from a proposed $240 million in cuts in state aid, pits Gov. Dannel P. Malloy against the state's hospitals. News outlets also report on other state-based hospital developments in Georgia, New York, Arizona and Ohio.
The Connecticut Post:
Bad Blood Over Hospital Cuts
The fight between Connecticut’s hospitals and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy over $240 million in cuts to state aid is getting personal. The hospitals have made Malloy the target of a television ad blitz decrying the cuts, and the governor is returning the favor by shaming health care executives over their salaries and profit margins. Grappling with a $350 million budget deficit, Malloy said he has no sympathy for his critics in what he called the “hospital industrial complex.” (Vigdor, 12/6)
Georgia Health News:
Rural Georgia Hospital Loses Fight To Stay Open
Hutcheson Medical Center closed its doors to patients Friday morning, after being unable to strike a deal to avoid a shutdown. The northwest Georgia hospital’s closure came after months under bankruptcy protection. ... Hutcheson is the fifth rural hospital to close in Georgia since the beginning of 2013. (Miller, 12/4)
The New York Times:
Mount Sinai Sheds Roosevelt Name As Hospital Moves On
Roosevelt. Love it or hate it, the name resonates in American history. ... And in New York City, since the years just after the Civil War, it has meant an important hospital on the West Side of Manhattan. No longer. In November, the Mount Sinai Health System, into which Roosevelt Hospital was merged two years ago, formally dropped the Roosevelt name. After 146 years, it announced, the hospital would now be called Mount Sinai West. (Dunlap, 12/4)
The Arizona Republic:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Dispute With Hospital Chains Abrazo, Carondelet Could Squeeze Consumers
Hospital chains in Phoenix and Tucson that are owned by a Dallas-based corporation are on the verge of ending contracts with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona in a dispute that could create costlier medical bills for some consumers and prompt others to switch health providers. Abrazo Community Health Network and Carondelet Health Network said that negotiations with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona are at an impasse, with contracts set to expire Dec. 31. (Alltucker, 12/4)
The Columbus Dispatch:
Hospitals Differ Over Special Ambulance For Strokes
Last year, a specially equipped ambulance began taking stroke care beyond hospital walls and into greater Cleveland. This month, a similar vehicle will begin to do the same in parts of the Toledo metro area. OhioHealth announced last week that it is working with Columbus fire officials to operate a similar type of ambulance, equipped and staffed to deliver the clot-busting drug tPA to stroke patients. But other local hospitals, caught off-guard by the announcement, are not yet on board. (Sutherly, 12/6)
