Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Curbing Surprise Medical Bills Via Arbitration May Be Raising Costs
Stateline: Laws To Curb Surprise Medical Bills Might Be Inflating Health Care Costs
New state laws designed to protect patients from being hit with steep out-of-network medical bills may contribute to higher health care costs and premiums, some researchers warn. Lawmakers and advocates who pushed for surprise billing laws say the measures have protected consumers from some of the most egregious bills, which can climb into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But some researchers recently have raised alarms that doctors and other medical providers are leveraging state laws that rely on arbitration to increase in-network fees, thereby raising health care costs for everyone. (Ollove, 5/20)
The Washington Post: Colorado Bans Doxing Of Health Workers Amid Rise In Online Harassment
Seeking to address the mounting online harassment endured by health workers across the state during the pandemic, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill Tuesday making it illegal to post personal information about health workers, officials and their families that threatens their safety. “What they have been through this last year is absolutely extraordinary,” Polis said before he signed the bill. “The work that’s been called upon them, the way they have risen to the occasion and the piece that this bill addresses, which is some of the doxing and the targeting.” He added, “You are doing your job as public health officials, and you should not be subject to this kind of online targeting at home, at work.” (Kornfield, 5/20)
Axios: More Hospitals Require Health Care Workers To Get COVID Vaccine
More hospitals and health systems nationwide are requiring their health care workforce to get the COVID-19 vaccine. RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey announced a mandate on Thursday, saying supervisors and those of higher rank must get the vaccine by June 30. They will eventually require the system's 35,000 employees to do the same. (Fernandez, 5/21)
KHN: Colorado Will Pay Hospitals To Close Expensive Free-Standing ERs
Colorado health officials so abhor the high costs associated with free-standing emergency rooms they’re offering to pay hospitals to shut the facilities down. The state wants hospitals to convert them to other purposes, such as providing primary care or mental health services. At least 500 free-standing ERs have set up in more than 20 states in the past decade. Colorado has 44, 34 owned by hospitals. (Galewitz, 5/21)
Health News Florida: Regulators Propose Changes In Disputed NICU Hospital Rules
After drawing challenges from major hospitals, state health care regulators this week offered to change a pair of proposed rules about neonatal intensive care services. Whether the proposed changes will be enough to stop administrative challenges filed by Tampa General Hospital or the North Broward Hospital District, which does business as Broward Health, remains to be seen. A two-day hearing on the dispute is scheduled to start June 28. (5/20)
AP: JPMorgan Dives Back Into Fixing Health Care With New Venture
JPMorgan Chase will take another crack at fixing health care after a push with two other corporate giants dissolved earlier this year. The bank said Thursday that it formed a new business focused on improving care provided for about 285,000 people through its employer-sponsored health plan. Morgan Health will start with $250 million for investments and a health policy veteran as its CEO, former Clinton administration official Dan Mendelson. (Murphy, 5/20)
