Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Save $7.4 Billion Due to Fewer Unpaid Bills
Reuters: U.S. Hospitals Uncompensated Care Fell By $7.4B In 2014
The costs of caring for the uninsured at U.S. hospitals fell by an estimated $7.4 billion in 2014 due to the expansion of healthcare to millions of people under Obamacare, according to a government report released on Monday. (Abutaleb, 3/23)
USA Today: Medicaid Expansion Slashes Hospitals' Unpaid Bills
Hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid to their poorest residents faced about $5 billion less in unpaid bills last year — about twice the reduction as those that did not expand this health care coverage, according to a new federal report. The Department of Health and Human Services released the report at a Virginia event marking the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA expanded Medicaid, but a Supreme Court decision gave states the option of offering Medicaid to all of their citizens or not, and 22 states have not done so. (O'Donnell, 3/23)
The Hill: HHS: Hospitals Saved Billions Under ObamaCare
A massive expansion of insurance programs like Medicaid and a drop in emergency room visits saved hospitals at least $7.4 billion over the last year, the Obama administration announced Monday. (Ferris, 3/23)
Modern Healthcare: Affordable Care Act Credited $7.4B Drop In Uncompensated Care
Hospitals' uncompensated-care costs in Medicaid expansion states were reduced by $5 billion in 2014, according to an HHS report published Monday, the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. The costs of uncompensated care declined $2.4 billion in states that did not expand the program, resulting in a total drop of $7.4 billion, down 21% from 2013. (Dickson, 3/23)
Medicaid-expansion states also saw a 23 percent rise in newly diagnosed cases of diabetes, according to a new study -
NPR: States That Expand Medicaid Detect More Cases Of Diabetes
Fonseca and his colleagues wondered whether Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, which became law five years ago Monday, has improved the detection of diabetes. That possibility seemed likely because more poor people now have insurance. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that states could choose whether to expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA. In January 2014, about half the states, including Ohio, expanded and about half did not. This created what Fonseca calls a natural experiment — an opportunity to compare the impact of Medicaid programs on diabetes care. (Kelto, 3/23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Medicaid Expansion Spotted Many Undiagnosed Diabetes Cases
The number of people with newly diagnosed diabetes increased by 23 percent in states that expanded the number of low-income people who are eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, a new study reports. (3/23)
The Fiscal Times: Diabetes Detection Up In Pro-Obamacare States
The number of newly-diagnosed cases of diabetes has surged by 23 percent in states that accepted the expansion of Medicaid eligibility that was made available under the Affordable Care Act, compared to an increase of less than one percent in some states that declined the expansion. (Garver, 3/23)
