Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Than 20 Percent Of Rural Hospitals Are At A High Risk Of Closing
Modern Healthcare: Nearly A Quarter Of Rural Hospitals Are On The Brink Of Closure
More than a fifth of the nation's rural hospitals are near insolvency, according to a new report. Twenty-one percent of rural hospitals are at high risk of closing, according to Navigant's analysis of CMS data on 2,045 rural hospitals. That equates to 430 hospitals across 43 states that employ about 150,000 people and generate about $21.2 billion in total patient revenue a year. (Kacik, 2/20)
Stateline: Fed Up With High Health Care Costs, A Community Asks For A Better Deal
A hospital visit in this ski town costs about 40 percent more than a visit less than 100 miles away in Denver. In 2015, an overnight hospital stay cost 80 percent more, according to a study commissioned by the Summit Foundation, a local community group with a mission to help working families. High prices for medical services — here in Summit County and across rural Western Colorado — have left many residents struggling financially. (Quinton, 2/21)
Denver Post: Colorado Hospital Prices Jump Despite Medicaid Expansion, Reports Say
When Colorado began to consider expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, some advocates pitched what they believed would be a key benefit: Hospital prices and premiums for people covered by private policies would drop once more people were insured. The theory was that by increasing Medicaid payments and reducing Colorado’s uninsured rate, hospitals would no longer need to shift as much of their costs to individuals with private insurance, thereby bringing their rates down. (Seaman, 2/20)
The CT Mirror: Lamont's Health Budget Vs Connecticut Hospitals
After watching his predecessor, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, spar with Connecticut’s hospitals for much of the past eight years, Gov. Ned Lamont got off to a rough start with the industry himself on Wednesday. Lamont’s new budget canceled a previously approved tax cut for hospitals, replacing it with an effective tax hike of about $43 million per year. (Phaneuf and Silber, 2/20)
Georgia Health News: Extension Of Hospital Provider Fee Advancing Swiftly Through House
In a normal year for health care legislation, House Bill 321 would have attracted a ton of attention at the state Capitol. But with bills to provide a Medicaid waiver and to reform the state’s health care regulatory structure already drawing an intense spotlight, legislation to extend the hospital provider fee passed quietly – and swiftly — in the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. (Miller, 2/20)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Ga Warm Springs Hospital Built By FDR Threatened By Medicare Dispute
Lawyers for the hospital said the bureaucracy surrounding a disputed $585,000 in bills has cut off ongoing Medicare payments to the institution, payments that are the hospital’s lifeblood. Moreover, the hospital says, the government will likely take years to process the hospital’s appeal. By then, it will be too late. (Hart, 2/20)
