Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Risky Move From Thomas Jefferson University Could Reshape Philadelphia's Health Marketplace
The Philadelphia Inquirer: How A Pending Jefferson Deal Could Reshape Philadelphia’s Health-Care Market
Thomas Jefferson University CEO Stephen K. Klasko likes to think big. That’s no secret. Under his leadership, the Philadelphia nonprofit has ballooned from three hospitals in 2015 to 14 now. And annual revenue has more than doubled to $5.2 billion, making Klasko’s health-care empire a big player in the Philadelphia region. But what could be Klasko’s most ambitious, and possibly the riskiest, move — for Jefferson and Philadelphia residents — is yet to come. Jefferson is trying to take control of Health Partners Plans Inc. (HPP), an insurer that covers about 245,000 adults and 11,000 children in Southeastern Pennsylvania, mostly in Philadelphia. (Brubaker, 1/19)
Albany Herald: Georgia Tax-Credit Programs Suffering Dent In Donations
Two popular state tax-credit programs that raise money for rural hospitals and private school scholarships are having more trouble attracting donors than when they were first launched, a problem supporters blame on federal tax laws. The 12-year-old private school scholarships tax credit was consistently hitting its $58 million cap on contributions so early in the year the General Assembly raised the limit to $100 million in 2018. But last year, the program didn’t reach the new cap until Dec. 2. (Williams, 1/19)
The Oregonian: Kaiser Permanente Will Donate $5.1 Million To Help Homeless People With Disabilities Find Stable Housing In 2020
Kaiser Permanente announced Monday that it plans to donate $5.1 million to finance an initiative to find permanent housing for 300 people who are homeless by the end of 2020. The Metro 300 project will work with people 50 years old and older who have disabilities. The money will go toward helping them find affordable housing, pay move-in and rental assistance costs and provide other supports to ensure they remain in permanent housing, said Debbie Karman, a Kaiser Permanente Northwest spokesperson. (Bailey Jr., 1/20)
NH Times Union: Newport Health Center Disputes Tax Bill
The Newport Health Center is disputing its $210,000 property tax bill, saying it was denied its rightful exemption as a nonprofit, according to a lawsuit filed in Sullivan Superior Court. The New London Hospital Association, which owns the $6.9 million health clinic on John Stark Highway, does not want to pay the annual property tax bill for 2018 of more than $210,000. According to the lawsuit, the town wrongfully denied the hospital’s application for a charitable property tax exemption for the tax year 2018. New London Hospital (NLH) is a registered and recognized nonprofit that operates with an agreement through Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, also a not-for-profit corporation. The town maintains through its response that while New London Hospital is a federally registered nonprofit and it is considered a charitable trust in New Hampshire, that does not determine what it will pay in local property taxes. (Fisher, 1/20)
North Carolina Health News: Eastern North Carolina Hospital To Be Sold To Texas Firm
An Eastern North Carolina hospital in bankruptcy may soon have a new owner. The Texas-based Affinity Health Partners, a consulting firm that has been charged with managing Washington Regional Medical Center throughout the bankruptcy proceedings, said it will buy the hospital from current owner HMC/CAH at the end of January. But as of last week, Affinity has yet to prove that it has the necessary funds to do so. At a court hearing in Raleigh last week, Affinity CEO Frank Avignone said that he will have the money before the Jan. 31 deadline but said his investors declined to provide written proof of their intent to finance the sale. (Engel-Smith, 1/21)
The Washington Post: Flu-Linked Death Reported At Children’s National Hospital Here
A patient admitted last weekend to Children’s National Hospital in Washington has died and tested positive for the flu, the hospital said in a statement. The child was not a D.C. resident. So far this season, no flu-linked pediatric deaths of city residents have been reported to the D.C. Department of Health, a spokeswoman for the agency said. It was unclear where the child lived. (Weil and Williams, 1/17)
