State Highlights: Conn. Hospital Acquisition Talks End
A selection of health policy stories from Connecticut, Colorado and Florida.
The Connecticut Mirror:
Tenet, Malloy Give Up Talks On Reviving Hospital Acquisitions
Tenet Healthcare and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Wednesday that they are ending discussions about the Texas company's acquiring Connecticut hospitals. The company had been poised to become the first large, for-profit hospital chain in the state, with plans to buy Waterbury, Rockville General, Manchester Memorial, Bristol and St. Mary’s hospitals, in partnership with the Yale New Haven Health System. (Levin Becker, 2/4)
The Denver Post:
Denver Veterans Hospital And Clinics Among Slowest In Nation
Patients at Denver's Veterans Affairs hospital and its satellite clinics wait longer for medical appointments than those at more than 90 percent of regional centers nationwide, new federal data show. The data show that 13.7 percent of veterans seeking medical help in Denver and at clinics in eastern Colorado waited for a month or more after their preferred date to see a doctor. That was more than twice the national average of 6.7 percent. (Olinger, 2/4)
The Miami Herald:
Medicaid Managed Care Still Causing Barriers For Deaf, Disabled
Six months after Florida rolled out its Medicaid managed care program – transitioning almost 3 million Floridians into private insurers — some recipients with disabilities say the new model hasn’t fixed some of the old problems. Last week, about 30 people from the disabled community gathered at the Center for Independent Living of South Florida to discuss complaints about access and communication, ranging from lack of American Sign Language interpreters at doctor’s offices to confusing paperwork. (Herrera, 2/4)