State Highlights: N.Y.’s Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Hacked; Pa. Insurance Commissioner Plans Hearing On Surprising Medical Bills
Health care stories are reported from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, California, Kansas and Illinois.
Reuters:
New York Health Insurer Hacked, Over 10M Members Possibly Affected
Upstate New York health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield on Wednesday said its computer systems and those at affiliates had been breached, exposing data from more than 10 million members, in the latest case to show the industry is still struggling to ward off hackers. The Rochester-based insurer said it and its affiliates had been the target of a sophisticated cyber attack and that it was taking steps to address the situation and offering free identity theft protection services to those affected. (Berkrot, 9/9)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Surprising Medical Bills Will Be Discussed At Hearing
Momentum is building in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to protect consumers against surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers. NJ for Health Care and Consumer Union on Wednesday released a report in support of a bill that would establish arbitration procedures to deal with out-of-network bills, require audits of health plans to ensure that their networks are adequate, and mandate a database of paid in-network claims to bring transparency to payments by insurers. (Brubaker, 9/10)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Doylestown Health Partners To Manage Some Humana Customers
Doylestown Health Partners, a joint venture between Doylestown Hospital and about 440 primary care and specialist physicians, entered a contract to manage Humana's 3,200 Medicare Advantage customers in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Humana, based in Louisville, Ky., agreed in July to be acquired by Aetna for $37 billion. In July, Humana had 8,246 Medicare Advantage customers in the eight-country Philadelphia region. Nationwide, Humana has 1.5 million Medicare Advantage customers, the company said. (Brubaker, 9/9)
Stateline:
To Make Better Policy, States Seek Better Death Certificates
Robert Anderson may know more about death than anybody else in the United States. Anderson is chief of mortality statistics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Information about death flows into his suburban Maryland office from all over the country, detailing not only how many Americans have died—2,596,993 in 2013—but the causes of those deaths. Researchers use the information to learn what kills Americans, and public officials use it to craft policies to improve health and safety. On the best certificates, the information is accurate and complete. That would mean, for example, that the death certificate would say not only that someone had died of a drug overdose, but that the drug had been heroin. If the departed had died of cardiac arrest, the certificate would say that death resulted from a heart attack and it would disclose that the person had been a lifelong smoker and overweight. Unfortunately, many death certificates are incomplete or inaccurate. (Ollove, 9/9)
California Healthline:
Day Care Worker Vaccine Bill Approved
Paid workers and volunteers in day care centers will be required to get immunizations from whooping cough, measles and the flu, under a bill that passed an Assembly floor vote on Tuesday. SB 792, by state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), already was approved by the Senate, which means it now needs only the technical concurrence vote in the Senate before it is sent to the governor for a signature. That concurrence could come as early as Wednesday, state officials said. (Gorn, 9/9)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service:
Kansas Advocates Of Mid-level Dental Providers Cheer Accreditation Process
A decision to accredit so-called mid-level dental providers by a national agency that oversees dental education programs may boost efforts to license them in Kansas. The Commission on Dental Accreditation said without national accreditation standards for mid-level dental providers — also known as dental therapists — the requirements would vary from state to state. (Thompson, 9/9)
The Chicago Sun-Times:
Emanuel Cracks Open The Door To Tax On Sugary Soft Drinks
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday cracked the door open to a tax on sugary soft drinks to curb obesity and diabetes that drive burgeoning health care costs. For four years, Emanuel has chosen the carrot over the stick, promoting “personal responsibility” while pressuring Coca-Cola and other soft-drink giants to contribute to city wellness programs and offer healthier vending-machine products. (Spielman, 9/9)
The New York Times:
New York City Health Board Repeals Rule On Consent Forms For Circumcision Ritual
The New York City Board of Health voted on Wednesday to ease regulations on a controversial circumcision ritual practiced in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, fulfilling a priority of Mayor Bill de Blasio. (Grynbaum, 9/9)
