US Ranks Last Among High-Income Nations, Again, In Health Care Study
The latest study from the Commonwealth Fund, released today, places the U.S. last among high-income countries because of problems with access to health care and inequality. Meanwhile, NPR reports on how some consumers may still be eligible for free health insurance due to recent expanded enrollment periods.
CNN:
US Comes In Last In Health Care Rankings
The US once again ranked last in access to health care, equity and outcomes among high-income countries, despite spending a far greater share of its economy on health care, a new report released Wednesday has found. The nation has landed in the basement in all seven studies the Commonwealth Fund has conducted since 2004. The US is the only one of the 11 countries surveyed not to have universal health insurance coverage. (Luhby, 8/4)
NPR:
Uninsured Or Unemployed? You Might Be Missing Out On Free Health Insurance
If you are uninsured or you've been on unemployment benefits this year, new financial help — passed by Congress this year — means you might be eligible for free health insurance. A special enrollment period put in place by the Biden administration ends on Aug. 15, so consumers will need to act fast to sign up for one of these plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. (Simmons-Duffin, 8/3)
On Medicaid coverage —
AP:
More Than 150,000 More Oklahomans Now Qualified For Medicaid
More than 150,000 Oklahomans have qualified for Medicaid under an expansion of the program approved by voters, and state health officials say they suspect many more Oklahomans are eligible but haven’t yet applied. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority reported Monday that 154,316 Oklahomans have qualified for the additional health benefits. Of those, nearly 91,000 live in urban areas and about 63,000 in rural Oklahoma. About half are between 19 and 34 years old. (8/3)
Fierce Healthcare:
Study: Medicaid Expansion Cuts Down Uninsured Surgical Hospitalizations
Medicaid expansion is associated with a reduction in surgical hospitalizations among the uninsured, a new study shows. Research published in Health Affairs examined state-level data across 44 states and patient-level data across four states to compare such hospitalizations in expansion and non-expansion states. Patients admitted for surgery largely first presented to the emergency department, and in 99% of cases their care would likely result in catastrophic visit costs, according to the study. In states that expanded Medicaid, the rate of uninsured discharges for these surgeries was lower, at 7.85 per 100,000. (Minemyer, 8/3)
And in other health industry and administration news —
Modern Healthcare:
Arizona, Colorado Health Information Exchanges Merge
The Colorado Regional Health Information Organization and Health Current in Arizona have completed a merger they initiated last year, they announced Tuesday. The two health information exchanges will now operate as a combined not-for-profit regional HIE dubbed Contexture. CORHIO and Health Current disclosed plans to merge in late 2020 and signed an affiliation agreement earlier this year. Contexture will serve roughly 1,800 healthcare organizations in Colorado and Arizona. (Cohen, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Private Equity Firm Doubles Down On Value-Based Care
Private equity firm, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, launched a platform Tuesday that funnels money into healthcare providers and payers using value-based care payment models. The firm has invested an initial $300 million in the portfolio company named Valtruis. "We believe Valtruis is well positioned to leverage WCAS's longstanding relationships and history of building market-leading healthcare businesses... to accelerate the adoption of value-based care," said David Caluori, general partner at WCAS, in a statement. (Gellman, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Ex-Rennova Employees Demand Payment After Hospital Closure
A lab test company turned hospital operator may owe hundreds of thousands of dollars to former employees of a rural Tennessee hospital it abruptly shuttered. A class-action settlement agreement between West Palm Beach, Florida-based Rennova Health and former employees at Jamestown Regional Medical Center in Jamestown, Tennessee, is scheduled for final court approval Sept. 10. (Bannow, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Optum, Advisory Board Beat Class Action Over Consultants' Wages
UnitedHealth Group subsidiaries Optum and Advisory Board on Monday prevailed over a class action lawsuit where workers claimed the company misclassified them as independent contractors and underpaid them. A Minnesota federal judge decertified the class action, saying the Optum and Advisory Board consultants' experiences across Maine, New York and Maryland are too different to be combined in litigation. (Devereaux, 8/3)
Crain's Chicago Business:
Healthcare SPAC Raises $250 Million
A Chicago-based SPAC looking for healthcare deal raised $250 million. Healthwell Acquisition is led by healthcare executive Alyssa Rapp, who previously led private equity-backed Surgical Solutions and teaches at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Healthwell's board includes former Playboy Enterprises CEO Christie Hefner and former Deloitte senior executive Carl Allegretti. Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade, a top U of C cancer researcher, is an adviser. (8/3)
