Viewpoints: Fla.’s ‘Foolish’ Suit On Hospital Funding; Help Rural Hospitals; ‘Surprise’ Bills

The New York Times: Florida’s Foolish Medicaid Lawsuit
In a suit filed in Federal District Court on April 28, Florida charged that the Obama administration had threatened to cut off federal funding for a separate program that reimburses hospitals for charity care unless the state expanded its Medicaid program. [Gov. Rick] Scott said this was an effort to “force our state further into Obamacare.” This was a preposterous allegation. ... Mr. Scott’s disingenuous argument illustrates the lengths that some Republican leaders will go to avoid being blamed for not protecting their poor and uninsured citizens by expanding Medicaid. (6/8)

Bloomberg: Supreme Court Win Could Boomerang On Republicans
The Supreme Court could make June the cruelest month for Republicans. The court will hand down two decisions fraught with political implications. One will decide whether same-sex marriage is protected by the Constitution, and the other whether to throw out a central piece of the Affordable Care Act, the federal subsidies for about 8 million Americans. ... even Obamacare haters know they would have a problem if they were removed. "We can't just ignore those people," acknowledges Alabama Republican Senator Richard Shelby. ... With Obamacare a third rail for many conservatives, Republicans are struggling to find a response. (Albert R. Hunt, 6/7)

The Midland (Mich.) Daily News: Health Care Costs On The Rise
Before the Affordable Care Act became law in March 2010, the Midland Daily News wrote a number of editorials, issuing caution and skepticism about Obamacare. Would it really lower health costs? Would Americans be able to keep their doctor, as President Obama had promised? Would it negatively impact the economy, and place a heavy financial burden on small businesses? Those were just some of the questions that we asked. Now, there’s this recent news item: Health insurers seek big premium hikes for Obamacare plans in 2016. (6/7)

The Washington Post: Our Rural Hospitals Aren’t Healthy
As we discuss government’s role in health care in this country, one problem increasingly stands outneeding immediate attention: the state of medical care in our rural areas, including in Virginia. Rural hospitals play a unique role in the communities they serve. They are not just crucial to the well-being and health-care needs of local residents; they also are among the leading economic drivers in their regions. According to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA), in 82 percent of Virginia’s rural counties, health care is among the top five largest employers . (State Rep. Patrick Hope, 6/5)

Los Angeles Times: California Takes A Swipe At 'Surprise' Medical Bills
The nastiest jolt that many insured hospital patients receive after a test or surgery is a surprise bill from a doctor they never asked for and may not even have met. But it can be hundreds or thousands of dollars -- the "out-of-network" rate for a doctor performing a service at a hospital that, in every other respect, is an in-network institution. This week, California legislators took steps to eradicate the surprise, which typically involves the specialties of pathology, anesthesiology and radiology. A measure passed by the state Assembly would forbid ancillary providers from charging patients more than the in-network rate for their specialty, if they delivered service at an in-network hospital. It's now headed for the Senate, but as written, it's opposed by the California Medical Assn. and some other provider groups, so hang on tight. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/5)

Modern Healthcare: Competition's Self-Destructive Side
Gotcha. That seems to be the game healthcare providers and insurers are playing with consumers when it comes to surprise out-of-network bills. But it's not a promising business strategy. And it threatens to undermine support for the healthcare system's emerging consumer-choice/narrow-network model. A recent survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that 30% of privately insured Americans in the past two years received a surprise medical bill where their health plan paid less than expected. Among those who got one, nearly 1 in 4 received it from a doctor from whom they did not expect a bill. Only 28% of those who received a surprise bill were satisfied with how the issue was resolved. (Harris Meyer, 6/6)

The Chicago Sun-Times: Warning Of Poor Prison Health Care Deserves Closer Look
If an important study involving the well-being of real people falls short, get it right, don’t ignore it. Even if the real people in question barely register on society’s pity meter. Unfortunately, the Illinois Department of Corrections has failed to do just that. The department has reacted far too coolly to a report released last month that concluded medical care in state prisons suffers from treatment delays, irregular follow-up care, disorganized record keeping and other problems. (6/7)

The New York Times: Sneaky Ways To Raise Drug Profits
Two devious tactics by manufacturers of brand-name drugs to delay competition from cheaper generic drugs were appropriately slapped down recently by federal and state officials. That should help consumers, insurers and anyone else who foots the bill for prescription medicines. Generic copies, which can enter the market when patents on a brand-name drug expire, typically cost much less than branded versions and are just as safe and effective. (6/8)

The Washington Post: Sell A Disease To Sell A Drug
Seven years, at least 25 million prescriptions and $9.7 billion in sales too late, the Food and Drug Administration is finally pushing back against the over-prescribing of testosterone. Last month, in response to new FDA rules, testosterone manufacturers released new instructions for doctors making it clear that testosterone is not approved for “low-T” — a marketing term developed by drug companies to describe men with low testosterone levels caused by aging. Companies must now warn doctors about a possible increased risk of heart attack and stroke in men who take these drugs. (Steven Woloshin and Lisa M. Schwartz, 6/7)

The New York Times: Heroin Doesn’t Have To Be A Killer
It's a subject we find hard to talk about, even though it kills more people in America than guns or cars and claims more lives than murder or suicide. I’m talking about drug overdoses, taking close to 44,000 lives a year. These often follow a pipeline from prescription painkillers to heroin — a result, in part, of reckless marketing by pharmaceutical companies and overprescribing by doctors. These days, heroin is out of control, with deaths nearly tripling in three years. (Nicholas Kristof, 6/6)

The New York Times: Finding The Right Balance
In 2010, 13 million Americans reported being injured in a fall, often caused by simple trips on the sidewalk or on the stairs at home. For the over 65s, the figures are worse: One in three in this age group falls every year, resulting in some 250,000 hip fractures and more than 25,000 deaths, usually from traumatic brain injuries. The health care cost of treating these falls is estimated to be $34 billion a year. But if falling is such a common hazard, especially for older people, does that mean falls are inevitable? Is there nothing we can do about it — like improving our sense of balance? (Alex Hutchinson, 6/6)

The New York Times: The Deadly Combination Of Heat And Humidity
The most deadly weather-related disasters aren’t necessarily caused by floods, droughts or hurricanes. They can be caused by heat waves, like the sweltering blanket that’s taken over 2,500 lives in India in recent weeks. ... These heat waves will only become more common as the planet continues to warm. They don’t just affect tropical, developing countries; they’re a threat throughout the world. The July 1995 heat wave in the Midwest caused over 700 deaths in Chicago. The August 2003 heat wave in western Europe led to about 45,000 deaths. The July-August 2010 heat wave in western Russia killed about 54,000 people. (Robert Kopp, Jonathan Buzan and Matthew Huber, 6/6)

Politico: Democrats Shouldn’t Endorse Suicide
As a life-long progressive who is rapidly approaching Medicare age, I am dismayed by the apparent resignation of the political left to the sorry state of dying in America. Just when moral outrage and radical social change are called for, my fellow progressives have embraced physician-assisted suicide as their political response to needless suffering of seriously ill people. This isn’t liberalism; it’s nihilism. (Ira Byock, 6/7)