Many Hospitals Refuse to Follow U.S. Price Transparency Rules

New rules requiring hospitals to let patients know ahead of time what their care will cost – covered here and here – continue to be badly implemented if not ignored altogether, according to a new study posted by the Peterson-KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) Health Tracker. The new rules took effect…
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Imagine That. Infrastructure Includes People, Too!

Health care was all over the news last week, but you are forgiven if other events got in the way. Voting rights restrictions adopted in Georgia literally threaten Americans’ right to vote. They led to forceful condemnations from major area companies, the decision by Major League Baseball to move…
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So Far, Health Reforms Are More of the Same

If less is more, today’s post is a lot more. Through legislation and executive order, the Biden administration is bringing health insurance to millions of additional people. These efforts include continuation into the summer of Affordable Care Act (ACA) sign-ups and sweetened subsidies to help pay…
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Updates on Nursing Home Safety, Hospital Pricing Rules

Two recent pieces of journalism are worth a close read. The New York Times published a devastating indictment of how nursing homes have gamed government quality rules to mask low staffing and care levels and still qualify for top government ratings. The headline was tough to stomach over breakfast: Maggots,…
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The Choice You Need to Get Right: COVID Era Nursing Home Selection

Choosing the right nursing home has never been more important or harder. It looks like COVID-19 infection rates finally are receding from the devastating levels we’ve been seeing. That’s great news, but as this tsunami of disease and death moves out, it is revealing many homes whose staffs and finances…
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Beware the Consequences of Government Setting Health Prices

Prescription drug spending in 2019 was less than 10 percent of the nation’s $3.8 trillion health-care spending. But high drug prices clearly are low-hanging fruit when it comes to eye-dropping examples of how health-care companies exploit U.S. consumers. The latest exhibit was last week’s…
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Want Health Insurance? Biden Has Deals for You!

If you have no health insurance and are not yet eligible for Medicare, the federal government is doing three things to make your life more secure when it comes to getting affordable health care. One: From February 15 through May 15, people have a special enrollment period, ordered by President Biden,…
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