- 9 states are mulling Medicaid work requirements.
- Homelessness explained.
- Family matters: odds of going to college vs. odds of going to jail.
- Has Dr. Oz undergone a remake?
- Embarrassing findings from the past release of classified documents.
- Physicians and nurses have fewer emergency department visits for their own care than the rest of us.
Category: Cost of Healthcare
Friday Links
- Of the world’s top pediatric hospitals, the United States claims more than a quarter – 28 percent.
- American patients had access to 85% of all drugs launched between 2012 and 2021. Canadians had access to just 45% of the drugs launched in that same period.
- A libertarian view of the proper role of public health.
- Claim: Patient care at University Hospitals Cleveland is nearly 30% cheaper than the national average.
- Obamacare fraud:
Between January 2024 and August 2024, CMS fielded 90,863 “complaints that consumers had their [Exchange] plan changed without their consent,” and another 183,553 “complaints that consumers were enrolled in [Exchange] coverage without their consent.” That’s nearly 300,000 reports of fraudulent enrollment in eight months — and that’s just among the states using the federal Exchange.
The state taxes Medicaid insurers and then makes higher payments to those same insurers with that tax revenue. The higher payments enable the state to claim additional federal matching dollars.
Patient Power: Americans Have Immediate Access to Medical Test Results
The 21st Century Cures Act went into effect in 2021. Among other things, the federal law requires that patients have access to their test results in a timely manner. In years past patients often had to play phone tag with their doctor’s office to view their own medical records and lab test results. Before the 21st Century Cures Act, patients often never knew the results of tests if the doctor did not consider them noteworthy.
How Smart Patients Avoid Bogus Health Information
How do consumers and patients avoid misinformation, self-serving information and information touting ineffective, barely effective and placebo-powered treatments?