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House approves healthcare reform bill

One chamber down, one to go

The House passed its version of the bill, can the Senate do the same?

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the healthcare reform bill (HR 3962) by a narrow margin (220–215). The bill’s estimated cost is more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

The Senate is working on its own version of the bill. If that version passes, then a congressional conference committee will meet to compromise on the two versions. If the committee reaches a compromise, it will send that bill would to both the House and Senate for another vote. If it passes both houses, the next step is President Obama’s desk for his signature.

Preliminary drafts of the Senate bill differ from the House version with respect to funding. how many individuals will be covered, and the availability of a public option.

Source: CNN

November 11, 2009 | Case Management Weekly | Comments 0
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Safe discharge plans for the uninsured

With today’s economy, almost everyone’s budgets are tight. Hospitals are faced with increasing numbers of uninsured and undocumented patients, but are struggling to find the resources to fund care and discharge for these patients.


Matt Boettcher, LCSW, the director of case management at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, has developed a charity committee model that helps his facility handle these patients. He is also an expert on the dilemma and politics of this issue, and is ready to give you advice.

Push play to hear what he had to say in an interview:

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.


In an upcoming audio conference (7.15.09), Matt will give solutions for dealing with the uninsured. He will cover:

The uninsured dilemma: Growing implications for hospitals

  • National picture of the uninsured
  • The new “medically poor”
  • Undocumented aliens
    • Location
    • Regional differences
    • Exhaustion of benefits
    • Medical repatriation to country of origin

Politics

  • Alternatives to hospital care
  • More generous or more restrictive Medicaid programs
  • Government vs. community programs – services in the community which may be dependent on grants/tax revenue.
  • Universal healthcare

Losing money by not spending money

  • Federal regulations
  • Non-profit hospital
  • Charity programs
  • Criteria for community benefit

Solution: Implementing a charity committee

  • Complex case examples with charity committee intervention: Strategies to handle difficult discharges
    • Community discharge of unfunded patient
    • International discharge case


Click here to sign up for Caring for Uninsured and Undocumented Patients: Safe and Cost-Effective Discharge Solutions–live audio conference on July 15, 2009.

Questions? Ideas for future shows? Contact me, Julie McGinley, at JMcGinley@hcpro.com.

June 07, 2009 | Julie McGinley | Comments 0
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CMW News: Insured cancer patients struggle to afford treatment

Patients with cancer undergo many expensive treatments and tests and often find themselves bankrupt even if they have insurance, according to a new report.

The report, released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Cancer Society followed 20 typical cancer patients. Of those patients, nine had insurance through an employer, one paid for employer coverage through COBRA, seven had individual insurance, two received coverage through a state high-risk insurance pool, and one became uninsured. [more]

February 11, 2009 | Case Management Weekly | Comments 0
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Survey shows more Americans unable to afford prescriptions in 2007

In a recent issue of Case Management Weekly we reported that the Center for Studying Health System Change, a nonpartisan policy research organization, found that one in seven Americans under age 65 went without a prescription drug in 2007 because they could not afford it. The study found this problem has been mounting; in 2003 only one in 10 Americans said they couldn’t afford their prescriptions.

Not surprising, people who were most likely to be unable to afford their prescriptions were uninsured and suffering from a chronic condition. Without their medications, their conditions were likely to worsen, causing them to seek expensive medical treatment. The study also found, however, that insured Americans were not immune to prescription pricing troubles. One in 10 Americans insured by their employer reported going without a prescription because of cost, also up from the last study in 2003.

This is an issue we will probe deeper in the April issue of Case Management Monthly. Until then, what are you seeing at your facilities? Do you see an increasing number of the uninsured, or underinsured, forgoing their prescriptions as a way to save money? What is this doing to your readmission rates?

Source: The New York Times

January 28, 2009 | Case Management Weekly | Comments 0
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