November 03, 2011  ·  Fierce Health Care

Hospitals win 1.9% Medicare payment bump in CMS OPPS final rule

October 24, 2011  ·  Kaiser Health News

States Are Limiting Medicaid Hospital Coverage In Search For Savings

In the latest sign of how desperate they are to control rising Medicaid costs, a small but growing number of states are sharply limiting hospital coverage — to as few as 10 days a year.

October 13, 2011  ·  Fierce Health Care

Patient helicopter transport expensive, not always better

Transporting patients by helicopter, which costs up to $25,000, isn't always the best option.

October 05, 2011  ·  Kaiser Health News

Things May Get Worse For ‘Worst’ Hospitals, Study Warns

September 27, 2011  ·  Fierce Health Care

Docs admit malpractice fears lead to overly aggressive care

Doctors admit to being part of the healthcare problem, fessing up that they provide too much medical care.

September 13, 2011  ·  Los Angeles Times

California poverty rate rises in 2010 for fourth year in a row

Six million residents last year had incomes below the federal poverty line of $22,113 for a family of four. Nearly 1 in 5 California residents lacked health insurance in 2010.

September 12, 2011  ·  California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting

Diagnosis of Debt: Patients battle mounting bills

August 18, 2011  ·  The New York Times

Medical Debt Cited More Often in Bankruptcies

June 29, 2011  ·  FierceHealthFinance.com

Credit outspoken individuals with 'mystery shopper' project's quick demise

June 27, 2011  ·  FierceHealthcare.com

MedPAC calls for Congress to reduce imaging spending

June 27, 2011  ·  FierceHealthcare.com

S&P: Outlook for hospital finances bright

May 12, 2011  ·  California Healthline

Health Care Costs on the Rise in Los Angeles

Health care costs likely are higher in Northern California because the region is dominated by several large hospital chains that often charge high rates for procedures.

May 10, 2011  ·  FierceHealthcare.com

Most Uninsured Struggle to Pay Hospital Bills

Uninsured families currently can afford to fully pay for only about 12% of the hospital stays they might experience, according to a new brief by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

May 09, 2011  ·  HealthyCal.org

High Deductible Plans can be Risky

“People don’t know what they’re getting with a high-deductible plan...They think they’re covered and they’re not.”

May 03, 2011  ·  FierceHealthcare.com

Expect hospital supply cost pressures to continue

Rising prices for commodities like latex and cotton affect hospital prices.

May 03, 2011  ·  Voice of America

US Hospitals Turn to Toyota for Management Inspiration

Carmaker's lean management style helps boost efficiency

April 29, 2011  ·  California Healthline

San Francisco Supervisors Raise Questions About Hospital Costs

Experts say the regional price differences stem from a hospital consolidation trend that started in the 1990s.

April 27, 2011  ·  Hartford Courant

ER Visits Keep Increasing, Survey Finds

The U.S's aging population requires more emergency care, while many primary care family doctors are no longer taking new patients, so patients are virtually forced into the emergency room departments.

April 26, 2011  ·  Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health

When Doctors Own or Lease MRI, Back Scans and Surgery More Likely

Financial incentives, inherent in self-referral, “seem to have an influence on physician behavior that we can’t ignore, and an impact on patient care in the long run,” said Jacqueline Baras Shreibati, M.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine, lead study author.

March 29, 2011  ·  Los Angeles Times

Cancer survivor turns medication into jewelry

"I'm deeply in debt because I was underinsured," she said. Her private health insurance did not kick in until she had paid a yearly $1,000 deductible and $2,500 in co-pays, and it did not cover the cost of outpatient care, which is what most of the lengthy treatment was.

March 27, 2011  ·  Washington Post

Controversial mini-med plans to live on through waivers

Consumer advocates condemn them as the worst form of health insurance: “mini-med” plans that limit payouts to as low as $2,000 a year, leaving often unsuspecting customers to fend for themselves if they develop a costly and serious disease.

March 25, 2011  ·  San Francisco Business Times

Sutter Health’s 2010 profits surge 30 percent to $878M

March 18, 2011  ·  Medical News Today

Health Care Spending Caps Will Protect America's Families From Catastrophic Medical Expenses

The ACA's spending caps, when adjusted to 2011, would be $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families.

March 02, 2011  ·  Wall Street Journal

Medical Billing Errors Surge

Many Medical Bills Contain Errors That Could End Up Wrecking Your Credit Score. Here's What You Need to Know

January 11, 2011  ·  St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Patient Sues Over Balance Billing

A local factory worker has sued Washington University in St. Louis, accusing the university's doctors and other Missouri health care providers of routinely and illegally over-billing for medical services.

December 01, 2010  ·  California Watch

Many surgery centers operate without oversight

Is it more dangerous to undergo surgery in a free-standing facility or in a hospital? State data that could answer the question is no longer being collected.

November 18, 2010  ·  The Commonwealth Fund

11-Country Survey: U.S. Adults Most Likely To Forgo Care Due To Cost, Have Trouble Paying Medical Bills; U.S. Stands Out For Highest Out-Of-Pocket Costs And Most Complex Health Insurance

Findings Underscore Importance of Affordable Care Act Measures Aimed at Improving Access to Health Care, Assuring Financial Protection, and Simplifying Insurance

November 18, 2010  ·  Center for Studying Health System Change

Wide Variation in Hospital and Physician Payment Rates Evidence of Provider Market Power

In Extreme Cases, Some Hospitals Command Almost Five Times What Medicare Pays for Inpatient Care

November 09, 2010  ·  Los Angeles Times

More Americans opt for high-deductible health insurance plans

Rising costs lead to a nearly threefold increase in the number of workers covered by the policies since 2006. Health experts worry about consumers who forgo preventive care.

November 02, 2010  ·  FierceHealthFinance.com

Tax benefit boosts Tenet's 3Q earnings

October 18, 2010  ·  Kaiser Health News

California Hospitals: Prices Rising Rapidly, But Quality Varies

Hospital costs in California have been increasing for years, but the higher rates do not always result in higher quality of care,

August 26, 2010  ·  Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Sutter Health's Market Power Is Questioned

Insurers say the Northern California hospital chain uses its market clout to raise prices

June 29, 2010  ·  Kaiser Health News

Want To Know What A Hospital Charges? Good Luck

Estimates are unreliable

April 28, 2010  ·  Sacramento Bee

Justice Department OKs study of California hospital costs

April 27, 2010  ·  CNN

Sticker Shock for a Surgical Bill

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen takes one patient's bill to the American Hospital Association for answers.

April 24, 2010  ·  Los Angeles Times

Healthcare providers experiment with lump-sum pricing

Charging a predetermined fee for common surgical procedures would eliminate surprises for patients and could help control costs, proponents say.

April 22, 2010  ·  Healthcare Finance News

Community Health Systems reveals impressive first quarter revenues

Company that runs hospitals in Watsonville, Barstow and northern San Diego county reports 3% increase in admissions and 8.5% increase in profits.

April 18, 2010  ·  Sacramento Bee

California's higher hospital costs add to health insurance hikes

Investigation finds gap between hospital expenditures, billing

April 12, 2010  ·  Healthcare Finance News

What is Price Transparency in healthcare?

April 09, 2010  ·  Sacramento Bee

Sutter Health's net income rises sharply

March 29, 2010  ·  The Hill

Politics makes strange bedfellows in fight against nonprofit hospitals

Nonprofit hospitals receive tens of billions of dollars in tax benefits each year to offer medical assistance to patients who lack proper coverage. But some have curtailed this care to boost their bottom line.

March 17, 2010  ·  American Medical Association News

Physician groups, hospitals seen driving health care costs in California

Physician groups, hospitals seen driving health care costs in California.

March 16, 2010  ·  California Watch

Politicians' Anthem anger may overlook 'elephant in the room'

"In our market-driven system, a doctor or hospital essentially charges the maximum they can get."

February 25, 2010  ·  Business Week

Hospital Clout Spurs Higher California Health Costs

Don’t blame only insurers for rising health-care costs, a study in the journal Health Affairs says.

February 08, 2010  ·  Becker's Hospital Review

Top 20 Grossing California Hospitals

December 01, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

Behind the Health Debate: Uninsured cancer patient faces next hurdle (Part 3 of 3)

November 30, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

Behind the Health Debate: Cancer patient leaves toughest question unasked (Part 2 of 3)

November 30, 2009  ·  Los Angeles Times

COBRA subsidies begin expiring for the unemployed

November 29, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

Sacramento man's health ordeal puts face on uninsured (Part 1 of 3)

November 25, 2009  ·  California Healthline

Senate Bill Could Dilute Consumer Protections by Creating Interstate Market for Health Plans

November 04, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

UCD apologies scant comfort to slain student's parents

November 03, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

Hospital bill stuns slain student's parents

September 14, 2009  ·  Yahoo! Finance

Tenet Healthcare raises full-year outlook

September 11, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

California lawmakers pass bill to prevent insurers from dropping those who file costly claims

September 04, 2009  ·  Los Angeles Times

HMO claims-rejection rates trigger state investigation

September 04, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

State Attorney General Targets Health Insurers

September 03, 2009  ·  Los Angeles Times

State HMOs deny 1 in 5 claims, analysis shows

August 31, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert

2.2 million Californians have medical debts

August 31, 2009  ·  San Francisco Chronicle

Many Californians with medical debt are insured

August 29, 2009  ·  New York Times

Until Medical Bills Do Us Part

August 14, 2009  ·  SFGate.com

Insured? Good income? Here's how hospitals can still destroy you financially

August 10, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

Don't forget us, underinsured say

July 31, 2009  ·  San Francisco Chronicle

Health card firms must stop operating in state

July 28, 2009  ·  Sacramento Bee

Hospitals footing more bills

June 09, 2009  ·  San Francisco Business Times

DMHC licenses first ‘medical-discount’ health plan in Golden State