A report released Thursday by the Center for Studying Health System Change suggests that New York state, particularly Long Island, will not see much in the way of health insurance expansion in the coming months and years.
According to “Long Island Follows Bumpy New York Road to National Health Reform,” part of that is because New York already has a generous Medicaid program, and Long Island also is one of the most affluent communities in the state, with a high rate of privately insured residents.
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California supporters of capping damages in medical malpractice lawsuits have gained an unexpected ally—Planned Parenthood. And that organization is coming under fire for its position on the issue.
Kathy Kneer, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said the state's pain-and-suffering cap has helped protect women's access to obstetricians. “To the extent we have a stable obstetrician provider pool, there is evidence it is working,” she said.
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The New York State Nurses Association is battling an unlikely foe at the negotiating table.
The nurses union is in labor talks with its own 16-member professional staff, which includes nurse educators, organizers and PR workers. United Steelworkers represents those staffers, who say they are frustrated with a perceived delay in coming to an agreement. Issues include overtime pay and pay scale. A news release urged the NYSNA to “practice what they preach.” The current contract ends in March 2014, and talks started almost a year ago.
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Mount Sinai Hospital CEO Dr. Kenneth Davis reportedly sees no antitrust bumps on his organization's path to absorbing Continuum Health Partners into what would be New York City's largest healthcare provider.
The Mount Sinai and Continuum boards just this week signed a definitive agreement. Davis, as paraphrased in the New York Times, said a regional office of the Federal Trade Commission had already given them the all-clear.
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