Reuters: Billions in COVID relief go to biggest hospital chains as smaller rivals await aid
By Chad Terhune June 9, 2020 Spared the worst of COVID-19, the largest for-profit hospital chains in the United States are pursuing a speedy recovery backed by billions of dollars in federal aid, while other hospitals say they have been harder hit and left wanting. HCA Healthcare Inc, the biggest chain, has received $5.3 billion […]
Houston Chronicle: Texas hospitals that received bailouts are suing poor patients for failing to pay medical bills
By Jenny Deam and John Tedesco May 27, 2020 Back in 2017, Cheryl Billings was having a run of bad health, so her trips to Cedar Park Regional Medical Center near Austin have since blurred together. That’s why when she was later served with court papers saying the 108-bed Williamson County hospital was suing her, […]
NYT: Hospitals Got Bailouts and Furloughed Thousands While Paying C.E.O.s Millions
By Jessica Silver-Greenberg, Jesse Drucker and David Enrich, June 8, 2020 HCA Healthcare is one of the world’s wealthiest hospital chains. It earned more than $7 billion in profits over the past two years. It is worth $36 billion. It paid its chief executive $26 million in 2019. But as the coronavirus swept the country, […]
CBS: After battling COVID-19, survivors may have to fight big medical bills
By Walecia Konrad, May 15, 2020 When Grace Thomas ran a high fever and had trouble breathing in March, she headed to the emergency room. With a history of asthma, the 26-year-old Denver resident was familiar with respiratory distress, but this was different. Both the ER doctors and Thomas suspected COVID-19. Yet while Thomas was […]
Health Lab: Many Could Face Sky-High Surprise Bills from Air Ambulance Flights
By Kara Gavin May 6, 2020 When an emergency dispatcher calls for a helicopter or plane to fly a critically ill patient to a hospital, they don’t have time to check whether they take the patient’s insurance. Every minute matters for someone badly injured in a car crash, suffering a heart attack or stroke, or […]
Bloomberg: Private Equity Lands Billion-Dollar Backdoor Hospital Bailout
By David Kocieniewski and Caleb Melby June 2, 2020 As the coronavirus pandemic upended the U.S. health-care system, EmCare IAH Emergency Physicians, a Houston staffing company owned by private equity firm KKR, made a little-noticed request of the government: It applied for a $317,379 interest-free loan. KKR had for years paid lobbyists to fend off efforts to […]
NPR: ER Visit For COVID-19 Symptoms Stuck Man With A $3,278 Bill
By Phil Galewitz May 26, 2020 From late March into April, Timothy Regan had severe coughing fits several times a day that often left him out of breath. He had a periodic low-grade fever too. Wondering if he had COVID-19, Regan called a nurse hotline run by Denver Health, a large public health system in […]
New York Times: Wealthiest Hospitals Got Billions in Bailout for Struggling Health Providers
By Jesse Drucker, Jessica Silver-Greenberg, and Sarah Kliff May 25, 2020 A multibillion-dollar institution in the Seattle area invests in hedge funds, runs a pair of venture capital funds and works with elite private equity firms like the Carlyle Group. But it is not just another deep-pocketed investor hunting for high returns. It is the […]
AXIOS: 1 big thing: The coronavirus is dividing rich and poor hospitals
Caitlin Owens May 5, 2020 Many hospitals may not make it out of the coronavirus pandemic, Axios’ Bob Herman reports. The big picture: The most vulnerable organizations — especially those that treat more old, poor and non-white patients — are teetering on the edge of existence and have to compete with larger, affluent hospitals for federal aid. […]
New National Poll: Voters Want Permanent Surprise Billing Ban
May 14, 2020 With the highest unemployment rate on record in decades, it is no surprise that almost a quarter of voters have delayed or know someone who has postponed receiving medical care during the COVID-19 crisis because of cost, according to new national polling from Morning Consult.No one should hesitate to address health concerns because of fear […]