Tag: Hospitals
St. Jude hoards billions while patient families drain their savings
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital promises not to bill families. But the cost of having a child at the hospital for cancer care leaves some families so strapped for money that parents share tips on spending…
Dying on the waitlist
In Los Angeles County and around the country, doctors have had to decide who gets a lifesaving COVID-19 treatment and who doesn’t. by David Armstrong and Marshall Allen Thursday, February 18, 2021 In early December, Miguel…
If this self-sufficient hospital cannot stand alone, can any public hospital survive?
In America’s health care system, dominated by hospital chain leviathans, New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, is an anomaly. It is a publicly owned hospital that boasts good care at lower prices than…
Live free or die if you must, say Colorado urbanites — but not in my hospital
by Rae Ellen Bichell January 2, 2021 ERIE, Colo. Whenever Larry Kelderman looks up from the car he’s fixing and peers across the street, he’s looking across a border. His town of 28,000 straddles…
No more ICU beds at the main public hospital in the nation’s largest county
by Bernard J. Wolfson Photos by Heidi de Marco December 18, 2020 She lay behind a glass barrier, heavily sedated, kept alive by a machine that blew oxygen into her lungs through a tube taped to…
The Enraging Deja Vu of a Third Coronavirus Wave
Health care workers don’t need patronizing praise. They need resources, federal support, and for us to stay healthy and out of their hospitals. In many cases, none of that is happening. by Caroline Chen There’s a…
Biden plan to lower medicare eligibility age to 60 faces hostility from hospitals
“It is hard to find a reform idea that is more popular than opening up Medicare” Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Of his many plans to expand insurance coverage, President-elect Joe Biden’s…
With all eyes on election results, experts horrified as Covid-19 hits new record
‘This Is a Tsunami… Pay Attention’ “I dreaded this day… Historic and unprecedented abandonment of the American people.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Thursday, November 5 With much of the nation’s attention understandably consumed by developments…
Sent home to die
In New Orleans, hospitals sent patients infected with the coronavirus into hospice facilities or back to their families to die at home, in some cases discontinuing treatment even as relatives begged them to keep trying. by…
How America’s hospitals survived the first wave of the Coronavirus
ProPublica deputy managing editor Charles Ornstein wanted to know why experts were wrong when they said U.S. hospitals would be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Here’s what he learned, including what hospitals can do before the next…
Fearing coronavirus, patients are delaying hospital visits, putting health and lives at risk. ‘I thought I could wait this out’
The ultimate cost for delaying treatment can be loss of life. Data from the CDC shows the U.S. had 66,000 more deaths than expected from January through the end of April, with only about half of…
CEOs aren’t Pigs. That’s unfair to — to pigs —
—Pigs are intelligent animals with a sense of social responsibility. CEOs are looting taxpayers funds meant for small businesses. by Jim Hightower Wednesday, May 13, 2020 There’s a general sentiment today that multimillionaire corporate chieftains…
A mysterious illness is striking children amid the coronavirus pandemic
by Mark Hicar, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Critically ill children have been ending up in intensive care units with shock-like symptoms in recent weeks, adding yet…
Telehealth will be free, no copays, they said. But angry patients are getting billed.
Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News April 27, 2020 Karen Taylor had been coughing for weeks when she decided to see a doctor in early April. COVID-19 cases had just exceeded 5,000 in Texas, where she lives….
One thing the pandemic hasn’t stopped: aggressive medical-debt collection
U.S. hospitals are in the spotlight for being on the frontline of fighting the pandemic. But in the shadows, debt collection operations continue, often by the same institutions treating coronavirus patients, all while unemployment and uncertainty…
How Jared Kushner is tackling the White House’s Coronavirus response — Without any evident experience
The president’s son-in-law and adviser has added the emergency-response supply chain to his extensive list of duties. He views himself as a disrupter — but that’s not always a good thing. by Andrea Bernstein, WNYC April…
Chronic conditions worsen coronavirus risk – here’s how to manage them amid the pandemic
Laurie Archbald-Pannone, University of Virginia Amid the stress and confusion of coronavirus shutdowns and social distancing orders, it can seem to older patients as though everything is on pause. Clinics have postponed regular office visits. Patients…
Trump puts UnitedHealth Group, a for-profit Insurer in charge of Covid-19 hospital funds
‘Never Heard of Anything Like This’ “It’s simply bizarre and unconscionable that the Trump administration would have United manage billions in relief to hospitals.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Wednesday, April 22, 9:00 AM MST Watchdog…
NYC Mayor and Health Officials misled public about plans to move COVID-19 patients into nursing home, advocates say
Lawmakers have also written that they are “deeply concerned” about the situation at a Roosevelt Island facility and the possibility that the coronavirus may be spreading from COVID-19 patients to long-time nursing home residents. by A.C….
Medical staffing companies owned by rich investors cut doctor pay and now want bailout money
Companies that employ emergency room medical personnel, many owned by private equity firms, say they are reeling from vanishing demand for non-coronavirus care. But critics worry that bailout money would be a windfall for rich investors….
Rationing protective gear means checking on coronavirus patients less often. This can be deadly.
Low on essential supplies and fearing they’ll get sick, doctors and nurses told ProPublica in-person care for coronavirus patients has been scaled back. In some cases, it’s causing serious harm. by Joshua Kaplan, Lizzie Presser and…
Hospitals have left many COVID-19 patients who don’t speak English alone, confused and without proper care
One medical worker told us: “It takes 10 minutes of sitting on the phone to get an interpreter, and that’s valuable time when you’re inundated. So this utilitarian calculus kicks in. And the patients that are…
Updated COVID-19 survey of Registered Nurses shows little improvement and worsening availability of personal protective equipment
By Meteor Staff A nationwide survey National Nurses United (NNU) has been conducting of registered nurses, the country’s frontline health care staff, continues to show that the vast majority of United States hospitals and health care…
On the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic: A doctor’s view
The virus is exposing inadequacies in health systems all over the world, especially the U.S.’s abysmal health infrastructure. Health workers on the ground continue to provide care during the pandemic despite the severe lack of resources…
