Healthcare spending in California is well below the national
average, according to new federal data — largely because of high
numbers of uninsured and low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates,
analysts say.
Although the U.S. economy is beginning to show signs of recovery,
hospitals continue to be adversely impacted by the lingering
effects of the economic recession, according to new data from the
American Hospital Association (AHA).
The California Hospital Association has petitioned a federal
court to prevent certain Medi-Cal reimbursement cuts from taking
effect, KPBS News reports. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid
program.
Attempts at health care reform have aimed to increase access. The
U.S. is one of the few industrialized nations in the world that
does not provide universal health care to its citizens, and the
emergency department (ER) is widely believed to be the place
where no one can be denied care there. So — in essence –
everyone can get free health care if they need it. That, of
course, is not true.
The goal: Cut costs and save lives by preventing hospital-related
infections from taking root. ‘We’re definitely making progress,’
says a doctor in Newport Beach.
The biggest single factor in driving up costs to insurance
companies — and, in turn, their policyholders — is a curious
practice that described as “cost-shifting.” Costs that can be
assigned to Medicare or Medi-Cal are fixed. Charity patients pay
nothing. So the rising expenses encountered by hospitals are
assigned to commercial insurers, who — guess what? — pass them
along to customers.
Hospital emergency rooms, particularly those serving the urban
poor, are closing at an alarming rate even as emergency visits
are rising, according to a report published on Tuesday.
My mother had been in pain for sometime in her abdomen and in
her back. Eventually, the pain became so bad that I took her to
St Mary’s emergency room…
The numbers tell an important story, and California’s hospitals
and ERs feel the impact, 24/7.
4
Every 4 seconds, someone enters a California emergency room
seeking treatment. The average wait time in a California
emergency room is now more than 4 hours.
11 Million
The number of Californians who received life-saving care in one
of California’s ERs in 2009. During the same year, more than
484,000 babies were born in California’s community hospitals.
