Hospitals Fear Staffing Shortages as Vaccine Deadlines Loom
Turnover during the pandemic is already high. Now some health workers may quit or let themselves be fired instead of getting the vaccine. read more >
by Associated Press -
Nearly 3M Got Health Coverage During Special COVID-19 Sign-Up Period, Biden Says
The number of Americans enrolled under the Affordable Care Act increased by 20%. read more >
by Associated Press -
Telemedicine Here to Stay
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the use of telemedicine in Arkansas five years ahead of where it would be otherwise. read more >
Home Care Business Owner Selling in Consolidation Era
Shay Stevens of Little Rock is selling her home care business, Millennium Companion Inc., in an era of wage pressures and acquisitions. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Arkansas Lawmakers Approve Overhaul of Medicaid Expansion
Arkansas lawmakers give final approval to Gov. Asa Hutchinson's plan to overhaul the state's Medicaid expansion by encouraging work by recipients rather than requiring it. read more >
by Associated Press -
Doderer Enlists as Youths Face Mental Crisis
Children’s hospitals across the country are seeing a new crisis during the pandemic: an increasing number of teenagers with mental and behavioral health issues. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
US Uninsured Rate Inches Up
After dropping dramatically with passage of the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured nonelderly Americans began to rise starting in 2017, the Kaiser Family Foundation said in a report earlier this month. read more >
That Time of Year (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
Eager to be shed of Obamacare once and for all? Be careful what you wish for. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Magnolia Regional Sheds City Ownership
Shifting from city to nonprofit ownership could mean a million dollars a year to Magnolia Regional Medical Center, but patients and doctors may see no outward difference. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Coronavirus Delays Sentencing in Jeremy Hutchinson Case
It turns out that the pandemic is the reason that former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, nephew of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, still has not been sentenced more than a year after his guilty plea read more >
Coronavirus Could Kill Rural Hospitals on Brink
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the survival of rural hospitals in Arkansas, several hospital administrators told Arkansas Business last week. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Website Tracks Financial Health of Hospitals
The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement unveiled a website last week to help people track the financial health of Arkansas hospitals, a move that comes during a time of struggle for rural hospitals. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Westerman’s Fair Care Act Takes Aim at Affordability
A Republican congressman from Arkansas is working on what he calls a bipartisan health care bill that would close existing coverage gaps and lower costs: the Fair Care Act. read more >
A Functional Compromise (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
Universal catastrophic coverage has been kicked around for decades, and it’s the kind of thing that could have bipartisan appeal if given a chance. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Hard Year Adds Pain for Small Hospitals in Arkansas
Hospitals’ bottom lines were hurt by flat patient volume, a shortage of nurses and the high cost of specialty drugs read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Matters of Life and Death (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
Someday our federal lawmakers will have the luxury of turning their attention away from impeachment and back to matters of life and death. One of those is health insurance. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
As Medicaid Denials Surge, Some Question Optum Assessments
Arkansas in-home service providers say changes in Medicaid rules are hurting them and their elderly clients. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Ted Suhl Is Still A Felon (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
What’s the matter with me? President Trump commuted the sentence of a man who used religion and bribes for personal gain, and my outrage meter barely registered. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Kicking Around Obamacare: Arkansas Keeps Score on ACA
Insurance and health pros talk winners, losers and the future of the Affordable Care Act and its effects felt in Arkansas. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Blue Cross & Blue Shield CEO Curtis Barnett Unconcerned About Revenue Dip
The Little Rock mutual health insurance company is still the state’s largest private company with revenue of $2.48 billion in 2018. However, the revenue figure was down — a little less than 2% — from $2.52 billion in 2017, ending a streak of at least 15 years of revenue growth. read more >
by Marty Cook -
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