May 13, 2013
Rather than raising prices on private health insurers to make up for inadequate payments from the government, hospitals across
the country have been raising prices just because they can, according to a new study.
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April 2, 2013
Bloomberg NewsShares of Indianapolis-based WellPoint rose along with those of other medical insurers Tuesday morning after the U.S. government
reversed a decision to cut a key Medicare payment rate, offering them an increase instead.
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March 1, 2013
J.K. WallThe sequestration plan kicking in Friday will chop Medicare payments to hospitals, doctors and nursing homes by 2 percent,
beginning April 1. One study estimates that the cuts could result in 10,000-plus job losses in Indiana alone.
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February 21, 2013
Associated PressGov. Mike Pence is battling with House lawmakers over expanding health care coverage for roughly 400,000 Indiana residents,
amid concerns that the state's health care program for the poor won't be able to handle the flood of new enrollees.
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January 14, 2013
J.K. WallFranciscan St. Francis Health and American Health Network continue to get deeper into the accountable care organization concept
being promoted by the federal Medicare program under the 2010 health reform law.
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December 14, 2012
Associated PressThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agreed to a waiver that would allow the state to continue the program unchanged
for a year.
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December 3, 2012
J.K. WallCarmel-based ABC Homecare LLC closed last week after state and federal authorities cut off its access to Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursement due to deficiencies cited by the Indiana State Department of Health.
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October 2, 2012
J.K. WallWellPoint Inc.’s National Government Services unit will add more than 100 jobs in Indianapolis beginning late this year
or early next after the health insurance giant won a new contract with the federal Medicare program.
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August 20, 2012
J.K. WallWellPoint Inc.’s $4.9 billion offer for Virginia-based Amerigroup Inc. apparently wasn’t the only—or even the most lucrative—offer
for the Medicaid managed care company. But it was the deal surest to come to fruition before a key deadline for a big payout
for Goldman Sachs & Co., according to a shareholder lawsuit filed Aug. 16 against the Amerigroup board of directors.
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July 23, 2012
J.K. WallA little extra Medicare money will flow to suburban hospitals in the Indianapolis area, based on recent patient satisfaction
scores. But hospitals in the core of Indianapolis—and hospitals that do significant amounts of teaching medical students—may
take a hit.
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July 9, 2012
J.K. WallInvestors and analysts like the fact that WellPoint is playing more aggressively in government-sponsored health plans, such
as Medicaid and Medicare, which are projected to be the key sectors for growth for the next several years.
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July 9, 2012
J.K. WallIndiana University Health, as well as a partnership of Franciscan Alliance and American Health Network, have formed accountable
care organizations that won the blessing of the federal Medicare Shared Savings program.
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June 28, 2012
J.K. WallWhile upholding President Obama’s health care law, the U.S. Supreme Court may have created a way out for states that
do not want to expand their Medicaid programs. Whether Indiana decides to opt out remains to be seen.
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May 12, 2012
Myth prevents policymakers from attacking real problem of distributing funding.
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April 25, 2012
Bloomberg NewsIndianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. sees a $100 billion market in the states it serves to provide managed care for poor, elderly
patients in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
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March 17, 2012
J.K. WallHospitals around Indianapolis and the nation are expanding programs to help people before they become patients. They are trying
to teach cooking as well as treat cancer, to do social work as well as do surgery.
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February 27, 2012
J.K. WallThe Big 3 automakers spent 35 percent more in the Indianapolis area to provide health care for workers and non-elderly retirees
than they did in other auto-heavy cities—and two-thirds of that difference can be blamed on “excess prices”
by Indianapolis hospitals.
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January 14, 2012
Sam StallA new onslaught of Medicare data might shine more light on providers, but tricky questions abound.
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January 5, 2012
Insurance companies spent millions of dollars trying to defeat the U.S. health-care overhaul. But profit margins at the companies
have widened to levels not seen since before the recession, a Bloomberg Government study shows.
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December 19, 2011
J.K. WallFranciscan Alliance’s Indianapolis-area hospitals, along with more than 700 physicians, have been named one of the nation’s
first 32 accountable care organizations.
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November 22, 2011
Bloomberg NewsUnitedHealth Group Inc. said it will acquire XLHealth Corp., a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members.
Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. had been considering a possible acquisition of the company.
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November 14, 2011
Bloomberg NewsOffers for XLHealth, a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members, may value the company at $1.5 billion
to $2 billion.
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October 31, 2011
J.K. WallAs an Eli Lilly and Co. lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Jay Bonitt is hoping the Congressional “super
committee” charged with trimming the federal budget doesn’t turn to the Medicare prescription drug program, known
as Part D, to do so. Bonitt, Lilly's vice president of federal affairs, said the program is under budget and helps spur
drugmakers to further innovation.
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October 17, 2011
J.K. WallMedicare supplement policies are reportedly one of the targets of Congress’ special deficit-reduction committee—and
that’s not good news for Carmel-based CNO Financial Group Inc.
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September 27, 2011
Associated PressHill-Rom Holdings Inc., a medical-equipment company based in Indiana, agreed Tuesday to pay nearly $42 million to settle a
government lawsuit. The government had accused the company of knowingly submitting false claims to Medicare from 1999 to 2007.
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Three Magi
Cats out of the bag. The object of the game is to get acquired. That means the company has no idea how to grow beyond a certain point. Email is a 1990s technology. I have laughed at this company since day one. Such a small bit player. If it was anywhere but here, it wouldn't be newsworthy.
Esther, Indy has passed Chicago in the local government corruption arena. Don't downgrade us. We're No. 1 in the Midwest.
Does the buyer get to keep the recent Accu-Chek J.D. Power award? Be careful, those Swiss cannot be trusted. Last June they pimped Mayor Ballard and former Governor Daniels at a media op, announcing plans to invest "$300 million at its Indianapolis headquarters, creating up to 100 new jobs by 2017," only to turn around and close the Roche Nutley, NJ facility and eliminate 1000 jobs there later the same week. It seems that healthcare can be innovated only as long as money is to be made. Right now Roche seems to have big eyes for China: there are many Chinese in China and potential billions in Swiss francs! Since Roche is having difficulty with US insurance companies swallowing the bill for overpriced cancer drugs (with debatable efficacy) why not sell insurance to the Chinese and market the drugs to them there? There is a name for these sort of business practices however proper decorum precludes it use in this forum.
Same kind of Luddites who oppose I-69. Guessing their 501(c)(4) application probably sailed right through the IRS.