Advantage CEO exits after un-reported losses come to light
Vicki Perry, the longtime CEO of Advantage Health Solutions Inc., has been replaced after a financial review found “significant un-reported losses” at the Indianapolis-based health insurer.
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Covering the uninsured brings only a small benefit for the insured
Hospitals have long argued that they pass on the cost of the uninsured to private insurance customers. But a new study shows that’s less than half-true.
Obamacare’s medical device tax is (probably) killing jobs—but not a lot so far
A Census Bureau survey suggests that medical device firms created 20,000 fewer jobs from 2011 to 2013 than they should have—and some of those missing jobs probably can be blamed on Obamacare’s medical device tax.
Merger mania spurs Hall Render to add two more offices
The Indianapolis-based law firm opened two new offices this fall—in Dallas and Seattle—and has now added five new offices in the past 24 months, as it tries to keep up with consolidation among hospitals and doctors.
Health law penalty on uninsured getting stiffer
The federal penalty for having no health insurance is set to jump to $695, and the Obama administration is being urged to highlight that cold fact to help drive more sign-ups.
Eskenazi launches $50M effort to take brain care around the world
The safety-net hospital system in Indianapolis will create the Center for Brain Care Innovation and try to use telemedicine and a digital avatar to reach as many as 150,000 Hoosiers and 10 million patients outside Indiana by 2030.
Spiking drug prices punch holes in health insurers’ finances
Spending on prescription drugs has soared 451 percent this year at Indianapolis-based MDwise as new drugs for hepatitis C and cancer soar above $100,000 per patient.
Hospital CEO: Telehealth could dampen future health care construction
Bryan Mills, CEO of the Community Health Network hospital system, said a recent pickup in health care construction could slow down if providers can successfully care for patients remotely via the Internet and phones.
GOP wanted consumer-driven health care; Obamacare made it happen.
Since President Obama’s health law passed in 2010, deductibles on employer health plans have risen nearly seven times faster than wages and nearly three times faster than premiums, leaving consumers exposed more than ever to the sky-high cost of care.
Hospital-owned docs send more patients to lower-quality, higher-cost hospitals
When hospitals employ doctors—which is now the norm in central Indiana—more of those doctors’ patients end up going to hospitals with higher costs and poorer quality, according to a new study.
Obamacare pumping more than $2B into Hoosier health insurers
A flood of money from Obamacare—for the expanded Healthy Indiana Plan and for private health insurance purchased on the federal exchange—is boosting revenue and profit among Indiana health insurers.
Obamacare, HIP 2.0 goosing hospital profits—for now
More paying customers helped Community Health Network pull in $47 million in second-quarter profits, a story being repeated at not-for-profit hospitals around the country as Obamacare has boosted the number of insured customers to unprecedented highs.
Is Indiana’s lack of ‘narrow networks’ keeping Obamacare premiums high?
A recent study found the number of health insurers offering broad provider networks on the Obamacare exchange was higher than in all but 10 other states and suggests that so long as Hoosiers keep singing “Don’t Fence Me In,” they could keep paying more for health insurance.
YMCA partners with VA for Pike Township center
Although the $10 million Pike Township YMCA has no timetable for completion, officials have pledged to offer extensive services to veterans in conjunction with the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.
UPDATE: Why insurance mega-mergers won’t launch wave of hospital hook-ups
Profits at most county-owned hospitals have grown by 100 percent to 400 percent over the past four years via partnerships with nursing homes that have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in extra federal money.
Venture-backed DNA testing firm loses round in court
Strand Diagnostics lost a key court battle on July 30 when a federal judge in Indianapolis granted summary judgment in favor of the Medicare program, which has refused to reimburse Strand for its test since 2012.
After revenue rebounds, Hoosier hospitals start hiring again
Hospitals around Indiana have added 2,400 jobs since September as profits, patient visits and insurance coverage all improved.
VA secretary optimistic Congress will plug budget gap
During a visit to the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, Robert McDonald said Thursday he thinks Congress will act to avoid shutting down some VA hospitals and other cost-cutting steps.
Obamacare shovels another $122M to Indiana insurers
The money, known as reinsurance payments, helped MDwise, Anthem, Humana, Assurant and the Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana keep a lid on their losses even as lots of new patients with expensive or untreated medical conditions migrated into the private insurance market.
Aetna-Humana deal could push Cigna to take Anthem offer
With Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. agreeing to a $37 billion merger, pressure is mounting on the other major health insurers, including Cigna Corp. and Anthem Inc., to make their own deals.