Hoosiers shopped around before picking Obamacare exchange coverage
One-third of Indiana’s buyers on Obamacare exchanges were new to their health plans this year—tying Indiana for sixth among the 37 states using the federal exchange.
Health Care & Insurance
Articles
Injured diver starts clinic that fills void in therapy
Chris Leeuw opened the doors of the NeuroHope rehab clinic on Feb. 18 to offer patients more time to recover and to help them remain healthy in spite of their immobilizing spinal cord and brain injuries.
Babies, business and the bottom line
For years, employers have focused on preventing huge health bills that can result from their older workers. But now Leonard Hoops, the CEO of Visit Indy, is trying to get employers to focus on the costs of the youngest members of their health plans: premature babies.
Deadline passes on deal to sell former Beech Grove hospital
Two Beech Grove officials said a $3.75 million agreement between Franciscan Alliance and Los Angeles-based DealPoint Merrill expired on Tuesday without closing, leaving the future of the mammoth campus in question.
Hard drives with personal info stolen from medical group
The Indiana State Medical Association says two of its computer hard drives that have been stolen contain insurance information on 39,000 people.
Nursing homes in Indiana have more money than ever
Through partnerships with county-owned hospitals, Indiana’s nursing homes pulled in about $260 million last year in extra federal funds. That means participating nursing homes enjoyed a 10 percent bonus check.
While still relatively rare, male nurses on the rise
The U.S. Census Bureau found that 2.7 percent of registered nurses in 1970 were men. That percentage is now closer to 10 percent.
CEO of Riley Hospital departing for Seattle position
Dr. Jeff Sperring, the CEO of Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, will leave this spring to become CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital in early May, the Seattle hospital announced Thursday.
Franciscan, poster child for Obamacare, sees 2014 profits surge fivefold
After cutting staff sharply in 2013, Franciscan enjoyed more revenue and big profits in 2014. The key question for its and other hospitals’ future is whether they can keep up these gains in productivity to handle looming payment cuts from Obamacare.
Sponsorship of diabetic NASCAR driver may help Lilly regain market share
21-year-old Ryan Reed stunned racing gurus on Feb. 21 by winning his first NASCAR race on stock-car racing’s most hallowed grounds. He did it with a wireless device attached to his stomach feeding a constant stream of data to a dashboard-mounted glucose monitor.
Indiana lawmakers advance rules for e-cigarette liquids
Several owners of vaping-related businesses told Senate committee members it would cost them thousands of dollars to comply with the proposed regulations.
Senate panel considers ‘right-to-try’ trial drugs bill
An Indiana Senate committee is considering a bill that would give terminally ill patients easier access to experimental drugs that have not received full federal approval. Indiana is one of nearly two dozen states that are considering the legislation.
High court justices sharply divided over Obamacare subsidies
The justices aggressively questioned lawyers on both sides Wednesday of what Justice Elena Kagan called "this never-ending saga," the latest politically charged fight over the Affordable Care Act.
Carmel business owner ordered to repay $720K for Medicaid fraud
A central Indiana woman who owned two businesses has been ordered to spend three years on probation and repay all of the money she unlawfully received in Medicaid payments.
Zoeller to lawmakers: Pay attention to health risks of e-cigarettes
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller told lawmakers he wants to see Indiana do more when it comes to “the issues of e-cigarette and liquid nicotine” use, and he wants to see legislators address the issue this session.
Warnings ordered on testosterone drugs like Lilly’s Axiron
Makers of testosterone drugs must change the products’ labels to clarify that they are approved for only certain disorders, not to help men deal with aging, U.S. regulators said.
Debate on cold medicine prescriptions lingers
Lawmakers involved in the debate over how to curb Indiana's methamphetamine problem say a bill that would require drug felons to get a prescription before buying common cold medicine is likely just another step toward an eventual prescription requirement for all consumers.
Round-the-clock dental practice sees opportunity in the wee hours
24 Hour Dental Care has seen 550 patients since opening on Virginia Avenue Dec. 15.
Lilly to introduce Lantus copy in Europe after patent expires
Paris-based drugmaker Sanofi had revenue of $8.4 billion from Lantus last year. It lost U.S. patent protection this month and will lose exclusive rights in Europe in May.
Anthem hack may have involved millions who aren’t customers
Social Security numbers, names and addresses for millions of people who aren’t customers of Anthem Inc. may have been breached in a massive cyberattack disclosed by the health insurer earlier this month.