We can’t change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. The origin of this proverb is unclear. Some citations link it to ancient Hindu philosophers, and others suggest the origin may be closer to home (i.e., Jimmy Dean or Dolly Parton). Nonetheless, the sentiment is apt: We are living in an…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, set to be unveiled on Tuesday, will include cuts to Medicaid and propose changes to other assistance programs for low-income citizens, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Republican healthcare bill that passed the U.S. House…
At their state capitol in Tallahassee on March 28, seven board members of the Florida Society of Rheumatology (FSR) lobbied to support legislation regarding prior authorization, step therapy and non-medical switching. They also educated lawmakers about rheumatic diseases and how access to the right therapy may dramatically improve patients’ lives. “We talked about the problems encountered…
(Reuters)—Health insurer Aetna Inc said on Wednesday it will exit the 2018 Obamacare individual insurance market in Delaware and Nebraska – the two remaining states where it offered the plans. Aetna had already said it would exit the individual commercial market in Virginia and Iowa, after pulling out of several other states last year. Aetna…
NEW YORK (Reuters)—U.S. Republicans may be moving ahead with a vote to repeal Obamacare, but the uncertainty about what a national health law may look like is clouding insurers’ decisions on whether to stay in the individual insurance market in 2018. Republicans do plan to vote on the U.S. House of Representatives bill, the American…
Some rheumatologists find that an option other than working in a private practice makes the most sense for them. The reasons rheumatologists choose hospital or academic employment vary. Individual Choice When Lisa Criscione-Schreiber, MD, MEd, associate professor of medicine and rheumatology training program director, Duke University, Durham, N.C., was finishing her fellowship in 2003, she…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration on Thursday issued a final rule that will shorten the Obamacare enrollment period and give insurers more of what they say they need in the individual insurance market, likely making it harder for some consumers to purchase insurance, healthcare experts say. It could also raise out-of-pocket medical expenses, the experts say,…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump made a final push on Thursday to win over skeptical members of his own Republican Party to begin dismantling Obamacare in the House of Representatives or risk failure on one of his top legislative priorities. The effort is seen by financial markets as a crucial test of Trump’s ability to…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Uncertainty surrounding the Republican plan to replace Obamacare is forcing some U.S. hospitals to delay expansion plans, cut costs, or take on added risk to borrow money for capital investment projects, dealing an economic blow to these facilities and the towns they call home. Hospitals typically lay out multi-year operating plans that prioritize investments,…
As Erin L. Arnold, MD, partner, Orthopaedics and Rheumatology of the North Shore, in Skokie, Ill, observed patients’ health insurance deductibles and copays getting dramatically higher and higher, she decided that it was time to explore a program that would require patients to keep a credit card on file. “As a private practice and small…