Category: Hospitals

Indiana State Senator Moves To Scrap Hospital Monopoly Law He Helped Create

After rival hospitals in Terre Haute scuttled plans to merge, a state senator has introduced a bill to forbid similar mergers by repealing a state law he helped write.

An Arm and a Leg: A Listener Fighting the Good Fight

A medical resident who listens to “An Arm and a Leg” is pushing for change with the American Medical Association and at the hospital where he works.

Readers Offer Solo Agers Support and Reflect on Ancestors

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Employers Press Congress To Cement Health Price Transparency Before Trump’s Return

Donald Trump’s first administration advanced rules forcing hospitals and insurers to reveal prices for medical services. Employers don’t want to risk backtracking during Trump’s second administration.

He Went in for a Colonoscopy. The Hospital Charged $19,000 for Two.

A man in Chicago with a troubling symptom underwent a common procedure. Then he wanted to know why the hospital charged nearly three times its own cost estimate.

Hospital Margins Rebounded in 2023, But Rural Hospitals and Those With High Medicaid Shares Were Struggling More Than Others

This data note examines trends in hospital margins from 2018 through 2023 and how operating margins varied across different types of hospitals in 2023. It shows the industry overall experienced a rebound in 2023 after margins fell sharply the previous …

Helicopters Rescued Patients in ‘Apocalyptic’ Flood. Other Hospitals Are at Risk, Too.

The helicopter evacuation of 70 people from a Tennessee hospital during Hurricane Helene is considered a success story. The building was destroyed by floodwaters, but no one died. In hindsight, why was it built next to a river?

Former Montana Health Staffer Rebukes Oversight Rules as a Hospital ‘Wish List’

The push-pull in Montana reflects a national tension as states try to decide what counts as fair checks on tax-exempt hospitals and industry players weigh in. The debate centers on whether nonprofit hospitals do enough good to earn their charitable status.

Indiana Hospitals Pull Merger Application After Pushback Over Monopoly Concerns

Two rival hospitals in Terre Haute, Indiana, pulled back their merger application Monday, just days before the state was due to rule on the deal amid growing backlash to such medical monopolies. The proposed merger between Union Health and Terre Haute Regional Hospital, the only acute care hospitals in Vigo County, Indiana, would have left […]

Readers Embrace ‘Going It Alone’ Series on Aging and Chastise Makers of Pulse Oximeters

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.