Health Headlines for Friday, January 22
Republicans Say Government Mismanaged Health Care Co-ops
New York Times
Republican senators charged Thursday that the Obama administration had missed warning signs of financial distress at nonprofit health insurance cooperatives that failed last year, but a top federal official denied that the government had been negligent in its supervision.
Samaritan ER doctors, with help of outside billing company, skimmed $1 million from Tricare
Watertown Daily Times
North Country Emergency Medical Consultants, the group of physicians in charge of the emergency department at Samaritan Medical Center, skimmed close to $1 million in undue Tricare reimbursements with the help of a Massachusetts-based billing services company between 2009 and 2014.
Cuba trip opened Cuomo’s eyes to Roswell Park’s cancer vaccine research
Buffalo News
After years of struggle over state funding for Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last week proposed the first state budget in years with no cuts in aid to the Buffalo research hospital.
In preliminary budget, de Blasio calls for Health and Hospital reorganization
City & State
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled an $82.1 billion preliminary budget on Thursday that limited new investments to targeted initiatives the mayor said would bolster the city’s health, including expanding mental health services, attempts to curb homelessness and additional ambulance tours.
Medical marijuana program companies say slow start is normal
Capital New York
Two weeks after dispensaries under the state’s medical marijuana program opened their doors, the organizations charged with manufacturing and dispensing the drug say they aren’t at all surprised by the trickle of customers coming through their doors.