Health Headlines for Friday, March 11
Republican report says HHS ignored warning signs of co-op plan failures
Modern Healthcare
A report from Republican staff of a Senate investigations subcommittee says HHS did not act on clear warning signs that several of the co-op health insurance plans created under the Affordable Care Act were failing. It said that despite those warning signs, the agency continued to give loans to unstable programs.
Drug makers now spend $5 billion a year on advertising. Here’s what that buys.
Stat News
Under fire for spending so much on advertising, drug makers are doubling down.
Trump’s health care surrender
Politico
Donald Trump has campaigned on an odd mix of health care ideas from right and left — until he began to pull away from the pack as the Republican front-runner.
CVS to Spend $50 Million on Antismoking Program Aimed at Youths
Wall Street Journal
CVS Health Corp. plans to spend $50 million over the next five years on a youth antismoking campaign as it aims to position itself as a serious competitor in the health-care industry.
Buffalo records 10 heroin deaths in first 10 days of March
Buffalo News
In the first 10 days of March, heroin and other opiates are believed to have claimed as many as 10 lives in Buffalo.
HealthGrove names bottom 25 states for healthcare access
Healthcare Dive
Health research website HealthGrove has announced it used data from the Kaiser Family Foundation to do a nationwide analysis of healthcare access by looking at factors including physician and dentist density, what percentage of the population is insured, what percentage of mental health needs have been met, and how many staffed hospital beds exist per capita.
Albany hospitals’ CEO departing for Chicago
Albany Times Union/Blog
Dr. Ann Errichetti, head of the two Albany hospitals that are part of St. Peter’s Health System, is leaving in April to take a position at a large health system in Chicago.
Tops’ Curci elected board chair at Kaleida Health
Buffalo Business First
Frank Curci was elected board chairman of Kaleida Health, the region’s largest health system.
Hospital Closures Rattle Small Towns
Kaiser Health News
For years, Sybil Ammons was the director of nursing at Stewart County’s only hospital. Now, she’s the county coroner.
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal wants state-funded facilities for heroin and other drug users to get high
New York Daily News
A Manhattan Assemblywoman wants to give heroin junkies and other drug users a state-sanctioned place to shoot up.