Health Headlines for Thursday, March 9
Health Groups Denounce G.O.P. Bill as Its Backers Scramble
New York Times
Influential groups representing hospitals and nurses came out on Wednesday against a Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, joining doctors and the retirees’ lobby to warn that it would lead to a rise in the uninsured.
American Medical Association Opposes Republican Health Plan
New York Times
The American Medical Association, a powerful lobbying group representing the nation’s doctors, announced on Wednesday that it opposed the House Republicans’ proposed legislation to replace the federal health care law, saying it was concerned the bill “would result in millions of Americans losing coverage and benefits.”
GOP health care plan would put city hospitals in ‘tremendous danger,’ lose billions for future state budgets, pols say
New York Daily News
The House GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare could cost already cash-strapped city hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars and potentially blow a multi-billion dollar hole in future state budgets, officials said Wednesday.
Revenue drops and losses grow for state’s second-largest malpractice carrier
Politico
Physicians’ Reciprocal Insurers reported a $203 million underwriting loss in 2016 as premiums continue to decline, threatening the stability of the state’s second-largest medical malpractice insurer and, by extension, the state’s entire medical malpractice market.
Surgery or Drugs? Doctors’ Pay May Influence Choice
New York Times
Sometimes doctors choose to do surgery not because it is absolutely preferable to other treatments but because they get reimbursed for it, a new study suggests.
Smoking during pregnancy tied to eye damage in kids
Reuters
When women smoke during pregnancy or have underweight babies their children have a greater risk of developing a type of retina damage, a Danish study suggests.
With Health Care in Upheaval in Washington, Democrats in Albany Push for Single-Payer System
Spectrum News
With the Affordable Care Act under fire in Washington, Democratic lawmakers in Albany are pushing for a measure creating a single-payer system — universal health care.