State News

The Delaware Health Care Commission released a report containing preliminary data on state-wide healthcare spending in 2018, according to State Network. Preliminary data reveals that total healthcare spending per person–across Medicare, Medicaid, commercial and other payers–averaged $8,110 per Delawarean in 2018. This includes non-claims-based payments made to providers, including performance incentives and care management. The greatest proportion of spending was dedicated to hospital inpatient spending, followed by payments for physician and hospital outpatient services. The report follows the establishment of a healthcare spending benchmark that aims to control healthcare spending growth in Delaware over time.

Kentucky passed a law to provide financial aid to rural hospitals struggling to stay afloat while the state is battling COVID-19, according to Kentucky Today. The legislation allows the Cabinet for Economic Development to provide loans to struggling hospitals for a variety of purposes, including upgrading facilities, maintaining or increasing staff levels and providing healthcare services not currently available. The action follows reports that many rural hospitals in Kentucky are in poor financial health.

Utah’s Medicaid program will cover COVID-19 testing for both active infections and antibodies for uninsured Utahns, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Providers will now be reimbursed through the Medicaid program, which has greater funding availability than the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, the previous funding source. The funding will last through the public health emergency period and will cover testing for active infections, testing for antibodies and further diagnostic tests for Utah residents and citizens without health insurance.

From 2018 to 2020, Dallas-based DeLoney Law Group filed 81 percent of medical debt collection lawsuits in the state, totaling $14.8 million in judgments, according to a review of the Texas online court system by researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Patients interviewed by researchers stated that they were only given last-minute notifications about their hearings—a predatory litigation strategy, MedPage Today states. Though wage garnishment is prohibited by the Texas Debt Collection Act, debt collectors can still file a writ of execution or a writ of garnishment that allows them to go after any bank funds, property or income that is not a wage, according to the report. The hospitals that filed the most lawsuits were small, for-profit community hospitals.

Neary all Minnesota health plans have agreed to continue waiving copayments related to the care of COVID-19 through September 30, reports the West Central Tribune. Minnesota health plans had been required to cover testing without cost sharing but had agreed to waive copays for hospitalizations until June 1. The agreement removes the potential that 570 patients now in the hospital with the illness would have to face thousands of dollars in medical bills on top of lost wages. The Minnesota Department of Health has also announced $97.6 million in healthcare grants across the state, to pay for additional staffing, PPE and other expenses associated with preparation for the pandemic

Wondering if he had COVID-19, Colorado resident Timothy Regan called the Denver Health nurse hotline to describe his symptoms. A nurse listened to his symptoms and instructed him to immediately go to the hospital's urgent care facility. Regan was evaluated in the emergency room for COVID-like symptoms, was given several tests and an inhaler and was sent home. Within a few weeks Regan's symptoms began to subside but then he was hit with a $3,278 bill for his ER visit.

Timothy Regan went to the ER in April after experiencing a severe cough, low-grade fever, and chest pain. Despite having COVID-like symptoms, he was not given a COVID-19 test because they were in short supply at the time. He was sent home after his chest X-ray and electrocardiogram results were normal and told to quarantine for 2 weeks as a precautionary measure. In this edition of Kaiser Health News’ Bill of the Month, we learn that Timothy was billed $3,278 for the ER visit, of which the insurer paid $1,042 and Timothy was responsible for $2,236. Since Timothy's ER visit, many insurers have announced waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing-related visits and treatment to remove barriers to care. After an appeal, Timothy’s insurer agreed to bill Timothy as a COVID-19 patient and waive all cost-sharing for the ER visit, giving Timothy his happy ending.

Georgia’s recent budget plans have been overturned by the overwhelming financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities outlined $172 million in budget reductions for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget cuts are alarming to patient advocates as the coronavirus crisis has sparked new mental health stresses. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 56 percent of Americans reported that anxiety or stress related to the pandemic has led to at least one negative mental health outcome.

In Tennessee, anyone who wants a test can get one, and the state will pick up the tab. The guidance has evolved to “when in doubt, get a test,” and the state started paying for it in April, according to Kaiser Health News. Tennessee is doing more than double the minimum number of tests needed to control its outbreak, an NPR analysis states. Rather than private labs billing various health insurance plans, the state is picking up the tab at $100 per test.