Your Colorado Health Insurance News And Info Page
As baby boomers age and more Americans obtain health insurance, many health experts predict a primary care doctor shortage. NPR’s Julie Rovner discusses her series, ‘Primary Care Under Pressure,’ and the New America Foundation’s Dr. Kavita Patel explores some potential solutions.
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, trauma and stress still play a part in the emotional lives of New Orleans residents. The evidence: In 2008 and 2009, the suicide rate in Orleans Parish was twice as high as it was the two years before the levees broke.
Physician assistants, like Jim Love, and nurse practitioners can prescribe medicine, and many operate almost completely independently of physician supervision. And unlike physicians in primary care, the number of physician assistants and nurse practitioners is on the rise.
California may become the first state to set up one of the major components of the health overhaul passed last March: insurance exchanges. The state Legislature has sent Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger bills that establish an Internet-based exchange where consumers and small businesses can compare plans. The exchange is seen as a key element in increasing competition and keeping costs down. Republicans opposed the bills, saying that the federal government, not the state, should pay the costs of setting up the exchanges.
Martin’s Point in Portland, Maine, is among those around the country pioneering a concept called a “medical home.” The idea is to make health care better and more efficient for both doctors and patients. And it may well help attract more doctors to primary care practice.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Series Overview: Primary Care Under Pressure
Months after the insurer withdrew a controversial request to raise premiums 39 percent, state regulators approved a hike that will average about 14 percent for individual policies.
There’s a catastrophic shortage of primary care doctors who provide basic health care. And the need is expected to grow as more people receive coverage under the new health law. Dr. Cathy Crute is one doctor who is holding on to her solo practice in Maine.
For patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, breathing becomes difficult as scar tissue builds in the lungs. No cause is known and no treatment is yet available, and one patient with IPF is using his public relations background to put the disease on the map.
An educational grant from the drugmaker Pfizer for training journalists is raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. The company says there are no strings attached. Ethics watchdogs aren’t so sure.
9th sphere web design
Comments