Commentary: U.S. medical costs are shockingly high

The U.S. health care system has many great features. One thing that isn’t great is the cost of care. In a new GHN Commentary, retired health care executive Jack Bernard points out that compared with other developed countries, the United States is spending much more money on health care, yet in some cases is actually…

U.S. health care still lags on affordability

By Jack Bernard Many years ago, I had lunch with Dr. Uwe Reinhardt, a distinguished health care economist, who was a speaker at a national conference for hospital CEOs put on by the organization employing me. In a good-humored way, he made clear to me that the United States did not have the best health…

Patients stranded out of network as contract talks collapse

In September, when Shelly Azzopardi went to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with abdominal pain, she didn’t worry about her insurance. Doctors said she had a case of appendicitis. But she also tested positive at the hospital in Marietta, Georgia, for Covid-19. Physicians decided not to do surgery and treated her with antibiotics and painkillers. Azzopardi, 47,…

Wellstar-United contract ends without a deal, affecting thousands

Tens of thousands of UnitedHealthcare members will now face higher out-of-pocket fees if they go to Wellstar Health System hospitals and doctors. The contract between the two organizations ended Sunday without a new agreement. An estimated 80,000 United members will be affected. Payment for medical services is the sticking point.  United says the Wellstar demands…

Weekend deadline looms as Wellstar, United wrangle over contract

For the second time in recent months, insurance giant UnitedHealthcare is mired in a contract squabble with a large Georgia health care system. And as before, the battle to hammer out an agreement that both sides can accept is coming down to the wire. About 80,000 of the insurer’s members would face being out of…

Two rankings on health put Georgia at the bottom of states

For years, in rankings of health indicators by state, Georgia typically landed in the high 30s to low 40s. But never at the bottom. The Peach State, though, has been ranked 50th, ahead of only Oklahoma, in a comparison of states and Washington, D.C., on health care for seniors. It follows a Georgia ranking of…

How are hospitals dealing with price transparency rule?

Jan. 1 marked the launch of a federal rule on medical prices that the hospital industry fought hard to stop. For the first time, each hospital was required to publish a website file showing the payment rates it had negotiated with insurers, and another post that would let consumers search for hundreds of “shoppable’’ medical…

For many, insurance doesn’t prevent high costs from prescriptions

Half of Americans take no prescription drugs. At the other end of the spectrum are people like Karen Milligan. She needs several drugs and pays a lot for them. She has dealt with multiple sclerosis for three decades. It’s disease of the central nervous system with no cure.  At 65, Karen is seeing her drug costs continue to increase, even for the…

Rebate time: Thousands of Ambetter clients to get money back

About 190,000 Georgians with health care policies from Ambetter of Peach State are getting rebates of $314 each. The payouts are required under a rule in the Affordable Care Act. The insurer owes a total of $59.8 million to its individual policyholders in Georgia, according to newly released federal figures. That’s a large chunk of…

Deadlock: Anthem patients lose network status at Northeast Georgia

Thousands of Georgians with Anthem insurance are now out of network if they visit hospitals and other facilities run by a Gainesville-based health system. The contract between Anthem, the state’s largest health insurer, and Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) expired early Tuesday. Four months ago, Northeast Georgia sent letters to about 40,000 patients, warning of…