Medicare

Healthcare for Angelina Jolie -- and everyone else [Blowback]

2013-05-18 05:00:00

We applaud Times columnist Robin Abcarian for shining the light on the inequities in our healthcare system in response to Angelina Jolie’s recent announcement about her prophylactic mastectomy. When Jolie made her medical decision, she had at her...

Cedars-Sinai stands out for steep pricing

2013-05-17 00:00:00

When Medicare disclosed average charges from thousands of U.S. hospitals for 100 common procedures last week, only one hospital was near the top in every category: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Be it a cardiac stent, a hip replacement or a...

Senate approves Obama choice to head Medicare

2013-05-15 14:50:00

WASHINGTON – In an unusual break in the partisan warring over healthcare, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Obama's choice to oversee the mammoth Medicare and Medicaid health programs. Marilyn Tavenner, a former hospital executive and...

Medicare charges vary widely at California hospitals, new data show

2013-05-08 07:35:00

Federal officials are shedding new light on how much hospital bills vary across Southern California and the rest of the country. Medicare released pricing information Wednesday for more than 3,300 U.S. hospitals on the top 100 procedures and...

Comparing healthcare prices

2013-05-09 00:00:00

With increasingly wide-ranging costs for medical procedures, here are some resources to help you find and understand medical prices. • Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Data base shows charges for the 100 most common hospital-based...

Hospital prices diverge wildly, U.S. data show

2013-05-08 18:33:00

New Medicare data reveal wildly varying charges among the nation's hospitals for 100 of the most common in-patient treatments and procedures, calling into question medical billing practices just as U.S. officials try to rein in rising costs. The...

The wrong way for Washington to avoid defaulting

2013-05-08 06:00:00

It's rare that the president explicitly pledges to veto a bill -- usually, the White House says the president's advisors would "recommend" a veto -- but that's what happened Tuesday. The measure in question is HR 807, the Full Faith and Credit Act, by...

California calls for more disclosure of medical costs [video chat]

2013-05-09 12:06:00

California officials are looking to build on a federal effort to disclose more healthcare pricing information to consumers. Medicare officials released new data this week that showed wildly different hospital charges across the nation for 100 of the...

Is $1,721.75 the bill you'd expect for treating a cut?

2013-05-10 00:00:00

It was your basic, run-of-the-mill accident. Kim Haselhoff's 9-year-old son got nipped in the finger by one of the family dogs. It didn't seem too serious, but there was a bit of blood. Unfortunately, the pediatrician's office had just closed, and the...

Workers fired from Nevada hospital accused of 'patient dumping'

2013-04-30 13:53:00

Two employees have been fired and three others disciplined at a Las Vegas hospital accused of "patient dumping" -- sending mentally ill patients to other states, including California. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday...

L.A. jury finds three guilty in $1.5-million Medicare fraud scheme

2013-04-26 11:50:00

A federal jury in Los Angeles found an Anaheim physician and two others guilty this week for their roles in a $1.5-million Medicare fraud scheme involving power wheelchairs. At trial, federal prosecutors said that Godwin Onyeabor, 49, an officer at...

Feds take action over alleged patient dumping at Nevada hospital

2013-04-26 14:41:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Following state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's call for an investigation, federal authorities have taken disciplinary action against a Nevada hospital in an alleged case of "patient dumping" in California. In a letter...

Medicare officials released new data Wednesday showing the wide disparity in hospital bills for common medical procedures.

2013-05-08 00:00:00

Federal officials in Los Angeles and across the country are trying to crack down on Medicare fraud related to wheelchairs and other medical equipment.

2013-04-26 12:25:00

Facing a proposed cut in reimbursement from the government, health insurers managed to lobby their way to a Medicare pay increase.

2013-04-03 10:23:00