Palm Coast physician Florence Fruehan will surrender his license ahead of the conclusion of a state investigation into allegations that he groped a female patient. He is also under local sheriff’s investigation.
Health Care Business
Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin Sales Pitch Downplayed Risks Of Opioid Addiction
More than 1,500 pending civil lawsuits, filed mostly by state and local governments, allege that deceptive marketing claims helped fuel a national epidemic of opioid addiction and thousands of overdose deaths.
Florida Hospital Flagler Will Change Name to AdventHealth Palm Coast in Companywide Rebranding
The change to AdventHealth Palm Coast, by Jan. 2, is part of a company-wide rebranding across all 47 Adventist Health System hospitals and dozens of other facilities in nine states.
America’s Pre-Existing Condition
Florida is among the states suing to end the requirement that people with pre-existing conditions be covered by insurers. It’s the latest cynical attempt to end Obamacare.
Florida Hospitals and Halifax Health Named Among 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare
Adventist Health System, which includes the Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the top places to work in health care.
Deal Could End Wrangling Over Trauma Centers Around Florida
The Legislature has wrangled with whether to continue with current regulations or to allow a more competitive environment that would increase the number of trauma facilities.
For All The Talk Of Obamacare Imploding, ACA Enrollment Is “Remarkably Stable”
ACA plan enrollment ticked downward this year but states running their own marketplaces saw slight gains and did better than those relying on the federal exchange.
Unnecessary Medical Care Is More Common Than You Think
A study finds that in a single year more than 600,000 patients underwent treatment they didn’t need, at an estimated cost of $282 million. “Do no harm” should include the cost of care, too, the report author says.
Doctors Join Chorus Against Limits on Painkiller Prescriptions, But Lawmakers Push On
The proposal to set legal limits on prescribing for pain medication continued moving forward when it was unanimously approved by the House Appropriations Committee.
To Stay on Medicaid, You May Have To Start Working: Trump’s Decision Sparks Fury
Trump’s decision to allow states to test a work requirement for adult Medicaid enrollees sparked criticism from doctors, advocates for the poor, and minority and disability rights groups.
Limiting Pain Pills Prescriptions To 7 Days? Florida Surgeons Say No.
Lawmakers’ proposal would have patients get additional prescriptions for pain medications from their doctors. Phoning-in refills would not work.
O Canada: Can a Single-Payer Health-Insurance System Work in the United States?
American support for government-run, single-payer health care, once a fringe opinion, is picking up momentum, with doctors and patients increasingly supportive,
Despite Compressed Sign-Up Period, ACA Enrollment Nearly Matches Last Year’s
A day after Trump said the Affordable Care Act “has been repealed,” 8.8 million Americans had signed up for coverage on the federal insurance exchange in 2018.
Overriding Medical Marijuana Users’ Pleas, and Voters, Flagler Commissioners Pass Dispensary Ban
The 3-1 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries outright Monday evening ends a year-long process that saw commissioners zigzag between approval and prohibition.
Assisted Living Facilities Are Challenging Rule Requiring Generator Power in Emergencies
The Florida Senior Living Association representing 350 assisted living facilities argues the proposed rule creates requirements that are not authorized in state law.
Renner Again at Odds With Local Officials as His Recovery Centers Bill Gains Momentum
The House version of the bill is co-sponsored by Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, but whose proposal is opposed by Palm Coast government and the local hospital.
Taken For A Ride: Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills as Insurers Balk
Ambulance and private insurance companies often can’t agree on a price. That leaves patients stuck in the middle with out-of-network charges that are not negotiated.
Florida’s Opioid Crisis: Thousands of Babies Born to Addicts or Removed From Users’ Homes
More than 4,000 babies were born addicted to opioids in Florida last year, with a 38 percent increase in the number of children under 5 removed from homes because of drugs.
Palm Coast Opioid Dealer’s Arrest Points Only To Fractional, Street-Level Source of Crisis
Palm Coast’s Joseph Colon, 34, has been in and out of jail and prison over drug dealing for years, but his arrest on heroin and fentanyl trafficking charges masks the much broader, more legal source of the crisis.
House Tax Bill: Penalty For No Health Coverage Stays, Medical-Cost Deduction Goes
The medical deduction, originally created in World War II, is available only to taxpayers whose expenses are above 10 percent of their adjusted gross income.
Obamacare Enrollment Opens Wednesday For 5th Year: 5 Things You Should Know
Despite the efforts of President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress, the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land. But there are changes.
Uncertainty On Generators at Nursing Homes After Governor’s Order Is Invalidated
Gov. Rick Scott’s administration appealed the order to the 1st District Court of Appeal and claims the rules remain in effect during the appeal.
Treatment Overkill: Unneeded Scans, Therapy and Surgery Only Add To Patients’ Ills
Though ample evidence shows breast-cancer radiation treatment for many can be drastically cut down, less than half those eligible received it despite the additional cost and inconvenience.
No Maternity Wing or Trauma Unit Any Time Soon, But Florida Hospital Flagler Thrives On
Florida Hospital Flagler’s top leadership appeared at the Chamber of Commerce’s Common Ground breakfast Thursday morning with a sum-up of making it through recent stormy challenges and glimpses of what’s new within the hospital’s walls.
Stunner On Birth Control: Trump’s Moral Exemption Is Geared To Just 2 Groups
A separate rule allowing employers that are not religious organization to deny contraceptive coverage to employees is geared toward anti-abortion groups, but its legal status is doubtful.
Trump Blows Up Obamacare Subsidies: What You Need To Know
Some of Trump’s actions could have an immediate effect on the enrollment for 2018 ACA coverage that starts Nov. 1. Here are five things you should know.
Florida Cuts Payments To HMOs Caring For Poor, Elderly and Disabled By 3.7 Percent
The hospital cuts accounted for 94 percent of the reduction in rates, which the state says is attributable to lower pharmaceutical costs. Long-term care is seeing an increase.
Florida Lawmakers Hear Grim Picture of Worsening Opioid Crisis and Lack of Treatment
In the first six months of 2016, deaths caused by fentanyl increased by nearly 140 percent, deaths from heroin overdoses jumped by 25 percent, compared to the same period in 2015.
That Last-Ditch Effort By Republicans To Replace ACA: What You Need To Know
While the chances for this last-ditch measure appear iffy, many GOP senators are rallying around a proposal that would repeal most of the ACA.
How Health Insurers Fuel Opioid Crisis By Denying Claims For Less Addictive But More Expensive Drugs
Insurers limiting access to drugs with a lower risk of addiction or dependence. Why? Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive.
Uninsured Rate Falls To Record Low Of 8.8%, But Florida’s Rate Still 5th Highest in U.S.
Florida’s rate of uninsured would have been lower had Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature not prevented the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid.
Big Pharma Bullies: How Insurers Force You To Buy Name-Brand Drugs Instead of Generic
Some pharmaceutical companies are cutting deals with insurance companies to favor their brand-name products over cheaper generics. Insurers pay less, but sometimes consumers pay more.
Next Stations of the Cross In Obamacare’s Near-Death Experiences: Debate and Amendments
Senators are limited to 20 hours of debate, following which numberless amendments may be introduced–but not debated. It may get messy and difficult to follow.
Patriotic Millionaire: There’s No ‘Free Market’ Solution to Health Care
Republican leaders claim they want affordable access to quality health care for all. It can’t be done by lowering taxes on businesses and the rich and letting the market run it all.
Obamacare Exchanges In Limbo as GOP Repeal Fails and Trump Ramps Up Sabotage Talk
Even as premiums increase about 18 percent, Florida Blue, the state’s largest health insurer, said those rates would go even higher if government subsidies disappeared.
Latest Republican Health Bill Cuts Costs At Expense of People With Pre-Existing Conditions
The proposal would let insurers sell health coverage outside the ACA exchanges with no provisions for prescription drugs, mental illness, hospitalization or almost any other benefit.
In Palm Coast, A Small Protest Against GOP Health Bill Echoes Myriad Anxieties of Flesh and Blood
It wasn’t a large protest but every person gathered in support of Obamacare had a story to tell that looked past ideology to the human beings behind the numbers, and all those stories were local.
Non-Partisan Analysis of 22 Million More Uninsured Deals Blow to Senate Health Bill
By 2026, an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with about 28 million who would lack coverage under current law.
Behind Closed Doors: 5 Things Being Weighed In Secret Health Bill Also Weigh It Down
As 13 GOP senators continue to secretly craft a health care bill, some of the policies under consideration have slipped out, and pressure points of the debate are fairly clear.
In Latest Polling, Obamacare Beats Trumpcare, 49-31, With Little Support For Means-Testing
The health overhaul bill passed by the House earlier this month accomplishes one major feat: It is even less popular than the not-very-popular Affordable Care Act.
GOP Defends Health Bill With Euphemisms, False Statements and Deleted Comments
Since the passage of the American Health Care Act, Republican members of Congress have tried to swing public opinion to their side, but through deceptive means.
David Ottati Returns: Ex-Florida Hospital Flagler CEO Takes Over 3-County Region
David Ottati’s rise in the Adventist organization is again bringing him to Flagler County as he takes over leadership of a seven hospital-region including Florida Hospital Flagler.
It Would Be Up to Florida to Dismantle Obamacare Protections If GOP Bill Advances
Unless the legislation fails or changes substantially, many consumers across the country could see the amount they pay every year for premiums increase by thousands of dollars, making coverage effectively unaffordable.
Secret Hospital Inspections Revealing Errors and Mishaps and May Become Public at Last
The federal government has proposed requiring that accreditors release reports on the problems they find during hospital inspections. Right now, the reports are secret.
As Washington Piddles, Liberal California Forges Ahead With Universal Health Care Ideas
Organized labor and two lawmakers are leading the charge for a single, government-financed program for everyone in the state. Another legislator wants to create a commission that would weigh the best options for a system to cover everyone.
GOP Plan Scraps Individual Mandate Only to Create New, 30% Penalty For Laggards
The GOP approach is called a “continuous coverage” penalty. It increases premiums for people who buy insurance if they have gone 63 consecutive days without a policy during the past 12 months.
Lawmakers’ Letters to Constituents on Health Care Are Full of Lies and Misinformation
As the GOP tries to rewrite–or “repeal and replace–the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers in both parties are incorrectly citing statistics, making false claims and leaving out important context in letters to constituents.
Senate Committee Kills Recovery Centers Palm Coast Opposes, But Approves Expanded Surgical Centers
A Senate committee today killed a proposal to create the sort of “recovery care centers” Palm Coast government and Florida Hospital Flagler oppose, but it agreed to expanded ambulatory care centers.
Ron DeSantis’s First Principle: Do Harm
Obamacare repealer Rep. Ron DeSantis, whose congressional district includes Flagler, has a solution for cancer patients without insurance: the emergency room. A few corrections are in order.
Support for Obamacare Reaches Record, Putting Repeal-Minded Lawmakers In a Bind
Overall support for the health law ticked up to 48 percent in February, the highest point since shortly after it passed in 2010. That was a 5-point increase since the last poll in December.