Private Equity in The Hot Seat
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Medical Debt Update
New Orleans-based Ochsner hospitals and clinics serve Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. They are working with a Undue Medical Debt, a New York nonprofit to wipe out $366 million in medical debt for about 193,000 needy patients.
The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported Wednesday that the deal involving Ochsner Health was arranged by Undue Medical Debt, a donor-funded organization that negotiates with hospitals, doctors’ offices and ambulance services to purchase and erase the outstanding medical debt of those least able to afford it.
The deal followed an announcement earlier this week of a similar agreement between Ochsner, Undue Medical Debt and New Orleans to wipe out more than $59 million in medical debt for about 66,000 patients in that city.
Undue Medical Debt typically is able to purchase the medical bills for about a penny on the dollar. If there is something burning a hole in your pocket, you can help Undue Medical Debt with a donation here.
Updated COVID-19 Vaccine
The FDA on Thursday gave its nod to the updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024-25 season, preparing for an expected spike in cases this upcoming fall and winter.
Both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s updated vaccines are granted full approval for people age 12 and older, and they’re authorized for emergency use for children 6 months to 11 years old. The approval comes as COVID-19 infection rates have increased this summer, according to wastewater data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts predict that COVID-19 will spike twice per year, in the summer and winter, based on how the virus has evolved in past years. The FDA is planning to update the vaccines once per year, on the same timeline that annual flu vaccines are updated, depending on which strain is circulating.
In recent weeks, people have been hospitalized with Covid at a rate nearly twice as high as during the same time last summer. By late July, Covid was killing roughly 600 Americans each week, a substantial drop from this winter but double the number from this spring. The availability of boosters has not translated into actual vaccinations. By spring, only one in five adults had received last year’s updated Covid vaccine. Even older Americans, who are at far greater risk of being severely sickened, largely spurned the shots, with only 40 percent of people 75 and older taking last year’s vaccine.
Unvaccinated children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years can receive either three doses of Pfizer’s vaccine or two of Moderna’s. If they have been previously vaccinated, they can receive either one or two doses of Moderna’s. The number and timing of doses will depend on when they received their last shot, according to the FDA. People age 5 and older are eligible for an updated shot at least two months after their last COVID-19 vaccine, FDA said.
The majority of people who were hospitalized for COVID-19 last year hadn’t received an up-to-date vaccine, according to data presented to the CDC’s vaccine advisers this past June.
Ok - Get the vaccines and stay healthy. My wife and I booked our appointments online for late next week for the latest COVID vaccine and the Flu shot. I’m pretty sure that ice cream will be available after the injection.
Abortion News (Not Good)
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that abortion will not be on the ballot in November, upholding the state’s rejection of a petition to bring an abortion access measure before voters because organizers had failed to submit the required paperwork on time. The required paperwork was not signatures - it was proof that paid signature collectors had been trained to collect signatures.
In a narrow 4-3 ruling, the court’s majority sided with Secretary of State John Thurston (R), who in July rejected a petition submitted by Arkansans for Limited Government that carried over 100,000 signatures because the group had not submitted training certifications for paid canvassers it used.
Vote Accordingly
Private Equity Disaster
New Mexico’s attorney general is investigating Memorial Medical Center which is operated by Lifepoint Health, to determine whether the facility, highlighted in a recent NBC News report, violated state laws by turning away indigent and low-income patients seeking care. The investigation focuses on Memorial’s patient policies for compliance with a state law and the hospital’s performance under the New Mexico statute governing provision of care to needy patients.
There is evidence that Memorial Medical Center turned away cancer patients under its operator, Lifepoint Health, which was acquired by Apollo Global Management, the New York-based private-equity firm. Physician records and interviews with 13 patients detailed denials of care by the hospital or demands of upfront payments to secure treatments. (NBC)
Although Lifepoint runs Memorial, the facility and the land it sits on are owned by the city of Las Cruces and Doña Ana County. In addition to potentially violating state law denying care to patients could violate the 40-year lease Memorial struck with the county and the city in 2004. The lease says the facility must generally continue providing care to “those unable to pay the full cost of healthcare services rendered to them.”
Lifepoint Health, oversees the country’s largest chain of mostly rural hospitals — 62 acute care facilities in 16 states. Lifepoint is a subject of two U.S. Senate inquiries, along with other health care companies owned by private equity, NBC News has reported. The Senate investigations aim to assess the profits Apollo and other firms reaped in the deals and whether they harmed patients and clinicians. Apollo has said it is cooperating with the inquiries.
Private-equity firms like Apollo have taken over much of the health care industry in recent years. The firms typically load debt onto the companies they buy, then cut costs to increase earnings and appeal to potential buyers later. Almost one-quarter of New Mexico’s hospitals are controlled by private-equity firms, according to a study by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a nonprofit operation that analyzes the private-equity industry’s impact on consumers.
Independent academic studies show private-equity firms’ involvement in the industry results in significant cost increases for patients and payers, such as Medicare. Lower quality of care has been associated with the firms’ investments in health care, research shows, including 10% higher mortality rates at nursing homes owned by private equity and more incidents of infections, blood clots and falls at hospitals.
There is legislation in Congress that addresses this abysmal kind of behavior when private equity is involved. It is called the Health Over Wealth Act. It outlaws the kind behavior that exploits patients to generate huge outsized profits quickly for investors.
Let’s share this example with our Senators and Member of Congress and ask for action.
Action
Use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PXNDQO to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know private equity giant Apollo and their hospital management firm Life point have been turning away poor patients in Las Cruces New Mexico. Here is the NBC News Story for you and your staff to peruse. https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/new-mexico-investigates-private-equity-hospital-las-cruces-rcna162174
They did this even though their lease for the hospital building and land from the city specifically prohibits this behavior.
When will you say enough is enough? I want you to cosponsor and get the Health Over Wealth Bill to a vote so private equity firms can no longer exploit patients to provide way above market returns to investors. Here is Senator Markey’s Health Over Wealth Bill summary, https://www.markey.senate.gov/healthoverwealth.
You were sent to Washington to help your constituents. How about it? Get this bill passed in both houses. We are counting on you.”
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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