By Valerie Bauman http://www.insurancejournal.com/ State lawmakers say New York Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to increase doctor oversight and prevent misconduct has a good chance of passing this session — but with changes. Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried, a New York City Democrat, says both legislative chambers will have a few concerns about Paterson’s proposal […]

http://www.kaisernetwork.org Physicians in Massachusetts pay lower premium rates for malpractice coverage than they did in 1990, despite previous claims that high rates are causing them to leave the state, according to a study published in the current issue of Health Affairs, the Boston Globe reports. For the study, researchers at Suffolk University’s Law School, led […]

By Tim Talley http://www.insurancejournal.com Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry’s veto of legislation intended to make it tougher to file some lawsuits was sustained when House Democrats blocked a Republican-led override attempt. House members voted 55-42 on a motion to override the governor’s veto, less than the two-thirds majority needed for it to become law without the […]

By Nick Kotik http://www.gatewaynewspapers.com During the last days of April, we recognized National Cover the Uninsured Week. I say “recognized,” because “celebrate” would be the incorrect word. The designation helps raise the awareness that not just tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania and other states are living without health insurance. […]

By Winston Ross http://www.registerguard.com FLORENCE — In a bigger city, the departure of two primary care physicians from a hospital network in a single month isn’t a big deal. Patients can be absorbed into other practices, and more doctors can be counted on to move in and fill the void. In a town the size […]

BY RIDGELY OCHS http://www.newsday.com Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a wide-ranging patient safety bill yesterday that would give the state more authority in health investigations and, for the first time, make public names of doctors under scrutiny. The bill follows the case of Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, a Long Island doctor whose poor infection control practices […]

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS http://www.nytimes.com/ New York’s public and private hospitals stand to lose more than $1 billion in state and federal funds for the training of doctors because of changes to the Medicaid program backed by the Bush administration, according to an analysis by the city’s Independent Budget Office released on Tuesday. The change would […]

By Ray Long and Jeffrey Meitrodt http://www.chicagotribune.com/ SPRINGFIELD — Comptroller Dan Hynes and several lawmakers used a stinging new audit to blast Gov. Rod Blagojevich‘s administration for trying to expand state-subsidized health care when the current state Medicaid program is racking up huge deficits and is sometimes taking months to pay doctors who care for […]

By GETAHN WARD http://www.tennessean.com At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, up to 35 percent of trauma victims come in with alcohol or drugs in their system at the time of an accident. Under state law, insurers can deny payment of those medical claims, something that doctors and hospitals argue not only costs them money but also […]