Why did hospitals binge-buy doctor practices in recent years? To improve care coordination, lower costs and upgrade patient experiences, say hospitals. To raise costs, gain pricing power and steer patient referrals, say skeptics. Researchers at Stanford University tested those opposing arguments by comparing referral patterns between independent doctors and those working for hospitals. Ownership by ...

California has adopted a series of laws in recent years to help people in the country illegally, and polls show broad support for a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 2 million such immigrants living in the state. But it’s a different story when it comes to providing them healthcare benefits. California voters are sharply ...

New government procedures have caused more than 400,000 immigrants to lose healthcare coverage they received under Obamacare this year, according to the Associated Press. The change in procedure shortens the timeframe during which foreign-born citizens can resolve eligibility issues, which has caused 423,000 people to lose their state-sponsored benefits. The healthcare law provides a 95-day ...

California had the most health insurance exchange enrollees of any state, with about 1.4 million enrollees as of June 30, according to new federal data, The Hill reports (Sullivan, The Hill, 9/8). Details of Exchange Enrollees Overall, the data show about 9.9 million U.S. residents had selected and paid for health coverage through the federal ...

­ The White House isn’t likely to wait long to challenge Wednesday’s ruling allowing House Republicans to sue the Obama administration for spending federal funds on the Affordable Care Act‘s cost-sharing assistance. The administration is expected to seek what’s called an interlocutory appeal, which would allow a higher court to consider the issue of whether ...

By sheer number of covered lives, Kaiser Permanente has been California’s largest health insurer for decades. But if Anthem gets its way — no longer. The Indianapolis-based insurer is currently the second-largest health insurer in the Golden State, and one of the three largest health insurers in the nation. Its planned mega-merger with Cigna is ...