Author: Melissa Patrick
-
State Senate passes bill for independent appeals process for managed-care claims; hearing gets into details of the problem
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Managed-care organizations’ contracts allow them to deny Medicaid claims and not reimburse for services if they deem them not medically necessary. That means health-care...
-
Senate Republican leaders killed the smoking-ban bill passed by the Democratic House but some of them say its time may come
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News On Feb. 13, for the first time, the Kentucky House of Representatives passed a statewide smoking ban to prohibit smoking in workplaces and indoor...
-
Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky wants a claims database to increase transparency about health-care cost and quality in Ky.
Kentucky has experienced rapid changes in health care since the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the next step is to implement a program that will...
-
Bill to cap co-payments for drugs is backed by emotional testimony, but opposed by health insurers and employer groups
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. — People with chronic conditions are often denied the best medication for their condition because it is not on their insurance plan’s...
-
Bill would require Medicaid managed-care firms to pay contracted fees for ER visits; Senate hearing targets two companies
This story has been updated with comments from Wellcare of Kentucky. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. — Managed care is touted as a way to achieve value-based...
-
Most Kentuckians don’t communicate with doctors electronically; most are confident about access to pricing information for care
Most Kentuckians don’t communicate with their doctor electronically, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. The poll, taken Oct.8-Nov.6, found that 73 percent of Kentuckians have not communicated with...
-
Proposed nutritional guidelines add sustainability issues, in spite of Republicans’ warnings; eggs get a green light
A new draft of the federal government’s healthy eating guidelines recommends for the first time that Americans consider the “health of the planet along with the health of their hearts,”...
-
Got the winter blues? Many treatments are available
(image from kidshealth.org) For some, winter is more than just a season characterized by shorter, colder days; it is a time of year that brings on the “winter blues,” Jill...
-
Smoking-ban bills get unfavorable committee assignment in state Senate, but supporters say they’ll keep trying to get votes
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. – The state Senate’s Republican leaders have assigned both the Republican and Democratic smoking-ban bills to a committee that appears unlikely to...
-
State Senate passes bills to lower a barrier to colon-cancer screening and allow patients to synchronize their prescriptions
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. – Two health-related bills, one to remove a financial barrier for colorectal cancer screenings and the other to allow consumers to synchronize prescriptions...