The respected news site, US News & World Report, that ranks hospital, and is often quoted by hospitals, is warning that Americans who sign up for insurance on the state exchanges might not have access to the nation’s top hospitals
Seattle Children’s Hospital, which ranks No. 11 on the U.S. News & World Report best pediatric hospital list. When Obamacare rolled out, the hospital found out it was only included on two out of seven insurance companies on Washington’s exchange. The hospital sued the state’s Office of Insurance on October 4, 2013 for “failure to ensure adequate network coverage.”
“If you like your insurance plan, you will keep it. No one will be able to take that away from you. It hasn’t happened yet. It won’t happen in the future.”
— President Barack Obama
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Seattle Children’s Hospital Press Release
Majority of Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange Insurance Plans Fail to Cover Care at Seattle Children’s; Hospital Sues Seeking Adequate Network Coverage for Children and Families
October 04, 2013
Omitting coverage for care at a facility like Children’s prevents families from accessing vital services they may desperately need
Today, Seattle Children’s Hospital filed suit citing the failure of Washington state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) to ensure adequate network coverage in several Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) plans. We believe strongly that the OIC and the majority of plans on the Exchange have failed to meet their mandate, as they do not currently cover care provided at Children’s.
Children’s is the only pediatric hospital in King County and the preeminent provider of many pediatric specialty services in the Northwest. Some of these specialized services not available elsewhere in our area or region include acute cancer care, level IV neonatal intensive care and heart, liver and intestinal transplantation.
Without inclusion of Children’s, current and future patients and families who obtain insurance from several plans offered will not be able to access care at Children’s as an in-network provider. This lack of suitable access to pediatric services means that families enrolled in these plans may not receive the most timely, appropriate care, and face larger out-of-pocket amounts.
“Every child should have access to essential healthcare and the intent of the new Exchange is to make it available to all families,” said Thomas Hansen, MD, CEO, Seattle Children’s. “However, we are very concerned about the limited networks being offered by some Exchange insurance plans. Omitting coverage for care at a facility like Children’s prevents families from accessing vital services they may desperately need.”
Children’s is committed to working with the OIC and Exchange insurers, and we hope a solution to this concerning situation can be found soon for Washington families.
About Seattle Children’s Hospital
Consistently ranked as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical referral center for the largest landmass of any children’s hospital in the country (Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). For more than 100 years, Children’s has been delivering superior patient care and advancing new treatments through pediatric research. Children’s serves as the primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The hospital works in partnership with Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org.
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According to KansasWatchdog.org Obamacare has caused nearly 19,500 Kansas health care plans to be canceled.
U.S. News ranks Best Hospitals for the 24th consecutive year. Best Hospitals helps guide patients with life-threatening or rare conditions in how to make decisions about their health care.
health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings
Is the President out of the loop? Or was Senator Joe Wilson right?
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) calls President Barack Obama a liar, saying, “You lie” referring to a statement by Obama that his plan would not apply to illegal immigrants while the president’s speech was addressing the public health insurance option, private insurance reform, estimated costs and revenue, basic coverage for individuals and employers, as well as subsidies and waivers for those who can’t afford coverage, the application of the plan to illegal immigrants, and the importance of tort reform in bringing costs down.
Barack Obama may not have lied about the illegal immigrants issue, but many, including comedian Jon Stewart are lampooning the president’s health care reform, and lack of awareness in areas of his administration. Stewart compared Obama to “Gil,” the hapless salesman from “The Simpsons.”
The Daily Show
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Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Him!
Jessica Williams explains why it’s so important that President Obama be kept in the dark regarding spying and health care.
Hmmm.
The National Intelligence Priorities Framework or NIPF is a classified national intelligence document used by the top planners of the United States Intelligence Community, such as the President of the United States and the Director of National Intelligence, that summarizes the United States’s intelligence gathering priorities.