Department of Health and Human Services News

Pennsylvania Insurance Chief Would Lead New Health, Human Services Agency

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said last week that he would nominate his insurance commissioner, Teresa Miller, to lead a new agency he is proposing to oversee the public health and social and human services programs currently carried out by four …

Federal Audit Finds More Vermont Health Connect Startup Woes

A new federal audit of the first six months of operations of Vermont Health Connect details how the system failed to meet several federal requirements designed to ensure that people who sought health insurance through the system were qualified to …

U.S. Hospitals Improve Patient Safety: Report

Fewer patients are dying from conditions acquired while staying in the nation’s hospitals, according to a new federal report. Statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) show that an estimated 87,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and …

Audit: Maryland Misallocated $28.4M for Health Exchange

Maryland misallocated $28.4 million in federal money for its flawed health care exchange and should pay the money back, according to a federal audit released on March 27. The audit marked the first time the inspector general of the Department …

Federal Report Shows New Hampshire Hospitals Reduced Errors

New Hampshire hospitals are making progress in reducing both errors and unnecessary readmissions, according to new federal data. The federal Department of Health and Human Services released a report this month estimating that the 3,700 hospitals across the country participating …

Joan Rivers Didn’t Consent to Procedures Performed at Yorkville

Joan Rivers, the comedian and television personality who died after undergoing a medical procedure in New York, didn’t give permission for all the work done at Yorkville Endoscopy LLC, U.S. regulators said. The Department of Health and Human Services said …

Utah Governor Asks Obama to Approve His State’s Health Exchange

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert asked President Barack Obama on Tuesday for help getting the state’s small-business health insurance marketplace approved as good enough for Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Utah created a health insurance exchange for small businesses …

Administration Issues Rules for State-Run Health Insurance Exchanges

The Obama administration on Monday released broad new operating rules for state-run health insurance exchanges, which form a key part of the 2010 federal healthcare reform law that will face landmark Supreme Court hearings in just two weeks. The long-awaited …

North Carolina Insurers Still Hoping for Medical Loss Ratio Waiver

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is going overtime as it decides whether to stick with federal standards that could mean $12 million in rebates for more than 58,000 North Carolina residents who buy their own health insurance. …