skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Under Observation: Minnesota Looks to End Surprise Medical Bills

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 26, 2015   

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota is taking action on a health care trend that's leaving some of the state's senior citizens with unexpected medical bills after a hospital stay.

For Medicare to cover the cost of certain services, the patient must be officially admitted, not just classified with an observation status.

The approved legislation requires hospitals to inform patients of their status and the potential ramifications within 24 hours.

That knowledge is vital, says AARP of Minnesota volunteer Vikki Casey Steward, whose 83-year-old mother had a recent hospital stay and ended up with a surprise bill.

"She was never informed that she was being put on observation status as opposed to being admitted in the hospital,” Casey Steward relates. “She had her own room, as normal of a hospital stay as anything had ever been. And this is the first time in 18 years as a Medicare patient she received a bill from the hospital."

According to a study by AARP, the use of the observation status by hospitals has greatly increased in recent years, along with the average length of time patients spend in observation.

In Minnesota, more than 800,000 people rely on Medicare for their health coverage.

In addition to being able to plan post-discharge treatment based on their Medicare eligibility, Linda Nelsen, chief executive officer with Benedictine Living Community of St. Peter, says patients who know their designation and believe it should be changed can then request that while hospitalized.

"So it could be someone's in the hospital more than two days and they could qualify, but they're not aware of it at this point,” she explains. “This legislation will then inform them so that they can get that changed and it's a benefit they're eligible for and they should get."

There's also been a national push on the issue with a bill being considered by Congress. It would require any time spent under observation to count towards the three-day in-patient stay, which is required for Medicare to pay for skilled nursing care after hospital discharge.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021