Op-Ed

Sixty of Louisiana’s 64 parishes are classified as “health professional shortage areas” by the federal government, meaning there are over 3,500 people for every one provider. The shortages are particularly severe in specialties such as geriatric and preventive medicine that serve the most vulnerable Louisianans. Our state’s powerful congressional delegation has the chance to address […]

Kentucky’s population is growing. The Bluegrass State gained roughly 83,000 residents between 2020 and 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and is now home to nearly 4.6 million people. Yet the number of doctors in our state is shrinking. As of 2022 — the most recent year for which data is available — Kentucky

The massive budget reconciliation bill currently making its way through Congress would, among other things, raise reimbursement for physicians under Medicare next year. That’s good news for patients. Many of their physicians have been leaving private practice, thanks in no small part to declining reimbursement from Medicare. The public program has cut pay for independent

Independent physicians are disappearing. Their practices are being subsumed by hospital systems and insurance companies. That leaves patients with fewer choices in where they can receive care and higher out-of-pocket costs. In the past five years, hospitals have acquired 7,600 independent physician practices. A majority of physicians — 55% — are employed by hospitals or

At the beginning of this year, Medicare hit doctors with a pay cut. Congress must reverse that cut soon — and enact a permanent fix in the way it pays doctors. Absent action, many independent physician practices may be forced to shut their doors. That’s not hyperbole, it’s reality. That would deprive countless patients of

Independent physicians are cornerstones of communities across Florida. They build long-term relationships with their patients and provide trusted, high-quality care close to home. But independent physician practices are being swallowed up at an alarming rate by hospitals and large health systems. Such consolidation is hurting patients in Florida and nationwide. It’s nothing short of a

The healthcare system has a new bogeyman: private equity. In Washington and state capitals, lawmakers and regulators are fomenting panic about private equity firms rolling up physician practices and squeezing them for a quick profit. Patients are collateral damage. There’s just one problem with this narrative. It’s not true. Research empirically debunks it. Read the

More and more doctors are trading their independence for a hospital paycheck. Some 55% of doctors now work for hospitals or health systems. That share has more than doubled in the last 12 years. Doctors aren’t always abandoning independent private practice by choice. Read the Full article on NorthJersey.com

In Texas, and across the country, patients are struggling with a difficult mix of health care challenges: high medical costs, vague and unclear hospital billing policies, and a lack of access to care. These challenges are particularly harmful for our rural and underserved communities, and they are being exacerbated by unfair hospital billing practices that

Millions of Americans may soon lose access to their doctors — unless Congress prevents a pay cut that could put many of them out of business. Starting Jan. 1, Medicare will once again increase reimbursement rates for hospitals and most other healthcare providers to help offset inflation. Doctors are not so lucky. Read the full