Latest news with #healthcareSystem
CTV News
12-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
CTV National News: New report shows how Alberta is lagging behind in health care
Watch A new report finds Alberta's health care system is falling short in significant sectors compared to the rest of Canada. Kathy Le breaks it down.
Health Line
07-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Medicare Nursing Home Ratings: What to Know
Medicare's nursing home rating system is designed to help consumers compare nursing homes, identify quality differences, and spot areas of concern. While Medicare usually doesn't cover long-term nursing home care, it may cover short-term stays in a nursing home under Part A. To help beneficiaries make informed decisions about care, Medicare created a rating system that you can use to evaluate and compare nursing homes. The rating system can offer a useful starting point for your research. But it should not replace an in-person visit to a prospective facility and conversations with staff, residents, and their family members. Learn how to use Medicare's nursing home rating system to make informed care decisions. How the rating system works Medicare rates nursing homes on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, where 1 star is the lowest and 5 stars is the highest. A rating of 3 stars means a facility is average. Ratings reflect a facility's performance in three key areas: health inspections staffing quality measures Medicare rates each facility on these three metrics and then aggregates scores into an overall rating. Health inspections The health inspection rating is based on yearly surveys performed by independent agencies over the past 3 years. There are three types of inspections that make up the health inspection star rating. These include: Health inspections: State inspectors evaluate whether a facility complies with Medicare and Medicaid regulations. Complaint inspections: State Survey Agencies follow up on complaints from residents or their family members and evaluate the quality of care at the facility in question. Infection control inspections: Inspectors evaluate a facility's infection control measures. Any reports resulting from these inspections are made available on the nursing home's Medicare page (see the 'How to use the ratings' section). Staffing The staffing rating reflects the daily hours worked by different types of staff members and staff turnover. The ratings include a breakdown of how much time each type of staff member can spend with each resident each day. Types of staff include: registered nurses licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses nurse aides physical therapists These measures are designed to give you a sense of how much face time residents have with staff members based on the ratio of staff to residents. The turnover numbers convey how long a nursing home retains its staff. Low turnover indicates that employees stay longer, which reflects better on the facility. Quality measures The quality measures rating is based on data that Medicare collects regarding the care residents receive in nursing homes. It includes short-stay and long-stay resident outcomes on factors like falls, infections, pressure ulcers, and antipsychotic use. How to use the ratings has a Care Compare search tool that allows users to view a list of nursing homes in their area. To use the tool, enter your ZIP code and click 'Search.' It will return a list and a map of nearby facilities with their corresponding star rating. The 'Compare' feature allows you to compare three facilities side-by-side. This is a useful feature, as it presents key information in an easily digestible format. When you select an individual nursing home from the list, you can see a detailed breakdown of its star rating across the three metrics of health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. This breakdown includes reports from recent health inspections and comprehensive staffing information and quality information, which you can compare against national and state averages. Further, the facility profile page includes additional information such as COVID-19 vaccination rates, emergency preparedness, and penalty records. Warning icons If you see a circular red icon with a hand in its center beside a facility's name in the list of results, it indicates that the facility has been cited for abuse. If you see a triangular yellow icon with an exclamation mark in its center, it indicates that the facility has a history of significant quality issues. The information on this website may assist you in making personal decisions about insurance, but it is not intended to provide advice regarding the purchase or use of any insurance or insurance products. Healthline Media does not transact the business of insurance in any manner and is not licensed as an insurance company or producer in any U.S. jurisdiction. Healthline Media does not recommend or endorse any third parties that may transact the business of insurance.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In already precarious industry, US musicians struggle for health care
In 2019, American musician Jon Dee Graham suffered a heart attack that left him "dead" for several minutes -- a scare that inspired his album, "Only Dead For a Little While." Eighteen months later he had a stroke. And now, the 66-year-old is facing his biggest health challenge yet -- and like most musicians, he's underinsured. Graham suffered an infection following spinal surgery that's developed into sepsis, and his son said he needs intravenous antibiotic treatments twice daily. But because his treatment is at home, William Harries-Graham said Medicare -- the US federal health program that insures elder adults -- won't cover his father. Harries-Graham said the hospital demanded payment upfront in the "thousands of dollars." The artist "fighting for his life" couldn't afford it, and recently launched a campaign to sell his drawings, a hobby that has become a means of survival. Graham's story is not uncommon: Many musicians confront the same health insurance nightmares all Americans do, navigating a labyrinthian system rife with out-of-pocket costs. But musicians are gig workers, which makes it even harder. Most working artists aren't rich and have variable income, in a cutthroat industry where employer-subsidized insurance for musicians is rare. Pop phenom Chappell Roan underscored the issue on one of music's biggest platforms earlier this year at the Grammys, calling out record labels for not insuring their artists in front of industry heavyweights as she accepted the prize for Best New Artist. Roan said she herself was dropped from her label and went uninsured for a time: "It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized," she said onstage. "Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection." - 'Just a patch' - About a month after Roan's statement, glam punk pioneer David Johansen died at 75 years old. His death came just weeks after he had started a GoFundMe to support his cancer treatment. In 2024, Matthew Sweet, the 1990s-era alt rocker, suffered a stroke while on tour. He was uninsured, so his management created a similar online crowdsourcing fundraiser. It's raised more than $640,000 to date to support his long-term recovery. But such crowdsourcing is a stop-gap, said Tatum Hauck-Allsep, founder and CEO of the Nashville-based Music Health Alliance that helps musicians negotiate medical bills. "In some cases, things like a GoFundMe is a great resource, but in other cases, it's just a patch. We want to find a long-term solution," Hauck-Allsep told AFP. She applauded Roan for highlighting the issue, but said insurance from record labels isn't necessarily what artists want, because it could mean they need to become employees, rather than independent artists. Still, "there should be an easier pathway to health care access," she said. Bruce Iglauer, head of the blues label Alligator Records, echoed Hauck-Allsep's point, saying that artists are self-employed. "We guarantee recording budgets and royalty rates, but have no input into, or knowledge of, what other income the artists are making," Iglauer said. "They are not getting weekly paychecks from us." And smaller labels say increasingly thin margins would make providing insurance impossible: "The costs of manufacturing have gone up, physical sales have gone down. Streaming sales pay paltry sums," said Kenn Goodman, founder and CEO of Chicago-based indie record label Pravda Records. "It's just not financially feasible," he added. "I wish it was." - 'Terrifying' - Many US musicians get health care through the Barack Obama-era Affordable Care Act -- but that coverage is under threat by the Donald Trump administration, which is vying to complicate health care access, and perhaps eventually scrap the system altogether. That would be a "disaster," said Paul Scott, director of the Healthcare Alliance for Austin Musicians, a non-profit that helps about 3,200 musicians a year in Texas get signed up for coverage under the government health care plan. Many ACA plans still don't come cheap, but it's made a huge difference for access, he said. Jettisoning the ACA would likely mean increased prices that would prompt a lot of artists to "drop their health insurance," Scott said. "And that will be a hit to our safety net hospitals and charity care." As for Graham, selling his sketches has successfully funded his first few weeks of treatment. But his son doesn't know if that will be enough. And Harries-Graham worries about those who can't find fundraising support thanks to their fame. "I don't know what someone else would have done," he said. "They would have been yet another person who goes into severe medical debt." "That is terrifying." str/mdo/jgc
France 24
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
In already precarious industry, US musicians struggle for health care
Eighteen months later he had a stroke. And now, the 66-year-old is facing his biggest health challenge yet -- and like most musicians, he's underinsured. Graham suffered an infection following spinal surgery that's developed into sepsis, and his son said he needs intravenous antibiotic treatments twice daily. But because his treatment is at home, William Harries-Graham said Medicare -- the US federal health program that insures elder adults -- won't cover his father. Harries-Graham said the hospital demanded payment upfront in the "thousands of dollars." The artist "fighting for his life" couldn't afford it, and recently launched a campaign to sell his drawings, a hobby that has become a means of survival. Graham's story is not uncommon: Many musicians confront the same health insurance nightmares all Americans do, navigating a labyrinthian system rife with out-of-pocket costs. But musicians are gig workers, which makes it even harder. Most working artists aren't rich and have variable income, in a cutthroat industry where employer-subsidized insurance for musicians is rare. Pop phenom Chappell Roan underscored the issue on one of music's biggest platforms earlier this year at the Grammys, calling out record labels for not insuring their artists in front of industry heavyweights as she accepted the prize for Best New Artist. Roan said she herself was dropped from her label and went uninsured for a time: "It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized," she said onstage. "Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection." 'Just a patch' About a month after Roan's statement, glam punk pioneer David Johansen died at 75 years old. His death came just weeks after he had started a GoFundMe to support his cancer treatment. In 2024, Matthew Sweet, the 1990s-era alt rocker, suffered a stroke while on tour. He was uninsured, so his management created a similar online crowdsourcing fundraiser. It's raised more than $640,000 to date to support his long-term recovery. But such crowdsourcing is a stop-gap, said Tatum Hauck-Allsep, founder and CEO of the Nashville-based Music Health Alliance that helps musicians negotiate medical bills. "In some cases, things like a GoFundMe is a great resource, but in other cases, it's just a patch. We want to find a long-term solution," Hauck-Allsep told AFP. She applauded Roan for highlighting the issue, but said insurance from record labels isn't necessarily what artists want, because it could mean they need to become employees, rather than independent artists. Still, "there should be an easier pathway to health care access," she said. Bruce Iglauer, head of the blues label Alligator Records, echoed Hauck-Allsep's point, saying that artists are self-employed. "We guarantee recording budgets and royalty rates, but have no input into, or knowledge of, what other income the artists are making," Iglauer said. "They are not getting weekly paychecks from us." And smaller labels say increasingly thin margins would make providing insurance impossible: "The costs of manufacturing have gone up, physical sales have gone down. Streaming sales pay paltry sums," said Kenn Goodman, founder and CEO of Chicago-based indie record label Pravda Records. "It's just not financially feasible," he added. "I wish it was." 'Terrifying' Many US musicians get health care through the Barack Obama-era Affordable Care Act -- but that coverage is under threat by the Donald Trump administration, which is vying to complicate health care access, and perhaps eventually scrap the system altogether. That would be a "disaster," said Paul Scott, director of the Healthcare Alliance for Austin Musicians, a non-profit that helps about 3,200 musicians a year in Texas get signed up for coverage under the government health care plan. Many ACA plans still don't come cheap, but it's made a huge difference for access, he said. Jettisoning the ACA would likely mean increased prices that would prompt a lot of artists to "drop their health insurance," Scott said. "And that will be a hit to our safety net hospitals and charity care." As for Graham, selling his sketches has successfully funded his first few weeks of treatment. But his son doesn't know if that will be enough. And Harries-Graham worries about those who can't find fundraising support thanks to their fame. "I don't know what someone else would have done," he said. "They would have been yet another person who goes into severe medical debt." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In already precarious industry, US musicians struggle for health care
In 2019, American musician Jon Dee Graham suffered a heart attack that left him "dead" for several minutes -- a scare that inspired his album, "Only Dead For a Little While." Eighteen months later he had a stroke. And now, the 66-year-old is facing his biggest health challenge yet -- and like most musicians, he's underinsured. Graham suffered an infection following spinal surgery that's developed into sepsis, and his son said he needs intravenous antibiotic treatments twice daily. But because his treatment is at home, William Harries-Graham said Medicare -- the US federal health program that insures elder adults -- won't cover his father. Harries-Graham said the hospital demanded payment upfront in the "thousands of dollars." The artist "fighting for his life" couldn't afford it, and recently launched a campaign to sell his drawings, a hobby that has become a means of survival. Graham's story is not uncommon: Many musicians confront the same health insurance nightmares all Americans do, navigating a labyrinthian system rife with out-of-pocket costs. But musicians are gig workers, which makes it even harder. Most working artists aren't rich and have variable income, in a cutthroat industry where employer-subsidized insurance for musicians is rare. Pop phenom Chappell Roan underscored the issue on one of music's biggest platforms earlier this year at the Grammys, calling out record labels for not insuring their artists in front of industry heavyweights as she accepted the prize for Best New Artist. Roan said she herself was dropped from her label and went uninsured for a time: "It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized," she said onstage. "Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection." - 'Just a patch' - About a month after Roan's statement, glam punk pioneer David Johansen died at 75 years old. His death came just weeks after he had started a GoFundMe to support his cancer treatment. In 2024, Matthew Sweet, the 1990s-era alt rocker, suffered a stroke while on tour. He was uninsured, so his management created a similar online crowdsourcing fundraiser. It's raised more than $640,000 to date to support his long-term recovery. But such crowdsourcing is a stop-gap, said Tatum Hauck-Allsep, founder and CEO of the Nashville-based Music Health Alliance that helps musicians negotiate medical bills. "In some cases, things like a GoFundMe is a great resource, but in other cases, it's just a patch. We want to find a long-term solution," Hauck-Allsep told AFP. She applauded Roan for highlighting the issue, but said insurance from record labels isn't necessarily what artists want, because it could mean they need to become employees, rather than independent artists. Still, "there should be an easier pathway to health care access," she said. Bruce Iglauer, head of the blues label Alligator Records, echoed Hauck-Allsep's point, saying that artists are self-employed. "We guarantee recording budgets and royalty rates, but have no input into, or knowledge of, what other income the artists are making," Iglauer said. "They are not getting weekly paychecks from us." And smaller labels say increasingly thin margins would make providing insurance impossible: "The costs of manufacturing have gone up, physical sales have gone down. Streaming sales pay paltry sums," said Kenn Goodman, founder and CEO of Chicago-based indie record label Pravda Records. "It's just not financially feasible," he added. "I wish it was." - 'Terrifying' - Many US musicians get health care through the Barack Obama-era Affordable Care Act -- but that coverage is under threat by the Donald Trump administration, which is vying to complicate health care access, and perhaps eventually scrap the system altogether. That would be a "disaster," said Paul Scott, director of the Healthcare Alliance for Austin Musicians, a non-profit that helps about 3,200 musicians a year in Texas get signed up for coverage under the government health care plan. Many ACA plans still don't come cheap, but it's made a huge difference for access, he said. Jettisoning the ACA would likely mean increased prices that would prompt a lot of artists to "drop their health insurance," Scott said. "And that will be a hit to our safety net hospitals and charity care." As for Graham, selling his sketches has successfully funded his first few weeks of treatment. But his son doesn't know if that will be enough. And Harries-Graham worries about those who can't find fundraising support thanks to their fame. "I don't know what someone else would have done," he said. "They would have been yet another person who goes into severe medical debt." "That is terrifying." str/mdo/jgc Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
