Paula Blankenship, Author at The Hertel Report

Paula Blankenship

Communications professional with two decades of award-winning work in journalism, corporate communications, promotional video, public relations and higher education. Always seeking opportunities to serve the public good.

Author's Posts

National News

Chronically Ill Facing High Drug Costs Under U.S. Health Law

President Barack Obama's ban on discriminatory health insurance practices against the sick has not stopped insurers from increasing up-front charges for the expensive drugs needed to control chronic illnesses from leukemia to multiple sclerosis.

National News

Florida Restaurant Chain Adds Healthcare Surcharge to the Tab; Will Others Follow?

A chain of restaurants in central and northern Florida have added a 1% surcharge to its customers’ checks to cover healthcare costs for its employees.

Arizona News

Medicare IDs Erroneously Published

Banner Health printed Medicare recipients’ identification numbers, which often are identical to their Social Security numbers, on the address labels of more than 50,000 issues of its magazine mailed in Arizona late last week.

National News

Medicare Advantage Fight Rages On

Some of the guesswork ended when the Obama administration last week announced its proposed Medicare Advantage rates for next year, but the fight against the rate cuts is far from over.

National News

New ACA Insurance Causes Headaches In Some Doctors' Offices

In the past, offices have been able to make sure patients are insured quickly, by using an online verification system. But for exchange patients, practices also have to call the insurer to make sure the patient has paid his premium. If he hasn’t, the insurance company can refuse to pay the doctor for the visit, or come back later and...

National News

New ACA Insurance Causes Headaches In Some Doctors' Offices

Arizona News

Shifts in Health Plans Spur Anger, Frustration for Buyers

Anne Law, a Mesa Realtor and cancer survivor, feels ripped off and disillusioned with her experience buying health insurance on the state’s marketplace.

Arizona News

Biological Resource Center Update: Investigation Expands to Nevada Business

The ABC15 Investigators have uncovered new developments in the case of a body donation lab raided in Phoenix.

National News

Insurance, Not Injuries, May Determine Who Goes To Trauma Centers

Researchers at Stanford University looked at more than 4,500 trauma cases at 636 hospitals around the country to see what happened to critically injured patients brought to emergency rooms that aren’t designated trauma centers.

National News

Obama’s Vote-Getting Tactics Struggle to Find the Uninsured

41 canvassers, armed with electronic maps on Samsung tablets, set off through working-class neighborhoods to peddle the Affordable Care Act door to door. Four hours later, they had made contact with 2,623 residents.

Arizona News

Gilbert Hospital Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

A small Gilbert hospital that was once highly profitable and served as a model for other emergency-room centers has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

National News

Institute of Medicine Names New President

Duke University Health System President and CEO Dr. Victor Dzau was named president of the Institute of Medicine, succeeding the longtime president, Dr. Harvey Fineberg, the National Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday. The term is six years In addition to being president of Duke's health system, Dzau is also chancellor for...

Arizona News

Arizona’s First Ever State Health Assessment

The Arizona Department of Health Services published Arizona’s first ever comprehensive State Health Assessment. The objective of the State Health Assessment is to give Arizona’s public health and health care systems a clear tool to help drive future decision-making and resource allocation as we collectively design and implement...

Arizona Bricks & Mortar