Healthcare
One firefighter missing and one resident dead after New York nursing home fire
A New York assisted-living facility caught fire and partially collapsed early Tuesday, leaving at least one person dead and others injured, according to officials. One firefighter is also missing as of Tuesday morning.
The fire started around 1 a.m. at Evergreen Court Home for Adults in Spring Valley, about 30 miles north of New York City. Firefighters arrived at the scene and began to evacuate residents.
20 to 25 residents were rescued and about 20 were taken to local hospitals, Rockland County Fire Coordinator Chris Kear said. Two firefighters were also taken to area hospitals.
One resident was pronounced dead at the hospital and several others had injuries described as serious, Kear said. One of the firefighters has been released.
The missing firefighter was attempting to rescue a resident form the third floor but “got lost in the conditions” and issued a mayday call, Kear said. The firefighter remains unaccounted for as of Tuesday morning.
“The mayday was answered. However, with the extent of the fire, the volume of fire, the conditions were just too unbearable where firefighters went in, they just could not locate the firefighter and they headed back out,” Kear told reporters on Tuesday.
The fire continued to burn at Evergreen Court more than eight hours later. Witnesses said the fire could be seen for miles.
Kear said the building was a “total loss” and did not release details on the cause of the fire.
Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a longtime supporter of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is now acknowledging the unintended consequences of the healthcare legislation, particularly its impact on industry consolidation and rising healthcare prices.
Warren, who has been a vocal proponent of Obamacare, has recently had what the Wall Street Journal reported as an “epiphany” regarding the consequences of the healthcare law. In a letter addressed to the Health and Human Services Department inspector general, Warren, along with Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, expressed concerns about vertically-integrated healthcare companies potentially increasing prescription drug costs and evading federal regulations.
According to reports from Fox News, the bipartisan letter highlighted issues with the nation’s largest health insurers allegedly bypassing Obamacare’s medical loss ratio (MLR). According to Warren, these insurers, through vertical integration, have manipulated the system, leading to “sky-high prescription drug costs and excessive corporate profits.”
The senators detailed how conglomerates, like UnitedHealth Group, with ownership across various healthcare sectors, could inflate medical payments to pharmacies and, by realizing those payments on the pharmacy side, appear to comply with MLR requirements while retaining more profits.
Moreover, despite the Democrats’ argument that the MLR would benefit patients, it has incentivized insurers to merge with or acquire pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), retail and specialty pharmacies, and healthcare providers. This, in turn, has made healthcare spending less transparent, as insurers can allegedly shift profits to their affiliates by increasing reimbursements.
Warren, who has consistently voted against Obamacare repeal efforts, notably advocated for a “Medicare for All” proposal during her 2020 presidential campaign. Despite her prior support for the healthcare law, Warren’s recent concerns about its unintended consequences have raised questions about the long-term effects of Obamacare and its impact on the healthcare industry.
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