In Brief: Unpaid Family Care Costs: $470 Billion; UCLA, UCSF Make List Of Best Hospitals
Unpaid Family Care Costs: $470 Billion
A new report by the AARP Public Policy Institute has concluded that 40 million family caregivers throughout the United States provided 37 bilion hours of uncompensated care in 2013, representing an economic value of $470 billion. That’s based on caregivers providing 18 hours of care per week at the average value of $12.51 per hour.
That figure is up significantly from 2009, when researchers had determined that the cost of unpaid family care was $450 billion. Altogether, the sum is larger than what the Medicaid program and consumers spend out-of-pocket on care each year, according to the study.
California’s numbers were not broken out specifically, but based on population trends, it would account for about $45 billion a year in unpaid care for family members.
The study noted that California recently became one of only three states that recently enacted paid sick days for some workers that could be used to take care of family members. However, the three quaranteed paid days per year is less than in other states.
“Despite some recent policy advances at the federal and state levels, we need to accelerate progress in adequately recognizing and explicitly supporting family caregivers,” the report said.
The report recommended expanding access to paid medical leave to take care of family members, expand the dissemination of information about family support services, and make advance planning and guardianship planning more easily accessible to family members.
UCLA, UCSF Make Best Hospitals List
UCLA Medical Center and UCSF Medical Center were among the nation’s top 10 hospitals, according to a new survey by U.S. News and World Report.
UCLA Medical Center was ranked third on the list, tied with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. UCSF was ranked eighth overall on the list.
“We are truly honored to be recognized as one of the top hospitals in the country,” said James Atkinson, M.D., the interim associate vice chancellor and president of the UCLA hospital system.
The magazine ranked the hospitals in terms of how they deliver complex medical care in 16 different categories. UCLA Medical Center was considered “high-ranking” in 15 specialties; UCSF received the same honor in 12 specialties.
“This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best health care possible,” said Mark Laret, chief executive officer of UCSF Medical Center.
Anthem, Cigna Close On Deal
Anthem, the Indianapolis-based insurance giant, appears close to announcing it will acquire Cigna in a mostly cash deal worth as much as $48 billion.
Anthem would pay $188 a share for the Connecticut-based Cigna, up from a prior offer of $187 a share, which Cigna had initially rejected as too low.
The deal would be the second major merger of health insurers announced in less than a month. Aetna announced earlier it would acquire Humana for $34 billion.
