What We're Reading: Direct Primary Care Model; Helping Las Vegas Hospitals; Arkansas Medicaid Spending

New Primary Care Model Fills Gap in Texas

In Texas, primary care practices are trying a new model to help provide care for the uninsured. Kaiser Health News highlighted direct primary care, a model where patients are charged a monthly fee for basic, office-based care. The fee, which ranges from $20 to $75 a month, typically also includes cell phone and after-hours physician access. Proponents say the model provides a safety net, but critics say that since it is not insurance, the model provides a false sense of security.

Las Vegas Hospitals Call in Back Up

After a gunman opened fire on people attending an outdoor concert, killing nearly 60 and injuring hundreds more, hospitals in Las Vegas were flooded with patients. The hospitals called in hundreds of doctors, nurses, and other personnel to help at hospitals seeing more injured patients than they had ever received from 1 event, reported NPR. Hallways were used as extra space to see patients, which is typically accounted for in hospitals’ trauma system plans.

Arkansas Medicaid Spending Higher Than Expected

With higher-than-expected enrollment, Arkansas spending on Medicaid expansion grew almost 24% in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30. Of the $1.9 billion spent on the state’s expanded Medicaid program, Arkansas covered less than $40 million, with the federal government picking up the tab on the rest, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The amount the state covered still ended up being $5 million below projections. Spending on the traditional Medicaid program grew 4.3%.