Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/759111
22 CFO / FINANCE New Mother Hit With $7k Delivery Room Charge After Giving Birth in the Parking Lot By Kelly Gooch A Florida woman who un- expectedly gave birth in a hospital parking lot said she was surprised months later when she was charged for a de- livery room, according to a WPTV report. The woman, Paula D'Amore, and her husband headed toward Boca Raton (Fla.) Regional Hos- pital last April for the birth of their child. However, the baby was already on its way by the time they arrived. Ms. D'Amore's husband and nurses helped with the delivery, and the baby girl, Daniella, was born in the fire lane in the hospital's parking lot, according to the report. "To me, it was beautiful," Ms. D'Amore said in the report. "It didn't matter if it was in my house or in the car, or in the hos- pital. It didn't matter." Seven months later, Ms. D'Amore received a bill for more than $7,000 — the delivery room fee — even though she never made it to the delivery room, ac- cording to the report. She said she did deliver the placenta in the hospital. A Boca Raton Regional spokes- person said in the report that the administration has no comment on the matter. "They are basically saying that everything was billed appropri- ately," Ms. D'Amore said in the report. The new mother said in the re- port she planned for the birthing costs prior to delivery, but since she never made it to the delivery room, she thought the hospital would adjust her bill. "I knew that I was responsible for the $5,000 deductible," she said in the report. "I get it, I'm going to pay the bill. That's not the issue. The issue is that I'm like — I look at this delivery charge, and I think that's a little outrageous." n Layoffs Cost Baxter $101M: 7 Things to Know By Kelly Gooch D eerf i el d, I l l. - b as e d B a x te r Inte r national, a maker of hospital and renal products, spent or set aside $101 million in recent months to lay off employees, according to a Chicago Tribune report. Here are seven things to know about the issue. 1. Baxter leaders revealed the dollar amount Oct. 25 during an earnings call. 2. Baxter spokeswoman Deborah Spak would not indicate how many employees will be laid off, but she said the "reductions" are taking place in more than 40 countries, according to the report. 3. e $101 million, which will be given to laid off employees, includes severance costs as well as other support, Ms. Spak said, according to the report. It's separate from the $43 million the company spent or set aside this year for the same purpose before the third quarter, re- ports Chicago Tribune. 4. Once fully implemented, Baxter officials expect the layoffs to save the company more than $100 million per year. 5. e layoffs come as Baxter continues orga- nizational restructuring under new Chairman and CEO José Almeida. Mr. Almeida said during Tuesday's call that the company began the "wave of organizational restructuring" in its global commercial operations and other areas this month, according to the report. "is streamlining is expected to generate a higher-performing organization along with cost savings … and the opportunity to chan- nel investment in new ways," he said. 6. Aside from the dollar amount related to layoffs, Baxter also reported adjusted earn- ings from continuing operations of $311 million or 56 cents per share, up from an adjusted income of $225 million or 41 cents per share during the third quarter of last year, according to the report. 7. e company already cut 1,400 jobs in the last few months of 2015. n Aetna CEO: Young Adults Rather Pay for 'Beer on Fridays and Saturdays' Than Health Insurance By Brooke Murphy People who are healthier and younger are more likely to forego buying ACA health plans as they weigh rising premiums against other lifestyle expenses, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said at Bloomberg's The Year Ahead Summit in New York. Insurers increased premium rates for ACA plans on the individual market by an average of 25 percent for 2017 coverage. Mr. Bertoli- ni said this is enough to deter many healthier customers from purchasing coverage. "As the rates rise, the healthier people pull out because the out-of-pocket costs aren't worth it," Mr. Bertolini said, reports Bloomberg. "Young people can do the math. Gas for the car, beer for Fridays and Saturdays, health insurance." This trend could reduce the proportion of healthy members to more sickly members on the exchange, which could cause premiums to rise even further. Mr. Bertolini said Aetna would reconsider re-entering the exchanges it exited earlier this year if legislators implement changes to help insurers bare the costs of populations that are sicker than first anticipated. n