Obamacare: How Medicare Reimbursement Norms Oblige "More For Less"

1,231 and 1,451. Those are, respectively, the number of hospitals that received an increase and a cut in their Medicare payment rate in the second year of a program that will tie reimbursement to quality of care. Read down in the first story for more healthcare policy beyond Obamacare's current fight.

Nearly 1,500 hospitals penalized under Medicare quality program. "More hospitals are receiving penalties than bonuses in the second year of Medicare's quality incentive program, and the average penalty is steeper than it was last year, government records show. Medicare has raised payment rates to 1,231 hospitals based on two-dozen quality measurements, including surveys of patient satisfaction and--for the first time--death rates. Another 1,451 hospitals are being paid less for each Medicare patient they treat." Jordan Rau in Kaiser Health News.