Bill would force hospitals to warn if not equipped to save preemies, WSJ says

Senator Tom Cotton is introducing a bill requiring hospitals to disclose policies on care for extremely premature babies, The Wall Street Journal’s Liz Essley Whyte reports. The bill was prompted in part by a WSJ investigation that found some hospitals deny care offered elsewhere for similar cases. Hospitals failing to disclose premature birth policies would be ineligible for Medicaid funding under the legislation, according to the report. “Expecting parents of potentially premature babies should be able to plan their delivery at a hospital that can suit their child’s specific care needs,” said Cotton. Publicly traded companies in the space include Community Health (CYH), HCA Healthcare (HCA), Tenet Healthcare (THC) and Universal Health (UHS).