Most New Yorkers contend with high medical costs. But those costs are getting in the way of people seeking to buy a home or put money in a retirement account. Sixty-two percent of New York City residents are concerned that their medical bills have delayed them from achieving major life milestones including starting a family, buying a home or saving for retirement, according to a survey commissioned by city health insurer MetroPlusHealth.  Even though 95% of people who responded to the survey had health insurance, one in five still faced difficulties affording out-of-pocket costs including ..read more

Cardiac care represents a burgeoning investment opportunity for local health systems, with the number of Americans diagnosed with heart failure set to rise by 46% between 2017 and 2030. However, patients’ risk isn’t equal: the American Heart Association reports that heart attack hospitalization rates are on the rise for women over 55 while they fall among men. Amid these shifts, Northwell Health has invested more than $600 million into facilities to help expand cardiac care since the end of last year. A new $560 million surgical tower at North Shore University Hospital will perform open heart ..read more

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story, which ran in the April 18 issue of Health Pulse, misstated that the report measured outcomes for newborns through 18-year-olds and included data from transgender and gender nonconforming young people. It measured outcomes only for young people ages 12-17 and only included data from people who identify as lesbian, gay and bisexual. NEW CONTRACT: The city Department of Homeless Services has awarded Bhrags Home Care, a Canarsie-based home health care and skilled nursing provider, a nearly $45 million contract to provide 400 units for adults at 130 Thi ..read more

The World Health Organization is wading into the world of AI to provide basic health information through a human-like avatar. But while the bot responds sympathetically to users’ facial expressions, it doesn’t always know what it’s talking about. SARAH, short for Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health, is a virtual health worker that’s available to talk 24/7 in eight different languages to explain topics like mental health, tobacco use and healthy eating. It’s part of the WHO’s campaign to find technology that can both educate people and fill staffing gaps with the world facing a healthcare wo ..read more

There is a lot of noise surrounding the fate of New York's tech sector. While venture capital investment remains slow, IPOs are starting to return. On Wall Street, the artificial-intelligence craze jolted equities to all-time highs, but money managers continue to hedge their bets. As Crain's has reported, industry analysts remain bullish on New York. Deals may be down, they say, but the city is overflowing with available tech talent. C-suite executives are confident in their companies’ growth in New York, and more tech firms are choosing to do business here than ever before. Is that optimism w ..read more

Walter Noel, who ran the the largest fund to invest with Bernie Madoff and made more than $1 billion in resulting client fees for his firm, has died. He was 93.  He died on Dec. 15 at Yemanja, his family’s property on Mustique, a private Caribbean island, according to his death certificate. The cause was complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. His family has made no public announcement of his death. Noel founded what would become Fairfield Greenwich Group in 1983 to help foreign investors put money into U.S. hedge funds. He was introduced to Madoff by the father-in-law of his partner, J ..read more

No hitting the brakes here. Electric automotive company Tesla is opening up its second showroom in Brooklyn and third in the city, amid layoffs at the Austin-based enterprise elsewhere across the globe, Crain's has learned. The maker of the divisive Cybertruck — which starts at $60,990 and has been beset by accelerator complaints — debuted its New York City dealership in the Meatpacking District at 860 Washington St. in 2009. The second Tesla dealership in the city opened in Red Hook at 160 Van Brunt St. in 2016, and now, a third is planned to open at the Roulston House at 94 Ninth St. — just ..read more

Legion Investment Group has landed another one. The luxury developer that splashed onto the Manhattan scene during the pandemic with the hit condo 109 E. 79th St. has picked up a huge parcel in West Chelsea amid a flurry of activity for the firm. Legion, whose chief executive officer is Victor Sigoura, has purchased 540 W. 21st St., a nearly half-acre plot at 11th Avenue near the High Line, for $87.4 million, according to the city register. Originally made up of a row of warehouses – and in the 1990s, nightclubs – No. 540 was previously owned by Casco Development Corp., which put the site into ..read more

As a social justice advocate deeply invested in the well-being of my broader community, I find myself increasingly troubled by the pervasive impact of a deceptive hospital billing practice called “dishonest billing.” Dishonest billing is when a hospital secretly reclassifies a doctor’s office they own as a hospital setting in order to get more money. The disturbing trend of hospital conglomerates acquiring independent physician practices and subsequently hiking prices for routine doctor services is not merely an issue confined to the healthcare sector; it poses a direct threat to the health an ..read more

Another new residential project is headed to bustling northwest Queens, although the developer is not in a rush to decide whether this one will be rentals or condos. The project at 23-42 31st Drive in Astoria comes from Bayside-based Bassaly Development, and it will stand five stories and 50 feet tall with 22 residential units, according to plans recently filed with the Department of Buildings. The building will span about 15,000 square feet and feature 11 parking spots and a roof deck. Bassaly hopes to start construction in the next month or so and finish in about a year and a half, according ..read more