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Entitlement programs at center of Capitol Hill's gathering budget storm

The likely and emerging partisan clash in Congress could force GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to take difficult policy positions in the fall -- just as the campaign is coming to an end. Meanwhile, this week on Capitol Hill, lawmakers will wrestle with a number of health care issues.

17 Apr 2012

Sebelius appeals to civil rights groups for health law support

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked civil rights activists to help defend the health law. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on specific aspects of the law, including how contractors have been preparing for its implementation, and the latest on accountable care organizations.

16 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Medicare may be unintended victim of bank crisis; Health care industry's fears of law's reversal

The banks' actions led directly to an increase in government debt, which in turn has made the reduction of that debt by "cutting runaway spending" a centerpiece of the Republican presidential campaign to date.

12 Apr 2012

In past campaign, Santorum played up support for Medicare drug plan

In 2006, Rick Santorum took a moderate stance on the prescription drug plan -- and cast a vote in the Senate that he has called a mistake in this presidential campaign. Meanwhile, in Maine, a Senate candidate who is running as an independent, is keeping "people guessing" about which political side he would pick.

12 Apr 2012

State roundup: Calif. drug monitoring system casualty of budget cuts; Data breach in Utah worse than thought; Md. legislature approves health enterprise zones

California has the oldest continuous prescription-drug monitoring program in the U.S. … It used to rely on carbon copies. … The system went online in 1998, and that's when its full power was realized. ... So alarm bells went off among doctors and law enforcement when California Gov. Jerry Brown announced last year that, for budget reasons, he was eliminating the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, which had long managed the prescription-drug monitoring program.

11 Apr 2012

QRxPharma completes MoxDuo CR Phase 1 studies on chronic pain

QRxPharma announced today successful completion of two Phase 1 studies in healthy volunteers for MoxDuo CR, a controlled-release Dual-Opioid utilising a 3:2 ratio of morphine and oxycodone.

11 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 10, 2012

In today's headlines, a new study finds that the health law, which has long been touted as a means to control costs, could add more than $340 billion to the nation's budget difficulties in the next ten years.

10 Apr 2012

RepTrak Pulse ranks CVS Caremark among Most Reputable Companies in America

CVS Caremark has been named as one of the Most Reputable Companies in America by Reputation Institute, in partnership with Forbes Media. The survey rankings are based on Reputation Institute's 2012 U.S. RepTrak™ Pulse, a study that measures the 150 largest U.S. public companies.

7 Apr 2012

Operation UNITE receives praises for National Rx Drug Abuse Summit

Ameritox, the nation's leader in pain medication monitoring, commends Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, Inc. (Operation UNITE), the organizers of the inaugural National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, on its coordination of a national forum to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The Summit will be held April 10-12 in Orlando, Florida.

7 Apr 2012

Advisory panel urges new fee on Medigap plans, cap on out-of-pocket costs

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission made recommendations to Congress for changes to the program. It's not clear if Congress will accept the proposals.

7 Apr 2012

Cost of preventive exams varies as much as 700%, report finds

The health law seeks to make preventive screening and procedures available to more people, but it could come at a high cost.

7 Apr 2012

Medicaid news: Oregon competitors working together; Calif. 'duals' project launches

A new push to reshape health care in greater Portland is reminiscent, its biggest booster says, of the race to land a man on the moon. Erstwhile health care competitors hope to set aside their differences to care for the region's 200,000 Oregon Health Plan members, says Legacy Health CEO George Brown. The task is happening in a timeline -- Brown snaps his fingers -- "that's like that long. It's a moon shot for sure. What we're trying to do, to my knowledge, has not been attempted any place in the country."

6 Apr 2012

Costs for all types of medical plans are expected to increase by 9.9% for 2012

Costs for all types of medical plans are expected to increase by 9.9 percent for 2012, according to a survey by Buck Consultants, A Xerox Company.

6 Apr 2012

FDA alerts on fake cancer drug imports

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted healthcare professionals that 120 vials of fake cancer drug Altuzan - which contained no active ingredient - had entered the U.S from distributors in the U.K. after being purchased from wholesalers in Turkey.

5 Apr 2012

Understanding how key decision makers assess prescription drugs for health plan coverage

As medical advancements and an expanding pharmaceutical industry bring new prescription drugs into the market, deciding which ones to cover is becoming an even more difficult choice for health plans to make. How those decisions are made - and what information is used in the process - was the focus of a recent study by researchers at RTI International.

5 Apr 2012

CMS: Medicare Advantage, Part D to get 3 percent boost in 2013 reimbursements

Also in the news, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced nearly $50 million in grants to state agencies to help seniors better understand Medicare.

4 Apr 2012

FTC approval of Express Scripts-Medco merger triggers new battlegrounds

Drug Stores and community pharmacists have pledged to fight on in the courts, but some consumer advocates see a silver lining in the merger.

4 Apr 2012

NIDA to showcase PEERx teen initiative at National RX Drug Abuse Summit

A unique, new campaign targeting teens will be on exhibit at the first national summit addressing the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will showcase "PEERx," a NIDA initiative that uses interactive videos and other tools to educate teens about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and help them to spread the word.

4 Apr 2012

Navidea announces FDA extension of Lymphoseek PDUFA date by three months

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that yesterday it received notification from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date for 99m-Tc-Tilmanocept, has been modified to September 10, 2012, a 90-day extension from the initial PDUFA date of June 10th.

4 Apr 2012