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Obama appeals to doubters: Health care plan a 'moral obligation'

Politico reports on the various paths the White House could take regarding strategy for passage of a health care reform bill. "No matter which way they go, the White House and congressional Democrats face long odds, and no guarantee of a bill at the end of the process.

20 Aug 2009

Obama stands by public plan in Conservative radio interview

"President Barack Obama is standing his position that a public option for health insurance coverage should be considered as part of legislation to overhaul the health care system," The Associated Press reports.

20 Aug 2009

Medicaid gap means young homeless go without

Homeless young people without Medicaid coverage often navigate a maze of emergency rooms and clinics to get care they need as advocates try to get them covered under health care reform, The Denver Post reports.

20 Aug 2009

Proposed Medicare cuts will harm seniors' care

A new American Health Care Association (AHCA) analysis of the pending House health reform bill, combined with the impact of a recently-enacted Medicare regulation cutting Medicare-funded nursing home care by $12 billion over ten years, finds seniors in fifteen states requiring nursing and rehabilitative care will face total funding cuts in excess of $1 billion over that same time period. Nationally, the study finds, seniors' Medicare cuts will total $44 billion over ten years, prompting AHCA President and CEO Bruce Yarwood to warn that U.S. seniors' care needs are endangered by the House bill, as are the jobs of more than 50,000 caregivers nationwide.

20 Aug 2009

NY Inspector General cracks down on Medicaid abuse

New York State Medicaid Inspector General wants increased penalties for doctors, pharmacists, nursing homes and others that bill the state for services to people who have died.

20 Aug 2009

Proposed Federal budget cuts will put seniors at risk

The Health Facilities Association of Maryland (HFAM) today brought together U.S. Representative Frank Kratovil (MD-1) and residents, workers and leaders from the Salisbury Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to personalize the pending effects of a proposed $32 billion federal cut to Medicare.

20 Aug 2009

Consumer groups urge transparency in health care reform for pharmacy benefit managers

Three top consumer groups are urging Congress to include in health care reform legislation transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) participating in any new federally sponsored health plans in a public health care exchange. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), and the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices (NLARx) have sent a joint letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) supporting the provision, authored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200).

20 Aug 2009

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance projected to double in 10 years

Nationally, family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance increased 119 percent between 1999 and 2008, and could increase another 94 percent to an average $23,842 per family by 2020 if cost growth continues on its current course, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report.

20 Aug 2009

Senators to test bipartisan water on co-op plan

Key Senate negotiators - a group of three Republicans and three Democrats on the Finance Committee - will test the traction of a plan to create private health insurance cooperatives instead of a government-run insurance plan during a conference call today, The Los Angeles Times reports.

20 Aug 2009

Lawmakers face constituents' health care flak

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, "lashed out at protester who held a poster depicting President Obama with a Hitler-style mustache during a heated town hall meeting on federal health care reform," The Associated Press reports.

20 Aug 2009

Gary Bauer calls Obama's use of scripture to sell failing health care plans "clumsy attempt to manipulate"

Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer on Thursday called President Obama's invocation of scripture in defense of his failing health care takeover "breathtaking hypocrisy" as well as a "clumsy attempt to manipulate."

20 Aug 2009

As Democrats eye going it alone, some recommit to bipartisan reform

While some Democrats maintain that bipartisan health care reform work still has potential, others seem to be hedging their bets. The Christian Science Monitor reports that "In all likelihood, (White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and press secretary Robert Gibbs) are engaging in creative ambiguity, designed to send signals to multiple audiences - friend and foe - and keep options open as long as possible."

20 Aug 2009

House healthcare reform legislation and administrative rule combined cut $44 billion in Medicare funds for long term care

The Community Cares Coalition (CoCares) - a national coalition of community long term care businesses and organizations providing key services to the skilled nursing community - today said that while long term care businesses support reform measures to increase efficiencies in the healthcare system and promote cost savings, the current reform proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives and a recent administrative rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS') that cut $44 billion Medicare funds to long term care will have the opposite impact on nursing home care and the businesses and organizations that support the nation's long term care sector.

20 Aug 2009

Biden: $1.2 billion from stimulus for computerized medical records

"Vice President Joe Biden today announced $1.2 billion from federal stimulus dollars to allow hospitals to modernize record keeping systems," The Chicago Tribune reports.

20 Aug 2009

Heated town halls fire up Republicans

Town hall protestors are "part of a phenomenon enabling national conservative groups to galvanize grassroots anger about big government and reshape the debate over President Obama's health care plan. Suddenly, it's the conservatives' turn to be fired up," USA Today reports.

20 Aug 2009

House Democrats ask to examine health insurers' finances

House Democrats examine pay and profit for health insurers as health insurance stocks dip lower than market.

20 Aug 2009

Midcareer professionals find new opportunities in health care

"Health care may be a costly drag on the economy, but it's still a great place to find a job," The New York Times reports. "Midcareer managers and other workers have been migrating to health care jobs for years, of course. Now, with the recession, the lure is even stronger. Hospitals, which employ more than four million people, added 135,000 jobs last year and 19,400 more in the first half of 2009, even as millions of American workers wound up unemployed." For many working in the field, health care is a second career. "Many managers with experience in fields like human resources, finance and marketing find a welcome in health care, with a little studying up."

20 Aug 2009

Varian Medical Systems to equip a new proton therapy center in Sweden

Varian Medical Systems today announced it has been selected to equip a new proton therapy center in Sweden. In a ceremony conducted by Swedish authorities yesterday following a public tender, Varian was named to supply an estimated $60 million in products for Skandionkliniken, a new national proton therapy center owned by a consortium of seven of Sweden's counties.

20 Aug 2009

Medical students give a poor grade to the U.S. healthcare system according to Epocrates' survey

Medical students give the U.S. healthcare system a poor grade and consider technology a ‘must have’ for their future practice. These opinions and technology priorities, including mobile reference and electronic medical records (EMRs), are represented in the fourth annual Future Physicians of America survey by Epocrates, Inc., the leading provider of mobile medical technology.

20 Aug 2009

Saskatchewan government makes insulin detemir more accessible to residents

The Canadian Diabetes Association applauds the Government of Saskatchewan for increasing access to insulin detemir for residents of Saskatchewan living with diabetes. Insulin detemir, also known as Levemir, has been added to the Saskatchewan Drug Formulary, under Exception Drug Status (EDS) effective July 1, 2009. As well, the updated formulary now includes NovoRapid-NOO, Apidra-AVT and Humalog-LIL within its Revised Exception Drug Status Criteria.

20 Aug 2009

Healthcare News

Obama appeals to doubters: Health care plan a 'moral obligation'

Obama stands by public plan in Conservative radio interview

Medicaid gap means young homeless go without

Proposed Medicare cuts will harm seniors' care

NY Inspector General cracks down on Medicaid abuse

Proposed Federal budget cuts will put seniors at risk

Consumer groups urge transparency in health care reform for pharmacy benefit managers

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance projected to double in 10 years

Senators to test bipartisan water on co-op plan

Lawmakers face constituents' health care flak

Gary Bauer calls Obama's use of scripture to sell failing health care plans "clumsy attempt to manipulate"

As Democrats eye going it alone, some recommit to bipartisan reform

House healthcare reform legislation and administrative rule combined cut $44 billion in Medicare funds for long term care

Biden: $1.2 billion from stimulus for computerized medical records

Heated town halls fire up Republicans

House Democrats ask to examine health insurers' finances

Midcareer professionals find new opportunities in health care

Varian Medical Systems to equip a new proton therapy center in Sweden

Medical students give a poor grade to the U.S. healthcare system according to Epocrates' survey

Saskatchewan government makes insulin detemir more accessible to residents

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