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President Obama to Senate Democrats: let's do lunch

"With Congressional recess protests against his health-care agenda ramping up and other pressing business to attend to, President Barack Obama summoned the Senate's Democrats to the White House today for a high-stakes working lunch," according to Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire.

4 Aug 2009

Website helps caregivers navigate Medicare

The Department of Health and Human Services has created a web site called "Ask Medicare" to help caregivers navigate the often confusing Medicare system.

4 Aug 2009

Mexico steps up efforts to attract medical tourists

Efforts to standardize quality measures for medical tourism are underway as Mexico tries to attract medical tourists. Such efforts come after the swine flu outbreak significantly hurt Mexico's tourism industry, which ranks third as the country's source of foreign income.

4 Aug 2009

Senate Dems prepare contingency plans as finance negotiators grapple for a deal

"Senate Democrats may decide to pass a U.S. health-care overhaul without Republican support if some opposition lawmakers don't agree to a plan by mid-September," Senator Charles Schumer[ D-N.Y.] said" according to Bloomberg. Schumer said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., set a self-imposed deadline of Sept. 15 to lead a negotiating team, composed of three Republicans and three Democrats within his Finance Committee, to a bipartisan compromise.

4 Aug 2009

Rural hospital places critical bet on health IT

A small, rural hospital in Missouri is "rolling the dice" on electronic medical records, its CEO tells the Associated Press. The 47-bed hospitals borrowed nearly $1 million to implement an electronic records system, and that's on top of a $370,000 operating deficit and staff layoffs.

4 Aug 2009

No recess rest in health reform ad wars

Major groups are promising that the August recess will be filled with advertising wars trying to manage the message of the health care reform debate, Politico reports.

4 Aug 2009

Health insurance chief lobbyist says "villain" comments hurt process

On a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, said the "Washington politics of 'find an enemy and go to war' is a major step backward," damaging the possibility of building consensus on health reform.

4 Aug 2009

Many Americans find themselves flummoxed by health care reform

As legislators seek to sell what has so far been a largely Washington insider effort, many Americans are confused about what health care reform actually entails.

4 Aug 2009

Lobbyists play ball, flex muscles on health care reform

The Associated Press reports on lobbying around biotechnology legislation. A letter urging the protection of biotech drug makers from generics from "the private National Health Council, sent to House leaders drafting health overhaul legislation, said the plea was on behalf of 'the more than 133 million Americans living with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers.'

4 Aug 2009

Health reform: Good for small business, according to President's economic advisors

A report from President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers finds that "health care reform would be good for small businesses because it would enable them to obtain better insurance coverage for less money," The Denver Business Journal writes.

4 Aug 2009

Battles over insurance reform afflict House Democrats

"House liberals are offended that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) mocked their threats to oppose a Democratic healthcare bill, saying leaders are underestimating their frustration over a deal cut with centrist Blue Dogs," The Hill reports.

4 Aug 2009

Protesters disrupt Democrats' best-laid plans for health reform 'conversations'

Over the weekend, a series of protests at Democratic events meant to promote health reform "organized by loose-knit coalition of conservative voters and advocacy groups, were a raucous start to what is expected to be weeks of political and ideological clashes over the health care overhaul," the New York Times reports.

4 Aug 2009

Health care CEOs see decline in compensation

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4 Aug 2009

Obama really does have best health care in the world!

"When President Barack Obama said at a recent news conference that he has the best health care in the world, he wasn't exaggerating," The Chicago Tribune reports.

4 Aug 2009

White House: 'No middle class tax hike'

"The White House tried Monday to douse speculation that it might raise taxes on the middle class in violation of President Obama's campaign promise, just a day after two of his top economic advisers left the door open to such a move to rein in spiraling deficits," The New York Times reports. "Mr. Obama told his economic team in a meeting at the White House that he intended to stand by his promise not to increase taxes on families making less than $250,000, aides said."

4 Aug 2009