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Anger at Town Halls continues, sides trade barbs

Lawmakers home for August recess ran into still more anger at town halls over the proposed health care overhaul.

13 Aug 2009

Ad wars: Intensity picks up during August recess

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting a Democrat on health care reform for the first time, as ad wars — and message wars — continue between parties, Roll Call reports.

13 Aug 2009

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority marks one million report milestone

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has collected over one million reports from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities since June 2004. Ninety-six percent of the events are near misses or events that did not cause harm to the patient.

13 Aug 2009

Kill Grandma? Debunking a health bill scare tactic

It's not, however, because people aren't saying it. The most notable spokeswoman for the cause is Elizabeth McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York. McCaughey's last brush with major public prominence came during the debate over then-President Bill Clinton's health plan, when she wrote a highly controversial critique of the proposal published in The New Republic arguing the bill would have bound everyone inside the new system.

13 Aug 2009

Building a comprehensive child vision care system

Even though universal comprehensive eye exams for children prior to starting school would result in more children being diagnosed and successfully treated for vision problems and eye diseases, requirements vary widely from state to state and only three states require eye examinations for school-age children, according to a new report from the National Commission on Vision and Health.

13 Aug 2009

Under pressure from Dems, insurers point fingers at doctors' charges

A new survey sponsored by the leading insurance industry group shows that its member companies received some huge bills – many times what Medicare pays for a given procedure – from doctors in many states last year. One example: a $72,000 dollar charge for a spinal fusion in New Jersey for which Medicare pays $1,628, the New York Times reports.

12 Aug 2009

Despite officials' efforts to clear air, fears about end-of-life care remain

Rumors and controversy continue to swirl around end-of-life issues and health care reform as President Barack Obama and others try to calm fears.

12 Aug 2009

Democrats champion change, Republicans charge confusion in message talking points

Democrats and Republicans are both honing their recess reform messages, hoping to win support for their respective positions and potentially, making opponents look bad, The Hill reports.

12 Aug 2009

Congressional Black Caucus keeps up efforts for reform

The Louisiana Weekly reports that the Congressional Black Caucus "has vowed to continue pushing for specific provisions that its members feel are vital for African Americans. ... The original House and Senate bills would significantly reduce the staggering number of uninsured Americans," which are disproportionately black, according to the news organization.

12 Aug 2009

Cancer Institute of New Jersey expands hospital network

Enhancing its strong presence as a statewide leader in cancer care and providing patients with additional access to cancer programs, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Network of hospitals has formally welcomed Mountainside Hospital as its newest Clinical Research Affiliate.

12 Aug 2009

Many seniors worry health reform could hurt instead of help

"Democrats have a senior citizen problem," Politico reports. "Frustrated older Americans are packing the town halls on health care. They are incredibly passionate about their Medicare benefits. Polls show senior citizens largely disapprove of health care reform ideas so far. And of course, they vote — in larger numbers than any other demographic."

12 Aug 2009

Specter gets rowdy earful at forum, other lawmakers change tactics to hear constituents

More than 1,000 people showed up at a Pennsylvania community college auditorium that seated only 250 to tell Sen. Arlen Specter what they thought of the plan to reform health care in America, and much of it was negative and "seething with frustration," The New York Times reports.

12 Aug 2009

Obama takes reform message to New Hampshire, takes on 'scare tactics'

President Barack Obama Tuesday called out "wild misrepresentations" of a plan to reform the health care system in America, The Concord (N.H.) Monitor reports.

12 Aug 2009

Health care opposition exposed

"The opposition to health reform is a web of vested interests with major financial stakes in the status quo," say former Chief of Staff to the House Aging Committee/former White House Drug Policy spokesman Bob Weiner and Analyst Jordan Osserman in a column in today's South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

12 Aug 2009

Fact checkers: Health care myths range from untrue to open questions

Business is good for fact-checkers. Various news organizations as well as FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.org, have weeded through the rhetoric on both sides of the health reform debate.

12 Aug 2009

Transcript: President Obama Town Hall meeting in New Hampshire

President Barack Obama continued his press for public support of health reform initiatives at what the White House called a "Health Insurance Reform Town Hall" meeting at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

12 Aug 2009

A historical look at health refom

Several news organizations offered historical looks at health reform and explainers on specific proposals.

12 Aug 2009

Revenue cycle: How to maximize patient collections

Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions, Inc., President Stephen M. Mooney will discuss how hospitals and healthcare systems can improve their financial performance in the current economic downturn during an upcoming executive webinar, “Revenue Cycle: How to Maximize Patient Collections.”

12 Aug 2009

Specter to oppose health reform covering illegal immigration

During a town hall meeting Tuesday on health care reform, Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) stated his opposition to legislation that would cover illegal aliens. Specter has been a long-time champion of amnesty for illegal aliens, he was the author of the 2006 amnesty bill (S. 2611) that was widely rejected by the American people.

12 Aug 2009

U.S. health care system - “envy of the world”? not in Canada!

As members of Congress return to their states and districts to debate the merits of the Democrats’ proposals for health care reform, critics of the proposals may repeat the phrase used by some Republicans, newspaper editorials and bloggers that ‘the American health care system is the envy of the world.”

12 Aug 2009