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Expanding health insurance options for young adults

The Tribune-Review reports on a Pennsylvania legislation passed by the House and the Senate that would "require insurance companies to offer the option of parents keeping their children on insurance policies until age 29."

2 Jun 2009

Major liberal groups will back Obama on health reform

Several of the country's largest liberal groups said they were prepared to spend $82 million to promote President Obama's health care reform agenda, the Boston Globe reports.

2 Jun 2009

White House, Congress, industry taking on health costs

Health care costs soared nearly 50 percent between 2000 and 2006, adding an urgency for reform that may help Democrats pass a major overhaul before the year-end deadline set by the White House, Bloomberg reports.

2 Jun 2009

Dems build reform support as GOP decides strategy

Democrats and Republicans are looking for support in their own parties as health care reform promises to dominate the legislative agenda for the rest of the year, The Hill reports.

2 Jun 2009

Cindy Mann to lead Center for Medicaid and State Operations

CQ HealthBeat reports on reactions to Cindy Mann’s appointment as Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, noting that liberals are hailing her appointment and "saying she'll counter steps taken by the Bush administration to tighten eligibility and alter benefits."

2 Jun 2009

Local groups react to proposed changes in Medicare and Medicaid

Local news coverage details concerns about Medicare and Medicaid spending reductions that could affect senior and nursing care.

2 Jun 2009

Congress returns to work, Senators to meet with Obama

A group of Senate Democrats will meet with President Obama today to discuss overhauling health care, The New York Times reports.

2 Jun 2009

Baucus pushes 'some' benefits tax

Sen. Max Baucus said Tuesday morning that he hopes to convince President Obama that taxing some employer-provided benefits will help control health care costs, The Associated Press reports.

2 Jun 2009

Obama says health overhaul necessary

President Barack Obama said this afternoon that the window for overhauling the nation's health systems will close when Congress breaks for its summer vacation.

2 Jun 2009

Daschle gives health reform 50-50 chance of passing

Even as President Barack Obama set August as a "make-or-break" deadline for overhauling the health care system, Tom Daschle, initally tapped by Obama to run the reform effort, predicted a "50-50 chance that something's going to pass."

2 Jun 2009

Study finds high underinsurance rates for sicker workers with modest incomes

The 161 million Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance are facing substantial increases in out-of-pocket (OOP) costs, according to a study published today on the Health Affairs Web site.

2 Jun 2009

Calculating the return on investment of mobile healthcare

Every $1 invested in mobile healthcare for the medically disenfranchised saves $36 in combined emergency department costs avoided and value of life years saved.

1 Jun 2009

Pay-for-performance may benefit doctors who care for multiple health problems

Physicians who treat patients with multiple health problems will fare well under pay-for-performance, which bases physician reimbursement on the quality of care provided, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston in a report in the current issue of the journal Circulation.

1 Jun 2009

Nevada Assembly passes bill to protect physicians on J-1 visas

The Nevada Assembly last week voted to approve a bill (SB 229) that would authorize the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to stop the exploitation of foreign physicians who have come to the state to provide care to residents in underserved areas, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

31 May 2009

Massachusetts, Tennessee health plans might offer ideas on U.S. health care system overhaul

Congressional lawmakers who are crafting a plan to overhaul the U.S. health care system might be able to look to state health insurance programs in Massachusetts and Tennessee for ideas, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

31 May 2009

Data ranks health insurers according to speed of claim payment, share of denials

Aetna, Cigna and Humana ranked highest nationally on criteria including speed of health claim payments and fewest claims denied, according to the 2009 PayerView Rankings, the Boston Globe reports.

31 May 2009

Obama says health reform must be done this year

The opportunity to enact health care reform legislation could be missed unless Congress passes it this year, President Obama on Thursday said to thousands of supporters in a phone call made from Air Force One, the AP/USA Today reports.

31 May 2009

Sen. Kennedy circulates draft of health reform legislation

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is circulating an outline of health care overhaul legislation that includes a requirement that all individuals obtain coverage and requires contributions from employers, the Washington Post reports.

31 May 2009

UnitedHealth Group offers 15 recommendations to reduce federal health spending by $540 billion over 10 years

UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform and Modernization on Wednesday suggested 15 steps that could be taken to save $540 billion in federal in health care costs over the next 10 years, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Werner, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/27).

28 May 2009

Massachusetts health insurance law has increased access to care, though residents' ability to obtain treatment hampered by provider supply

Since the implementation of the Massachusetts health insurance law in 2006, more residents have health coverage and increased access to care, but rising health care costs combined with the current economic recession could undermine some of the law's successes, according to the third annual "Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts" report by the Urban Institute, the Boston Globe reports.

28 May 2009