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Mississippi lawmakers should pass legislation to create sustainable funding for Medicaid, Gov. Barbour writes

Mississippi's Medicaid program "has a current $90 million shortfall, but what the program really needs is a fair, permanent, sustainable funding solution for the long term," Gov. Haley Barbour (R) writes in a Jackson Clarion-Ledger opinion piece.

26 Jun 2008

New York Times Editorial, column address provision in Medicare bill to delay DME competitive bidding program

The New York Times on Wednesday published an editorial and column that addressed a provision included in a Medicare bill (HR 6331) passed by the House that would delay for 18 months a competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment.

26 Jun 2008

Mailing error left 16,000 Commonwealth Care beneficiaries unaware of coverage cancellation, how to appeal decisions

Massachusetts state officials on Monday said a mailing glitch last month left 16,000 residents without proper notice that they could lose their health coverage under Commonwealth Care and information about how to appeal the decision, the Boston Globe reports.

26 Jun 2008

Senate panel approves $153.1 billion for discretionary spending in labor-HHS-education bill for FY 2009

The Senate Appropriations Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Tuesday by voice vote approved a $631 billion fiscal year 2009 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, CQ Today reports.

26 Jun 2008

GOP lawmakers, health care officials raise concerns with proposed health disparities bill at house panel hearing

Republican legislators and representatives of several minority health advocacy groups on Tuesday at a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing raised concerns over several measures within a proposed bill (HR 3014) intended to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. health care system, CQ HealthBeat reports.

26 Jun 2008

Inquest hears how overworked, exhausted doctors make mistakes

The issue of overworked, exhausted doctors and the impact this has on the quality of care delivered has come under scrutiny at an inquest in Queensland.

26 Jun 2008

Harbor House to assist transplant and critical care patients, families

A dream of local heart transplant patients and volunteers is coming true much earlier than expected thanks to a generous gift provided by a local nonprofit organization.

25 Jun 2008

First comprehensive report on colorectal cancer care in Europe and Australia reveals need for action

The first cross-country report on the management and funding of colorectal cancer (CRC) reveals an urgent need for action to improve the survival of patients diagnosed with this common cancer in Europe and Australia.

25 Jun 2008

Few employers addressing employees' obesity despite increasing costs

Obesity rates in the U.S. are driving up costs for employers that provide health insurance to workers, but few companies have introduced programs intended to curb the trend, the New York Times reports.

25 Jun 2008

CBO Director Orszag says health IT holds promise, but no panacea for health care costs

Health information technology could improve health care quality, but it is not the cure-all solution to reducing U.S. health care costs, Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag said at a forum on Friday, CQ HealthBeat reports. The forum was hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

24 Jun 2008

Future of Medicare at stake in Presidential election, opinion piece states

"At stake in the presidential election is whether we will all need to consult lobbyists to have our medical issues heard by a remote, bureaucratic Medicare program," Scott Gottlieb, a former CMS official and an American Enterprise Institute fellow, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

24 Jun 2008

Reps. Barton, Dingell to introduce legislation that aims to spur nationwide adoption of electronic health records

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) and ranking member Joe Barton (R-Texas) on Tuesday plan to introduce a bill that would promote the adoption of a nationwide electronic health record system, CongressDaily reports.

24 Jun 2008

USA Today examines online second-opinion services

USA Today on Monday examined the use of online second-opinion services, which allow patients to receive consultations from specialists based on medical records that they fax, mail or send through the Internet

24 Jun 2008

Social Security officials call for social security numbers to be removed from Medicare ID cards

Social Security Administration officials have requested that CMS take immediate action to issue beneficiaries new membership cards that do not include their Social Security numbers to address concerns regarding identity theft, the New York Times reports.

24 Jun 2008

New Orleans teaching hospital that would replace charity will require state funds

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine on Thursday said that a 424-bed $1.2 billion teaching hospital planned to replace Charity Hospital in New Orleans will not turn a profit, as the original plan had stated, and that it would require state money to become sustainable, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 6/20).

24 Jun 2008

Nursing home alternative challenges traditional system

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Bill Thomas, a former nursing home physician, have been working to overhaul the nation's nursing home system by promoting "smaller, home-like facilities," the Wall Street Journal reports.

24 Jun 2008

Lack of health insurance for many U.S. residents 'merely a symptom' of larger problem with costs, according to opinion piece

The major presidential candidates have "talked frequently" about proposals to expand health insurance to more U.S. residents but have failed to "recognize that lack of coverage is merely a symptom of a larger problem: the high cost of medical care," Dwight Bartlett, a former Social Security Administration chief actuary and a former Maryland insurance commissioner, writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece.

24 Jun 2008

Montana measure to expand SCHIP, Medicaid eligibility to be included on November ballot

Montana State Auditor John Morrison on Tuesday said an initiative to expand SCHIP and Medicaid coverage to as many as 30,000 additional uninsured children will be placed on the state's November ballot, the Missoulian reports.

24 Jun 2008

San Francisco Chronicle examines health insurance claim denials

The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday examined how "[e]ach year, thousands of Californians find themselves at odds with their health insurers over whether they, as patients, should get the treatment their doctors prescribed."

24 Jun 2008

House to vote on modified version of Senate Democrats' Medicare physician pay patch bill

The House on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on a modified version of Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) legislation (S 3101) that would eliminate a 10.6% reduction to Medicare physician fees scheduled for July 1, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, "If the House moves a bill, it will put pressure on Senate Democrats and Republicans to reach an accord."

24 Jun 2008

Healthcare News

Mississippi lawmakers should pass legislation to create sustainable funding for Medicaid, Gov. Barbour writes

New York Times Editorial, column address provision in Medicare bill to delay DME competitive bidding program

Mailing error left 16,000 Commonwealth Care beneficiaries unaware of coverage cancellation, how to appeal decisions

Senate panel approves $153.1 billion for discretionary spending in labor-HHS-education bill for FY 2009

GOP lawmakers, health care officials raise concerns with proposed health disparities bill at house panel hearing

Inquest hears how overworked, exhausted doctors make mistakes

Harbor House to assist transplant and critical care patients, families

First comprehensive report on colorectal cancer care in Europe and Australia reveals need for action

Few employers addressing employees' obesity despite increasing costs

CBO Director Orszag says health IT holds promise, but no panacea for health care costs

Future of Medicare at stake in Presidential election, opinion piece states

Reps. Barton, Dingell to introduce legislation that aims to spur nationwide adoption of electronic health records

USA Today examines online second-opinion services

Social Security officials call for social security numbers to be removed from Medicare ID cards

New Orleans teaching hospital that would replace charity will require state funds

Nursing home alternative challenges traditional system

Lack of health insurance for many U.S. residents 'merely a symptom' of larger problem with costs, according to opinion piece

Montana measure to expand SCHIP, Medicaid eligibility to be included on November ballot

San Francisco Chronicle examines health insurance claim denials

House to vote on modified version of Senate Democrats' Medicare physician pay patch bill

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

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