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AMA sticks with House bill endorsement

The American Medical Association, the official physician lobby, reiterated its endorsement of the House bill Monday. The Associated Press/The Washington Post reports that the AMA "on Monday rebuffed dissident members and voted to stick with support for ongoing health reform efforts, while reiterating wariness over proposals that threaten doctors' pocketbooks and independence.

10 Nov 2009

SBA provision, antitrust exemption and FTC involvement need to be addressed in Senate, says PIA

Inclusion of a provision in the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) allowing insurance agents to sell health policies offered by health insurance exchanges is positive, but other issues remain to be addressed in the Senate, according to the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA).

10 Nov 2009

Dems tout AMA, AARP endorsements of house health bill

ABC News: "Even as a wave of conservative protestors took over Capitol Hill, House Democrats' health care bill picked up the support of several influential organizations that could turn the tide in their favor among the most concerned groups: medical professionals and senior citizens.

6 Nov 2009

Doctors scrutinize defensive medicine, surgeons oppose Senate reform bill

Doctors and lawyers are disputing the true costs of defensive medicine, while surgeons oppose provisions being considered by the Senate for health reform.

5 Nov 2009

CBO: GOP health bill would cut deficit somewhat, do little to expand coverage

"The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that the alternative health care bill proposed by House Republicans would have little impact in extending health benefits to the roughly 30 million uninsured Americans, but would reduce average insurance premium costs for people who have coverage," The New York Times reports.

5 Nov 2009

House Republicans offer health overhaul plan

Their alternative health care bill "would reward states for reducing the number of uninsured, limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance exempt from most state regulation," The New York Times reports.

4 Nov 2009

GOP health reform bill takes shape as draft circulates on Capitol Hill

The Associated Press: "After months spent criticizing Democrats' health overhaul plans, House Republicans have produced a draft proposal of their own. It's much shorter and focuses on bringing down costs rather than extending coverage to nearly all Americans."

4 Nov 2009

Party leaders say House GOP bill to be released soon

"The Republicans' health care bill in the House focuses more on lowering costs than on expanding coverage, party leaders said Monday — setting up a stark divide between the GOP and Democrats who have made near universal coverage a top priority of their bills," Politico reports.

3 Nov 2009

GOP is preparing its strategy, version of health overhaul legislation

The Republican Party is set to reveal an alternative health care reform bill to the Democratic ones in Congress just as the House prepares to take up Democratic legislation.

2 Nov 2009

Consumer Watchdog corrects Gov. Schwarzenegger's analysis of malpractice caps and premiums

Consumer Watchdog sent the following letter to Congressional leaders today in response to a letter sent by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in which he incorrectly cited California's draconian limits on the legal rights of injured patients as a successful cost containment tool. Consumer Watchdog is a nonpartisan nonprofit with offices in California and Washington, D.C.

31 Oct 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Health Reform Will Increase Medicaid Costs The Philadelphia Inquirer The financial stakes are high for the states, nearly all of which are struggling just to discharge their current Medicaid commitments (Laura Katz Olson, 10/27).

27 Oct 2009

CMPro software for CMS reporting requirements

rL Solutions, the leading provider of healthcare quality and safety software, announced today that its claims management software, Claims MonitorPro(R) (CMPro) can assist healthcare organizations in meeting the new CMS Section 111 reporting requirements.

24 Oct 2009

Class action lawsuit by patients who received high dosage of radiation during their CT brain perfusion scans

A class action lawsuit (Case #BC4241898) was just filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against Cedars Sinai Medical Center, GE Healthcare, Inc., and GE Healthcare Technologies on behalf of patients who received 8-times the approved dosage of radiation during their CT brain perfusion scans to diagnose strokes.

21 Oct 2009

GOP message: Democratic health reforms are bad for America

Politico: "Through the summer, congressional Republicans were able to stand back and let the health care debate play out around them — watching public support for the idea plummet amid bitter town halls and Democratic infighting." And even as the chances increase that "President Barack Obama will have a chance to sign a health reform bill, Republicans say they're content to stick by that strategy — believing they can define the Democratic plan as a bad mix of higher premiums, more taxes and cuts to Medicare. And that, they believe, is a winning formula for them in 2010."

21 Oct 2009

HUFL to pay its second consecutive annual cash dividend to its policyholders/owners

In the midst of a global economic tsunami, a Florida based medical malpractice insurance company is demonstrating that conservative management, excellent sales delivery, aggressive defense of its insureds and strict underwriting can provide outstanding results even in the most difficult of times (and without government subsidies).

20 Oct 2009

Business update from Physicians Healthcare Management Group

Physicians Healthcare Management Group, Inc., a developer of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in partnership with physicians and manager of Physhield Insurance Exchange (Physhield), a licensed medical malpractice insurer, today announced that it has issued its financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The financials are being posted today on the Pink Sheets (www.pinksheets.com).

14 Oct 2009

Senate finance members weigh their health bill votes

Senators are trying to get a count ahead of the Senate Finance Committee's vote on a health reform proposal Tuesday, but several members are refusing to tip their hand. Meanwhile, in the background, House lawmakers continue their work.

12 Oct 2009

CBO: Medical malpractice reform would save $54 billion over 10 years

The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that reforming some aspects of medical malpractice law would reduce the federal deficit by $54 billion over a decade.

12 Oct 2009

U.S. Chamber urges Congress to include medical liability reform in health care legislation

The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) this week launched a new national public awareness campaign calling on Congress to take notice of the majority of voters who support the inclusion of medical liability reform in health care legislation.

9 Oct 2009

New web-based tool to strengthen informed patient consent process launched

Krames, the leader in patient education, has announced the release of Krames Patient Consent, a comprehensive web-based tool designed to strengthen and streamline every aspect of the informed consent process.

8 Oct 2009