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Hospitals, insurers oppose health bill compromise on Medicare buy-in

Groups representing doctors and hospitals are coming out against the inclusion of a Medicare "buy-in" in the Senate health bill, The Washington Post reports. The groups joined Republicans in arguing "that a plan by liberal Democrats to allow uninsured individuals as young as 55 to buy into Medicare would be financially untenable and would jeopardize access to health-care services for millions of Americans."

10 Dec 2009

Senate Democrats express 'guarded optimism,' wariness on public option compromise

The New York Times: "Senate Democrats said on Wednesday that they were not sure exactly what was in a deal that the majority leader said would surmount a disagreement over a proposed government-run health plan. But they voiced guarded optimism that it would ultimately help them pass major health care legislation."

10 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials: Public option, Catholic Bishops, nurses, Medicare

If we are to move forward, we must do a better job of providing policymakers, health care leaders and the public with the evidence showing the link between nursing care and patient safety. Any health care reform legislation must support the role of nurses in building a better system that provides the highest standard of care that is not only safer but is also likely to save money (Mary Nailer and Mark Paly, 12/10).

10 Dec 2009

Experts begin calculating Senate health bill impact on consumers

The Washington Post: "While confusion reigned on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over the prospects and details of a Senate deal to replace a government-run insurance plan with other measures, it is not too soon to ask what the proposal would mean for regular people."

10 Dec 2009

Differences between Senate and House health bills increase

CNN reports that the Senate's public option "compromise appears to be a far cry from the government-backed public health care option offered in the House bill. The Senate's original health care bill included a public option similar to that of the House version.

10 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 10, 2006

Today's headlines reflect Democrats' optimism surrounding the tentative agreement reached in the Senate just as questions about its specifics emerge.

10 Dec 2009

Gap between Medicaid and quality care spells trouble for America's elderly and disabled citizens

A new Eljay LLC analysis of the nation's Medicaid financing system projecting states will cumulatively underfund the actual cost of providing quality long term care by nearly $4.7 billion for 2009, and finds seniors in the states of New York, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, California and Wisconsin will bear the brunt of the underfunding burden at a time when these states and many others are already suffering from rising pressure on state Medicaid budgets.

10 Dec 2009

Medicare will be broke in eight years, says CCAGW

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today expressed disdain at last evening’s theatrical announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that five Democratic moderates and five Democratic liberals in the Senate had come to some sort of behind-closed-doors breakthrough moment on the $898 billion Senate healthcare bill.

10 Dec 2009

New healthcare reform bill can undermine physician-owned hospitals, says PHA

Both the U.S. House passed health care reform bill and the new bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate spell economic trouble for nearly all of the state and local economies where hospitals owned by physicians are located.

10 Dec 2009

Texas ranks 4th in terms of aggregate Medicaid underfunding, according to Medicaid analysis

A new Eljay, LLC analysis of the nation's Medicaid program released by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) projects that Medicaid underfunds the actual cost of providing quality long term care in 2009 by $271.1 million in Texas, and that Texas seniors rank 4th in the nation in cumulative underfunding of this care.

10 Dec 2009

Rise in U.S. disability health care spending, but preventive care may reduce expenditure

Just over one-quarter of U.S. adult health care spending was associated with disability in 2006, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

10 Dec 2009

Reid to meet this afternoon with Democrats on health care reform deal

"Senate Democrats plan to hold a special caucus on health care reform at 5 p.m. Wednesday to discuss a tentative deal on how to change the bill's public insurance option," Roll Call reports. "A group of 10 Democrats — five centrists and five liberals — agreed Tuesday night to send a set of proposals to the Congressional Budget Office for an official score, but the details have yet to be presented to all 60 Members of the Democratic Conference.

9 Dec 2009

Reid continues to court moderates for health bill support

Some news organizations are watching how certain key swing senators are reacting to the negotiations on a public option in the health care legislation.

9 Dec 2009

Reid says 'broad agreement' on public option, senators await details

Coverage of the Senate's "broad agreement" to create a national health insurance plan continues, with Democratic leaders remaining mum on details while insisting the compromise leaves a "public" option in the bill. (See KHN's Tuesday night breaking news round-up).

9 Dec 2009

Community Memorial Health System selects Allscripts EHR and PM solution to enhance patient experience

Allscripts announced today that Community Memorial Health System has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) solution, with Allscripts Revenue Cycle Management, to enhance the quality of care, improve patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery.

9 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

The language in our amendment is completely consistent with the Hyde Amendment, which in the 33 years since its passage has done nothing to inhibit private health insurers from offering abortion coverage. There is no reason to believe that a continuation of this policy would suddenly create undue hardship for the insurance industry — or for those who wish to use their private insurance to pay for an abortion (Rep. Bart Stupak, 12/8).

9 Dec 2009

'Hidden nuggets' on work breaks and calorie counts added to health reform legislation

USA Today reports that the health care bills moving through Congress have dozens of "lesser-known provisions" that include ideas that failed to gain traction in the past but are benefiting by hitching their proposal to health care reform.

9 Dec 2009

White House announces $600 million for community health centers, medical records

The White House announced Wednesday it would spend $600 million to build and enhance community health centers and medical records.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare to pay for HIV testing

Reuters: "Americans enrolled in the U.S. government-run Medicare health insurance program will now be covered for tests that screen for HIV, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the program for the elderly and disabled, said on Tuesday.

9 Dec 2009

Watson Pharmaceuticals' RAPAFLO demonstrates safety and tolerability in BPH treatment

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the results of an open-label extension of two Phase 3 studies, published in the December issue of the peer-reviewed journal Urology, demonstrate long-term safety and tolerability of RAPAFLO® (silodosin) for up to 52 weeks of treatment. RAPAFLO® is an effective and uniquely selective alpha blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the number one reason patients visit urologists.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare News and Research

Hospitals, insurers oppose health bill compromise on Medicare buy-in

Senate Democrats express 'guarded optimism,' wariness on public option compromise

Today's opinions and editorials: Public option, Catholic Bishops, nurses, Medicare

Experts begin calculating Senate health bill impact on consumers

Differences between Senate and House health bills increase

First Edition: December 10, 2006

Gap between Medicaid and quality care spells trouble for America's elderly and disabled citizens

Medicare will be broke in eight years, says CCAGW

New healthcare reform bill can undermine physician-owned hospitals, says PHA

Texas ranks 4th in terms of aggregate Medicaid underfunding, according to Medicaid analysis

Rise in U.S. disability health care spending, but preventive care may reduce expenditure

Reid to meet this afternoon with Democrats on health care reform deal

Reid continues to court moderates for health bill support

Reid says 'broad agreement' on public option, senators await details

Community Memorial Health System selects Allscripts EHR and PM solution to enhance patient experience

Today's opinions and editorials

'Hidden nuggets' on work breaks and calorie counts added to health reform legislation

White House announces $600 million for community health centers, medical records

Medicare to pay for HIV testing

Watson Pharmaceuticals' RAPAFLO demonstrates safety and tolerability in BPH treatment

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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