First Edition: June 11, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include a report that the federal government will begin handing out $25 million in grants to reduce medical malpractice lawsuits.

U.S. To Begin Handing Out Grants To Reduce Medical Malpractice Suits
The government is set to begin handing out $25 million in grants Friday aimed at reducing medical malpractice lawsuits, part of a compromise offered by President Barack Obama last year in response to calls for an overhaul of the malpractice system (The Wall Street Journal).

Healthcare Industry Fights For White House Role In Innovation
Healthcare industry leaders are pressing the White House to get more involved with promoting healthcare innovation, saying the U.S. leads the world but faces growing challenges (The Hill).

Vermont Nixes Some Medicare Rebates
No sooner than the administration dropped the first batch of $250 Medicare rebate checks in the mail, they have already run into their first snafu: a state government demanding that some seniors turn over the money (Politico). 

Bringing Comparison Shopping To The Doctor's Office
Americans comparison-shop for items as small as groceries and as big as cars. But they rarely compare prices on their health care. When a doctor recommends a test or a procedure, most patients simply go where the doctor tells them to go (The New York Times). 

NY Judge: New 9/11 Health Pact 'Very Good' Deal
Thousands of first responders, firefighters and construction workers sickened by toxic rubble at Ground Zero could share in a settlement of up to $712.5 million announced Thursday, three months after a federal judge said a previous deal did not pay victims enough (USA Today).

Conflict Seen Between 2 Deals For 9/11 Responders
Thousands of 9/11 rescue and recovery workers suing New York City over their exposure to clouds of pulverized glass and cement at the World Trade Center site may have a tough choice between two deals in the weeks ahead. Do they take a share of a new settlement worth up to $713 million, or hold out for a second, potentially more lucrative option — a federal bill that could pay billions to people who die or become disabled because of illnesses caused by trade center ash? (The Associated Press).

Thousands Of Nurses Strike In Minnesota
About 12,000 nurses from 14 hospitals across Minneapolis-St. Paul walked off the job Thursday in the nation's largest-ever nurses' strike. They say they've been stretched too thin and are calling for better staffing ratios (NPR).

12,000 Minnesota Nurses Launch 1-Day Walkout
More than 12,000 nurses launched a one-day strike Thursday at 14 Minnesota hospitals in a dispute over nurse-patient ratios levels and pension benefits (The Associated Press).