Today's headlines include coverage of findings from a new study that indicate Medicaid may help people live longer.
Kaiser Health News: Michael Weinstein: 'We Have A Long Way To Go' In The U.S. (Video)
In this Kaiser Health News video, Weinstein, the president and co-founder of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, tells Joanne Silberner that it is important to keep public policy focused on proven methods for controlling AIDS (7/25). Watch the video or read the transcript.
Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Medicaid Expansion Reduces Mortality, Study Finds
Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Matthew Fleming reports: "As states decide whether to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income childless adults, the impact of their choices became clearer today in a study showing a reduction of mortality in states that have already made that move" (Fleming, 7/25). Check out what else is on the blog.
Politico: White House Tailors Minority Health Care Pitch
The message: Blacks and Hispanics, among whom uninsured rates are significantly higher than among whites, stand to benefit disproportionately under the health law, gaining access to free preventive care and other services that will help reduce existing health care disparities. The sustained outreach from the White House aims to make voters eligible for new benefits aware of them and how to get them (Epstein, 7/26).
The New York Times: Obama Delivers Defense Of His Policy Efforts
President Obama wrapped up a three-day fund-raising swing with an emotional appearance here at the National Urban League conference, issuing a robust defense of his efforts to make higher education more affordable, to increase training programs for young people and to expand access to health care (Cooper, 7/25).
Los Angeles Times: Medicaid May Help People Live Longer, Study Indicates
As states consider whether to expand their Medicaid insurance programs for the poor under President Obama's healthcare law, new research indicates the decision may have life-and-death consequences. A study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that residents of states that expand coverage will probably live longer, be healthier and have better access to medical care (Levey, 7/25).
The New York Times: Medicaid Expansion May Lower Death Rates, Study Says
Into the maelstrom of debate over whether Medicaid should cover more people comes a new study by Harvard researchers who found that when states expanded their Medicaid programs and gave more poor people health insurance, fewer people died (Belluck, 7/25).
The Wall Street Journal: Death Rates Vary In Medicaid Study
States that opted for larger Medicaid programs had lower death rates, according to a study released Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings come as states struggle with the growing financial burden of the health-insurance program for the poor, and weigh whether to take part in its expansion under President Barack Obama's health-care law (Dooren, 7/25).
The Associated Press/Wall Street Journal: Study: New Medicaid Expansion Could Be A Lifesaver
Until now, the Medicaid debate has been about budgets and states' rights. But a statistical study by Harvard researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine found a 6 percent drop in the adult death rate in Arizona, Maine and New York, three states that have recently expanded coverage for low-income residents along the general lines of the federal health care law. The study found that for every 176 adults covered under expanded Medicaid, one death per year would be prevented (7/25).
Los Angeles Times: Worries Grow As Healthcare Firms Send Jobs Overseas
After years of shipping data-processing, accounting and other back-office work abroad, some healthcare companies are starting to shift clinical services and decision-making on medical care overseas, primarily to India and the Philippines. Some of the jobs being sent abroad include so-called pre-service nursing, where nurses at insurance firms, for example, help assess patient needs and determine treatment methods (Lee, 7/25).
NPR: Flaws And All, Medicaid Can Improve Adults' Health
Among the reasons some governors say they're considering not expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act is that Medicaid is, well, not a very good program. … But a study just published online by the New England Journal of Medicine adds to a growing body of evidence that Medicaid, in fact, does improve the health of those it covers (Rovner, 7/25).
The New York Times: Obama And Insurers Join To Cut Health Care Fraud
President Obama and health insurance executives plan to announce a new joint effort on Thursday to crack down on health care fraud by sharing and comparing claims data, administration officials say (Pear, 7/25).
Los Angeles Times: Sandra Day O'Connor Defends John Roberts' Healthcare Ruling
Attacks on Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as a traitor to conservative ideals for voting to uphold most of President Obama's healthcare law reflect a lack of knowledge about how the American justice system works, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said. "It's unfortunate because I think comments like that demonstrate only too well a lack of understanding that some of our citizens have about the role of the judicial branch," O'Connor said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday in response to a question from Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt). Roberts' deciding vote provoked a backlash from conservatives, who had expected the appointee of Republican President George W. Bush to side with the conservatives on the court (Goldberg, 7/25).
The Associated Press/Washington Post: Retired Justice O'Connor Says Attacks On Roberts Over Health Care Decision Are 'Unfortunate'
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on Wednesday said attacks on Chief Justice John Roberts over his key vote to uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are "unfortunate." She also said that Obama's comments while the court was still considering the health care law -; that overturning it would be unprecedented and extraordinary -; were "not ideal" (7/25).
Politico: Tommy Thompson Haunted By Ties To 'Obamacare'
Tommy Thompson has attacked "Obamacare" relentlessly during his Senate campaign in Wisconsin, calling the sweeping health care law a "budget-busting government takeover," intruding into the lives of private citizens. But as a private citizen, the Republican had a much different experience with the legislation: He held positions with eight companies and organizations that either benefited from Obamacare, strongly supported its passage or were considered models for the national law (Raju, 7/25).
Los Angeles Times: Health Insurer WellPoint Cuts Profit Forecast And Shares Slide
WellPoint, which runs Anthem Blue Cross in California and health plans in 13 other states, lowered its 2012 adjusted earnings forecast to a range $7.30 to $7.40 a share, down from $7.57 a share. The consensus estimate of analysts was for $7.76 a share, according to FactSet. In contrast, rival UnitedHealth Group Inc. raised its full-year profit estimate when it reported second-quarter results last week (Terhune, 7/25).