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Roundup: Calif. hospital's unusual Medicare billing; Tenn. gastric bypass; Mass. Acos

Redding, where the Valley meets Cascade foothills, and Victorville, in the Mojave Desert, have little in common but an unusual statistic: In each city, a hospital has reported alarming rates of a Third World nutritional disorder among its Medicare patients. Kwashiorkor - a Ghanaian word for "weaning sickness" - is a severe protein deficiency that almost exclusively afflicts impoverished children in developing countries, especially during famines, experts say.

23 Feb 2011

State roundup: Mass. cost control plan advances; Texas Senate's abortion bill vote; Miami's public hospital crisis

The governor of Massachusetts proposed changes on Thursday to the state's comprehensive healthcare program, one often seen as a prototype for national reforms, to attempt to bring rising costs under control. The plan would give the U.S. state more authority to scrutinize fees paid to hospitals and doctors, reform the current standard by which healthcare providers are compensated and enact medical malpractice reform.

19 Feb 2011

Retired NC judge calls for full compensation on medical malpractice damages

A new bill designed to limit the rights of patients injured by medical malpractice is dangerous because it puts patients at risk, according to a bipartisan group that shared stories and opinions at a public hearing, as well as unconstitutional.

18 Feb 2011

Health law, budget plans examined, defended during Capitol Hill hearings

Across the Hill, oversight hearings were held to review specific provisions of the new health law and related waivers. In addition, administration officials took questions about some specifics within the president's budget blueprint. And the House Judiciary Committee approved a medical malpractice reform bill.

17 Feb 2011

Obama launches push to reform state med-mal laws, curb defensive medicine

Meanwhile, in other news related to health reform, the Internal Revenue Service is seeking $119 million in new funds in order to enforce the tax-related provisions of the health overhaul.

17 Feb 2011

States' rights at issue in House medical malpractice cap debate; anti-abortion advocates in Senate watch House developments carefully

Some conservatives are "balking" at House GOP-backed medical malpractice reform legislation because they say it might undermine state laws. Meanwhile, anti-abortion senators are reportedly making plans to offer amendments to to limit abortion coverage and funding — following the House's lead.

15 Feb 2011

Med-Mal bill hits 'speed bump' during House Judiciary Committee consideration

The bill triggered concerns from committee Republicans over issues related to states' rights. Still, the measure is likely to clear the panel next week.

11 Feb 2011

Willis Group, PeriGen enter strategic alliance to improve quality of healthcare

PeriGen, Inc., the only OB-specific risk reduction company to provide solutions which generate immediate quantifiable clinical and financial value, today announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Willis Group Holdings, a leading global insurance broker and one of the world's largest professional services firms specializing in risk management.

10 Feb 2011

For lawmakers, first-person experiences impact health policy decisions

The New York Times reports on how a lawmaker, who is also a physician involved in a medical liability lawsuit that started before he was elected to Congress, is now a sponsor of malpractice legislation. Meanwhile, new House members who declined federal insurance coverage are facing the pitfalls of the insurance market.

10 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 9, 2011

Today's headlines include news about GOP plans to defund the health law and stepped up Capitol Hill activity surrounding the abortion issue.

9 Feb 2011

Some House Republicans see health law as prime spot for deep budget cuts

Even as GOP lawmakers advance their strategies, Dems see a plan of their own — they plan to cast Republicans as trying to take away patients' rights. Meanwhile, physicians take to the Hill to press for medical liability reforms, with lots of lobbying money streaming in.

8 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: (Still) Debating health law's constitutionality; Food labels; Lawmakers' abortion divide

For state governments, the bill presents huge new costs, as we are required to enroll 15 million to 20 million more people in our Medicaid systems. ... Perhaps worse, the law expects to conscript the states as its agents in its takeover of health care. It assumes that we will set up and operate its new insurance "exchanges" for it (Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, 2/7).

7 Feb 2011

Continucare second quarter total revenue increases 7% to $80.3 million

Continucare Corporation today reported record financial results for its second quarter of fiscal 2011.

5 Feb 2011

In effort to find common ground, possible areas of agreement and disagreement emerge

During his State of the Union address, President Obama signaled an openness to working with Republicans on ways to improve — but not undo — the health law. An area that seems open to such an effort is fixing the overhaul's 1099 tax reporting provision, which is gaining bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. But in terms of medical malpractice reforms, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted key policy differences between the President and a GOP-sponsored House bill.

29 Jan 2011

President Obama rallies health overhaul supporters; Reports by Dems and GOP offer very different views on law's impacts

In a Friday morning speech, Obama was expected to offer a message to "fire up" health law supporters. Reports indicate a White House report will detail the positive effect the health law will have on health insurance premiums. Meanwhile, however, Republicans are citing a report of their own that shows the law's negative repercussions for child-only health plans.

29 Jan 2011

State of the Union address includes brief, but clear, defense of health law

President Barack Obama made clear that he is willing to tinker around the edges of the sweeping reform, but not return to the days before the measure became law. Media outlets analyzed the specifics of his comments and offered a big picture view of the impact of the entire speech, including fact-checking some of his related policy ideas and budget recommendations.

27 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 26, 2011

Reporting for KHN, in collaboration with Politico, Bara Vaida writes: "Lobbyists for doctors, hospitals and drug companies are urging lawmakers to derail a planned government panel that health industry officials fear will sharply curb Medicare spending -- a critical revenue source for them".

26 Jan 2011

GOP health agenda includes medical malpractice, cost concerns

The Republican House to-do list also includes action by oversight committees to investigate waivers given in regard to the health law. Meanwhile, KHN details six provisions from the sweeping measure that the GOP may seek to repeal or replace.

24 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Endorsing - and repudiating - health law repeal; Gov. Brewer on Ariz. Medicaid; Medical devices 'red tape'

The reason the GOP never got around to proposing a serious plan to expand coverage and control costs is because doing that is excruciatingly hard and politically dangerous. Look how long Democrats struggled to craft a measure and what happened to them after they passed it.

21 Jan 2011

After vote, GOP's real work begins

Although the House repeal vote was a big-ticket item that gained a lot of media attention, the real work in the Republican effort to undo the health law will involve hearings, testimony, funding cuts and targeted legislative attempts to change specific provisions. The GOP will also work on crafting an alternative health plan. So far, specifics have been scarce.