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Medicare to cover obesity screening, 'intensive behavioral therapy'

This coverage decision ensures that an estimated 30 percent of the 42 million people who participate in Medicare will be able to undertake physician-supervised weight-loss programs.

2 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 1, 2011

In today's headlines, Republicans in Congress advance plan to charge wealthy beneficiaries more for Medicare in order to cover the costs of the proposaed payroll tax extension.

1 Dec 2011

Study finds unhealthy food environment in children's hospitals

Given the obesity epidemic among the nation's young, one would hope that children's hospitals would serve as a role model for healthy eating. But hospitals in California fall short, with only 7 percent of entrees classified as "healthy" according to a new study published in Academic Pediatrics.

1 Dec 2011

State roundup: No Mass. insurance mandate referendum

If you chafe against the Massachusetts requirement that you have health insurance, sorry but you won't have a chance to vote against it - not in the next election, anyway. Backers of a ballot measure to repeal the state's insurance mandate sent out an email last week saying they had failed to gather the needed signatures.

30 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: GOP leaders, Obama share link to mandate; expensive benefits for seniors

I don't want to focus on the differences between Romney and Gingrich. I want to focus on the commonalities. Because these two men have a lot in common with not only each other but also with President Obama. Both Gingrich and Romney, for instance, supported a universal health care plan backed by an individual mandate requiring all Americans of means to purchase health-care insurance - just as Obama does.

30 Nov 2011

Next on Capitol Hill's budget agenda: Skirmishes over tax breaks, spending bills and the 'doc fix'

The Associated Press terms it a "symbol" of the "federal government's budget dysfunction" because physicians again are facing a steep cut in Medicare payments unless Congress intervenes. This time, though, such action will be considered in the context of other difficult budget questions.

29 Nov 2011

Federal funding, Medicare plan specifics draw campaign-trail reports

News outlets examine the federal funds received by Texas while Rick Perry has been the state's governor as well as some of the positions taken by Mitt Romney.

28 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: What now for deficit cutters; Berwick's replacement

There's already a bipartisan group of senators, the maverick "Gang of Six," that is volunteering to produce a new compromise package. ... The Gang of Six plan won't make anybody happy.

28 Nov 2011

A dramatic shift in US healthcare policy

Dr. Wayne Iverson, San Diego physician and candidate for the US House of Representatives in the California 52nd Congressional District, today commented on the surprise announcement from Washington, D.C. "The abrupt resignation of Don Berwick as the head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) signals a dramatic shift in this nation's healthcare policy."

28 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 28, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about President Barack Obama's pick to succeed Donald Berwick as chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as news about the Supreme Court's consideration of the health law and more on the nation's budget.

28 Nov 2011

AP: Health law cuts seniors' doughnut hole expenses 40%

Medicare's prescription coverage gap is getting noticeably smaller and easier to manage this year for millions of older and disabled people with high drug costs.

28 Nov 2011

Drugs seniors use most often cause 60K hospitalizations annually

News outlets are reporting on a new study that challenges conventional wisdom about seniors, their medicines and hospitalizations.

28 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 23, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include an examination of changes in Medicare that the Democrats have endorses and a Kansas abortion case.

23 Nov 2011

Health spending still in jeopardy despite end of super committee

Although Medicare and Medicaid were largely protected when the panel broke up, budget cutters will continue to eye them, and other health programs will likely have funding reduced.

23 Nov 2011

Medicare to cover infusion costs for prostate cancer vaccine, company says

In Medicare news, the drug maker Dendreon says federal officials have said they will pay doctors to administer the drug. Also, policymakers are studying Medigap to see if curbs on those policies could help cut Medicare costs.

23 Nov 2011

Post-surgery death risk high among thinner people: Study

A new study has found that thinner people are at a higher risk of dying within 30 days of an operation than heavier people. The cause behind this trend is not clear.

22 Nov 2011

Calif. high risk pool may overflow; seniors and long-term care costs

In California, the PCIP exceeds expected costs and small businesses are struggling. Minnesota insurers are worried about long-term care policies and a Michigan pay-to-play probe is opened.

22 Nov 2011

Racial disparities in emergency diverticulitis surgery

Black senior citizens who need surgery for the intestinal disorder diverticulitis are significantly more likely to die in the hospital than their equally ill white counterparts, even when each racial group carries the same health insurance, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

22 Nov 2011

Older home health care patients are prescribed PIMs three times higher than others

Older adults receiving home health care may be taking a drug that is unsafe or ineffective for someone their age. In fact, nearly 40 percent of seniors receiving medical care from a home health agency are taking at least one prescription medication that is considered potentially inappropriate to seniors, a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has revealed.

22 Nov 2011

Recommendations aim to enhance health and quality of life for frail and vulnerable patients in nursing home care

More than 1.5 million adults live in nursing homes in the United States, and approximately 30 percent of people will diewith a nursing home as their last place of residence. As this population continues to increase, so will the need for physicians to assist those patients with proper care and guidance in making end-of-life decisions.

21 Nov 2011