Hearing News and Research

RSS

First Edition: August 4, 2014

Today's headlines include a variety of health policy stories reflecting developments on the state level.

4 Aug 2014

Administration says next marketplace enrollment season will have 'bumps'

In a House hearing, the number two officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services responds to a critical GAO report and says while improvements to the federal online exchange are being made, it still "won't be perfect."

4 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 1, 2014

Today's headlines include more questions about how healthcare.gov will function during the next open enrollment period.

1 Aug 2014

Prolonged exposure to loud noise alters how the brain processes speech

Prolonged exposure to loud noise alters how the brain processes speech, potentially increasing the difficulty in distinguishing speech sounds, according to neuroscientists at The University of Texas at Dallas.

1 Aug 2014

Longer looks: Pittsburgh's 'frayed safety net'; feeding hungry kids in the summer; curing cancer

More than a quarter of the hospitals in the Pittsburgh area closed in the first decade of the 21s century, drastically reducing the amount of charitable care available to the poor.

1 Aug 2014

Hospital 'observation stays' scrutinized by Senate Aging Committee

Meanwhile, on the House side, the Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation that would allow people with group health insurance to keep policies that don't conform to the health law's standards.

31 Jul 2014

GAO report: Poor planning and contractor oversight led to Healthcare.gov woes

The government watchdog organization also found that more problems could emerge in the upcoming enrollment season. Investigators suggested implementation of a cost-control plan and improved oversight procedures, among other steps.

31 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 31, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the possible hazards that the future might hold for healthcare.gov.

31 Jul 2014

Senate unanimously approves McDonald to lead Department of Veterans Affairs

Robert A. McDonald, the 61-year-old former chief executive of Procter & Gamble and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, will take over the embattled VA after a scandal related to wait-time data led to the resignation of Eric Shinseki.

31 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 30, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of health policy headines, including news from Capitol Hill on the Senate confirmation of Robert McDonald to head the VA.

30 Jul 2014

State highlights: Public comments on Mass. hospital deal; Wash. insurance case brings allegations; Mo. clinic reaps dividends from new law

Quite an "only in Massachusetts" moment. Patriots owner Robert Kraft and leaders of Raytheon, Suffolk Construction and Putnam Investments have all filed letters in support of an anti-trust agreement that would not normally see the light of day before a judge approves the deal. The opposition includes public health professors, a group of top economists and politicians battling Attorney General Martha Coakley in the governor's race. This show of force is weighing in on a deal Coakley negotiated with Partners HealthCare. It would let the state's largest hospital network expand its market power, but with constraints, some of which would last for 10 years (Bebinger, 7/24).

26 Jul 2014

GAO official: Report intended to identify trouble spots in health law fraud controls

It's too early to draw conclusions about fraud in the Obamacare marketplaces, a congressional investigator said at a hearing focused on a report finding 11 out of 12 fake applicants were able to obtain subsidized health insurance. Republicans jumped on the report as proof that the health care law invites fraud, but the Government Accountability Office official said the sample is too small and investigators "can't draw any conclusions" until their work is complete.

25 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 24, 2014

Today's headlines include more analysis of this week's conflicting appeals courts' decisions regarding a key part of the health law.

24 Jul 2014

Undercover agents get health insurance subsidies with fake IDs

Federal investigators, working undercover for the Government Accountability Office, said they had been able to obtain subsidized health insurance under the health law using fictitious identities and false documents. The administration said it was working on remedying the verification problems.

24 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 23, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage and analysis of yesterday's conflicting legal decisions regarding the health law.

23 Jul 2014

Trying harder makes it more difficult to learn certain aspects of language, shows study

When it comes to learning languages, adults and children have different strengths. Adults excel at absorbing the vocabulary needed to navigate a grocery store or order food in a restaurant, but children have an uncanny ability to pick up on subtle nuances of language that often elude adults.

22 Jul 2014

Florida's dominant insurer signals increases ahead for consumers with exchange plans

News outlets from Colorado, Missouri, Washington, Oregon and Minnesota report on developments regarding the online insurances marketplaces, coverage and premium costs.

22 Jul 2014

Genomics testing in action: an interview with Kevin Haar, CEO, Appistry

The more connections are made between genes, disease and drugs, and the more that we continue to understand about those connections, the more critical genetic testing will become in modern medicine.

21 Jul 2014

State highlights: Concerns continue about Coakley-partners antitrust settlement; Maine's Lepage announces extra $13.1 million for nursing homes

Criticism of Attorney General Martha Coakley's antitrust pact with the state's largest health care system mounted Thursday as a watchdog panel warned a judge the proposed deal might not meet its goal of holding down medical expenses.

21 Jul 2014

Experts urge Senate panel to increase hospital safety measures

Consumer advocates and medical specialists tell the committee that patients are not much safer today than they were 15 years ago when a landmark study on medical errors spurred calls for reform.

21 Jul 2014