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Harkin lifts hold on Tavenner nomination to lead CMS

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the timing for a Senate vote on her confirmation as head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is unclear.

9 May 2013

People enroll in fitness program to qualify for lower out-of-pocket health care costs

It was a controversial move when a health insurer began requiring people who were obese to literally pay the price of not doing anything about their weight - but it worked, a new study finds.

9 May 2013

Products from The Compounding Shop lack sterility assurance, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers, hospital supply managers, and pharmacists that the FDA's preliminary findings of practices at The Compounding Shop of St. Petersburg, Fla., raise concerns about a lack of sterility assurance for sterile drugs produced at and distributed from this site.

9 May 2013

'Grand bargain' budget deal appears increasingly unlikely

News outlets report that pressure is diminishing as the federal government's "red ink" recedes, leaving Democrats far less likely to consider major changes and trims to Medicare that Republicans view as the building block for any such agreement.

9 May 2013

People with medical debt more likely to avoid medical care, finds new study

People with outstanding credit card or medical debt were more likely to delay or avoid medical or dental care, finds a new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

9 May 2013

Mayo Clinic study examines use of telemedicine in rural Honduras

Every day, thousands of volunteer medical relief groups offer care to patients and assistance to understaffed medical teams in remote, underdeveloped locations around the world. Often these groups of doctors and nurses come for a short time, offer care and return home.

9 May 2013

Viewpoints: Capitol Hill antics on budget; A mom's concern about Plan B decision

Republicans, after berating Democrats for enacting Obamacare and other bills behind closed doors with extra-parliamentary procedures, are insisting that any talks with Democrats be behind closed doors with extra-parliamentary procedures.

9 May 2013

State roundup: Ala. lawmakers OK shift to Medicaid managed care

A bill that restructures the way Medicaid is administered passed the Alabama Legislature Tuesday and now awaits the governor's signature. The State Medicaid Agency now pays doctors directly for services provided to Medicaid patients. Under the new policy, there will be several regions managed by privately owned, for-profit Regional Care Organizations that will contract with doctors and other providers (Wingard, 5/7).

9 May 2013

NIH official raises concerns about new psychiatry manual

The director of the National Institute of Mental Health says the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 lacks validity, and his organization plans to launch a possible replacement diagnostic tool.

9 May 2013

Hospital billing varies widely for the same procedures, Medicare data show

Data being released for the first time by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show how billing varies not just between regions, but among hospitals in the same city.

9 May 2013

GOP supermajority in Missouri scuttles Medicaid expansion plans

Lawmakers opt to set up committees to study the issue instead. In Texas, some tea party-affiliated lawmakers threaten to reject the state budget if negotiators include a rider that would allow discussions about expanding coverage with the federal government. Efforts in California, meanwhile, move forward with a $26.5 million injection from the California Endowment.

9 May 2013

Federal judge criticizes FDA regarding Plan B contraception decision

Judge Edward R. Korman said the Food and Drug Administration's efforts to delay his ruling regarding the so-called morning-after pill was "nonsense" and would hurt poor and minority women.

9 May 2013

Doctors praise GOP's plans for Medicare pay but seek uniform quality measures

At a Capitol Hill hearing, physicians offered thoughts about Republican efforts to change the way they are paid by Medicare. Meanwhile, Speaker John Boehner said the House may again consider a bill that would use money slated for prevention efforts to fund high-risk insurance pools.

9 May 2013

Calif. Senate leader readies mental health service expansion

The California Senate leader is proposing increasing mental health services to reduce how many end up in jail or ERs. In Massachusetts, officials plan greater scrutiny of how insurers cover mental health care.

9 May 2013

UCSF researchers find new genomic test to identify aggressive form of prostate cancer

A new genomic test for prostate cancer can help predict whether men are more likely to harbor an aggressive form of the disease, according to a new UC San Francisco study.

9 May 2013

First Edition: May 8, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about government data showing the wide variation in what hospitals charge Medicare patients for common inpatient procedures.

8 May 2013

Studies suggest slowdown in health care costs may last

The two studies in Health Affairs suggest that recent decreases in the rate of growth of health care spending may be a result of changes in how consumers pay for care and greater efficiency in how it is delivered and, therefore, may continue after the economy recovers.

8 May 2013

Viewpoints: Medicaid's effect on health debated; Young adults central to lowering anxiety about online marketplaces

A study comparing low-income people in Oregon who received access to Medicaid over the past two years with those who did not, found that those on Medicaid visited doctors and hospitals more often, suffered less from depression and were more financially secure.

8 May 2013

New guidelines to help health care professionals improve care near the end of life

People with chronic or life-threatening illnesses often experience problems with their care, including confusion and conflict over how to make good decisions, poor communication with care providers, inadequate pain and symptom relief, and treatments with little or no benefit. Poor care decreases patients' quality of life, increases family stress, and adds cost but not value to health care, often with heartbreaking financial consequences for families.

8 May 2013

Premium hikes or not? That is the question

An analysis by the New York Health Benefits Exchange projects that in New York, unlike in many other states, the health law will likely lead to lower health premiums next year.

8 May 2013