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Budget talks: Partisan divisions become more entrenched

Included in the negotiations are proposals that would trim more than $350 billion from the federal Medicare and Medicaid health programs. Much of that would come from Medicare, where Republicans proposed to squeeze $246 billion in savings by reductions in payments for home health care, as well as increasing co-payments for laboratory services.

13 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Partisanship, debt ceiling talks and Medicare; health cost frustration; praising Betty Ford

After initially endorsing the idea of an ambitious deficit deal, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) retreated over the weekend, calling for only about $2 trillion in savings. ... That position rules out a deal that would make real progress on the deficit while also achieving some top GOP goals, including curbing the growth of Medicare and Medicaid and simplifying the tax code with lower rates and a broader base.

13 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 12, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about the new HHS rule on health exchanges rule and how its nod to state flexibility may help states move forward.

12 Jul 2011

Health IT could give seniors independence, consumers more control

In this pair of articles, news outlets report on how technology is playing a role in health care.

12 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: N.Y. health exchange stalemate; Dick Cheney's heart; vaccine debate refuses to die

Just in case you hadn't noticed, no one has elected Grover Norquist to anything. Still, he looms as a major obstacle to Congress reaching a deficit-reduction agreement needed to raise the federal debt ceiling. … what's revealing about Norquist's passionate advocacy against taxes is that it virtually ignores the main causes of bigger government: Social Security and Medicare.

12 Jul 2011

Drug makers seek to block deficit-talk demands for discounts

Also, The Wall Street Journal reports that the pharmaceutical industry's pipeline is showing a reinvigorated level of energy.

11 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 11, 2011

In today's health policy headlines, more reports on the challenges President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are facing in the ongoing debt reduction negotiations.

11 Jul 2011

Co-pay on home health care would limit patient access to clinically beneficial and cost-effective care

America's home health care community is calling attention to a newly released analysis by Avalere Health, LLC that underscores the significant impact cost sharing for Medicare home health services could have on low-income and clinically-disadvantaged seniors.

8 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Debt ceiling & entitlements; Pharmaceutical dilemmas; Bishops 'misunderstand' death with dignity

Democrats have already proposed a 3-1 formula that would allow for $3 in spending cuts for every $1 in new revenue. So we have met our Republican colleagues more than half-way in this painful process. We are even willing to discuss significant savings in Medicare and Medicaid — as long as essential benefits for seniors and the most vulnerable are preserved (Rep. William Lacy Clay, 7/7).

8 Jul 2011

ActiveCare includes medication compliance technology in ActiveHome Monitoring System

ActiveCare, Inc. a leader in senior care technology, today announced the addition of breakthrough technology for medication compliance as part of its comprehensive ActiveHome Monitoring System. According to a study by the Center for Health Transformation, 1 in 4 nursing home admissions is the result of not properly taking your medications.

8 Jul 2011

Negotiators set sights on 'grand debt deal'

At stake are trillions of dollars in government spending and taxes. One of the proposals in play is an increase in payments by upper-income seniors for Medicare. Sweeping reductions in domestic spending are also on the table. After a Thursday meeting, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders agreed to reconvene Sunday.

8 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 8, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that budget negotiators are setting their sights on a "grand debt deal" -- a concept that is causing some Democrats concern regarding how safety net programs will fare.

8 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: 'Imaginary' mandates, premium hikes, Medicare leadership

Liberals are taking a victory lap since a federal appeals court upheld President Obama's health care plan last week, but not so fast. This is an idiosyncratic and flawed opinion, and we trust the Supreme Court, however it rules, will hold itself to a higher standard of jurisprudential reasoning.

6 Jul 2011

Poll finds some support for minor Medicare cuts

Americans approve of minor cuts to help trim the federal deficit, but are much less likely to favor major cuts, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking survey.

2 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Medical docs begin residency, best practices, Kansas abortions

Today, after four arduous years of examinations, graduating medical doctors will report to their residency programs. Armed with stethoscopes and scalpels, they're preparing to lead the charge against disease in its ravaging, chimerical forms. They carry with them the classic tomes: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine and Gray's Anatomy. But I have an unlikely addition for their mental rucksacks: "Grimm's Fairy Tales".

2 Jul 2011