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Viewpoints: Coburn on his dropout; Malpractice reform and states

For the past several months I have been meeting with a small group of senators from both parties, informally known as the Gang of Six, that was designed to force the idle — not gridlocked — Senate, and then the House and the president, to enact a long-term deficit-reduction package.

20 May 2011

First Edition: May 19, 2011

Today's headlines continue to analyze the impact of the departure of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., from the 'Gang of Six' on the efforts to address long-term budget issues such as Medicare spending.

19 May 2011

GOP intra-party divisions emerge over Medicare revamps

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., offered a forceful defense of his budget plan that includes a proposal to make major changes in the Medicare program after Newt Gingrich, the newly minted candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, ripped the plan.

18 May 2011

Viewpoints: Gingrich fallout; Sebelius, Matsui on Medicare reform; physicians on their rights

The Republican Presidential campaign is off to a slow start, but judging by the last week not slow enough. First Mitt Romney defends his ObamaCare prototype in Massachusetts, and now Newt Gingrich has decided to run against House Republicans on Medicare. They must be loving this at the White House.

18 May 2011

WellAWARE Systems earns RichTech Technology Innovation: Healthcare Award

WellAWARE Systems, the developer of breakthrough technology designed to enable proactive and preventive senior care, announced it was recognized with the Technology Innovation: Healthcare Award given by RichTech.

17 May 2011

First Edition: May 17, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Guy Gugliotta writes: "Minnesota state Rep. Steve Gottwalt, a three-term Republican with 10 years experience in the health care industry, is no fan of last year's health care law -- or its requirement that states set up insurance exchanges. But as chairman of the Health and Human Services Reform Committee, he decided he needed to weigh in on the exchange.

17 May 2011

NY election may offer view of voters' take on GOP Medicare plan

Just as this New York special congressional election approaches, news outlets analyze how public opinion is breaking in regard to the plan, as included in the budget advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Other elected officials are also offering their own responses to the approach.

17 May 2011

Medicare trustees: Funds will run out sooner than expected

Last Friday, the Medicare trustees offered their annual take on the fiscal fitness of the health insurance program for senior citizens and the disabled. The reviews were worse than last year's projections.

17 May 2011

Gingrich criticizes Obama and GOP health plans; Medicare politics sway N.Y. race

News outlets today focused on newly-declared Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's vision on health reform and on the continuing political fallout of Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare proposal.

16 May 2011

Viewpoints: Snappy headlines, prose on Romney and Medicare dominate Today's opinions and editorials

The first question he got from the audience after his speech Thursday was the right one: What's to prevent states from a "race to the bottom," where they cut their costs by slashing spending on health care? Romney had no good answer beyond a vague assertion that Americans are a "generous people" who would not deny health coverage to their fellow citizens.

16 May 2011

HHS: Health law saves Medicare $120 billion

The administration credits the significant savings to changes in the Medicare program that were put in place by the health law combined with other steps to cut down on fraud and abuse, quality of care incentives, and efforts to streamline care for people with disabilities.

13 May 2011

Census data: The age gap is growing, sharpening political divide

The age gap among regions in the U.S. has grown to its widest in decades. In some areas, the trend will increase pressure on already stretched budgets that provide services for the aging.

13 May 2011

HHS dual-eligible program seeks to lower states' Medicaid costs

The centerpiece of the program, which HHS says could result in savings of billions of dollars a year, would give states access to data detailing how Medicaid populations use Medicare services.

13 May 2011

Republicans feel heat over Medicare budget votes, seek to craft new message

GOP lawmakers hope to get back on the offensive in the Medicare debate. Ads will begin airing later this week that target a Democrat from Northern California, but some say the party needs to focus on a long-term strategy to regain its footing in this debate. Meanwhile, some House Democrats are pointing to a special congressional election in New York as proof that House Republican's Medicare vote is backfiring.

13 May 2011

Florida's largest insurer enters Medicaid system; Texas may ask feds for block grant

In a potentially huge change, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida plans to enter the Medicaid program and compete in what likely will become a statewide managed-care system. Blue Cross, the state's largest health insurer, has stayed out of Medicaid in the past. But its new stance comes as Florida lawmakers seek to enroll almost all Medicaid beneficiaries in managed-care plans -- and as last year's federal health law prepares to funnel more people into the system.

12 May 2011

HHS announces new initiatives to improve patient care and reduce Medicaid costs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced a series of initiatives to work with states to save money and better coordinate care for the 9 million Americans enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.

12 May 2011

New poll: Ontarians support more public investment in home and community support services

A new poll shows Ontarians support more public investment in home and community support services with six in ten (59%) agreeing new funding is better designated to these preventative care services rather than facilities and full-time nursing care.

11 May 2011

Medicare, entitlement reform continue to trigger political rifts

The AP reports that, as unlikely as it may seem, the Obama administration and congressional Republicans may share some common ideas regarding Medicare costs. Still, the issue of how to address the programs — and the related proposals — still are causing rifts within the GOP.

11 May 2011

Govt. audit finds antipsychotic drugs often overused in nursing homes

More than half of the antipsychotics paid for by Medicare in the first half of 2007 were "erroneous," the audit found, costing the program $116 million during those six months.

11 May 2011

Boehner draws line in sand on debt-limit vote

One of his main themes was the need for "honest conversations" about how to control the costs of the Medicare program — a statement some viewed as a signal that the GOP is still committed to restructuring at least some elements of the health insurance program for the elderly.

11 May 2011