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Blair House bipartisan meeting on health insurance reform: Speaker Pelosi's remarks

"As we sit around this table, I think we should be mindful of what they do when they sit around their kitchen table. What we do here must be relevant to their lives. And for them, they don't have time for us to start over. Many of them are at the end of the line with their insurance…I just hope that as we sit around this table, we understand the urgency that the American people have about this issue, how it affects not only their health, but their economic security."

26 Feb 2010

Exergames improve mood and mental health-related quality of life in seniors with SSD

Research at the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests a novel route to improving the symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD) in seniors through the regular use of "exergames" - entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise. In a pilot study, the researchers found that use of exergames significantly improved mood and mental health-related quality of life in older adults with SSD.

26 Feb 2010

Doctors face Medicare payment cuts; Congress considers short-term fix

Doctors will face Medicare payment cuts if Congress doesn't act soon. The San Bernardino Sun reports: "Unless Congress steps in this week, Medicare will begin paying doctors less, which could make it harder for seniors to find doctors willing to see them. Medicare rates are set to be cut by 21 percent on March 1. Congress has postponed cuts before, but with the deadline fast approaching, the American Medical Association and other doctors' groups are urging Congress to do so again."

25 Feb 2010

Health care reform legislation: Americans still split, but several provisions find wide support

The latest Kaiser Tracking Poll finds the public still split on health care reform legislation, with 43 percent in favor and 43 percent opposed. However, the poll also finds that majorities of Americans of all political leanings support several provisions in the health reform proposals in Congress and most attribute delays in passing the legislation to political gamesmanship rather than policy disagreements.

24 Feb 2010

Research study to develop new model of health care delivery for patients

GE Healthcare, Intel Corporation and Mayo Clinic are investigating a new model of health care delivery for patients at increased risk of rehospitalization that is designed to meet patients' needs where they are, including in their homes.

24 Feb 2010

State Round up: Utah struggling with state online health exchange; California cracks down on discount health plans

The Salt Lake Tribune: "Utah lawmakers this year have spared no energy trumpeting their dislike for federal health reform, passing bills asserting states' right to govern themselves. But Utah's own health care fix, an online insurance market called the Utah Health Exchange, has gotten off to a wobbly start. And legislation to repair it, sponsored by Republican House Speaker Dave Clark, came under siege last week. ...The debate left some reform advocates privately wondering if the topic has become too toxic to handle" (Stewart, 2/23).

24 Feb 2010

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Today, two of the nation's leading health and fiscal policy experts discussed how to reign in rising health care costs in Medicare in light of a new Health Affairs study that shows rising Medicare costs in the nation's health care system are linked to the growth in several common costly chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and kidney disease.

24 Feb 2010

Pelosi calls for passage of comprehensive, affordable health insurance reform

"The President today made available to all Americans the Administration's health insurance reform proposal, which contains positive elements from the House and Senate-passed bills. I look forward to reviewing it with House Members and then joining the President and the Republican leadership at the Blair House meeting on Thursday. This discussion will continue a year-long historic level of transparency and open debate of this crucial reform effort.

23 Feb 2010

Medicaid cuts hurt Calif. dental coverage, drive away doctors in Okla; Public hospitals in NYC fear possible reductions

NPR: "In California, it's been seven months since some 3 million poor and disabled adults lost their dental coverage to budget cuts. ... While the recession may be easing, California and other states across the country continue to face eye-popping budget deficits. As a result, states are cutting deep into public health programs, and dental benefits for Medicaid recipients top the list. ... Before the state budget cuts, Medicaid patients here could get annual exams, cleanings and, if needed, root canals to save their teeth.

23 Feb 2010

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Health Affairs: Chronic Conditions Account For Rise In Medicare Spending From 1987 To 2006 - "Medicare beneficiaries' medical needs, and where beneficiaries undergo treatment, have changed dramatically over the past two decades." For example, the authors write, "heart disease ranked first among the top-ten conditions in terms of attributable share of growth from 1987 to 1997, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the increase in Medicare spending."

20 Feb 2010

Accurate CPI for Seniors: RetireSafe calls for support to legislation

Over 95 percent of the 800 seniors who were surveyed by RetireSafe recently said Social Security benefits have not kept up with the actual cost-of-living over the last five years.

20 Feb 2010

Medicare Advantage premiums jump 14 percent

The Associated Press: "Millions of seniors who signed up for popular private health plans through Medicare are facing sharp premium increases this year — another sign that spiraling costs are a problem even for those with solid insurance. A study to be released Friday ... found that premiums for Medicare Advantage plans offering medical and prescription drug coverage jumped 14.2 percent on average in 2010, after an increase of only 5.2 percent the previous year. Some 8.5 million elderly and disabled Americans are in the plans, which provide more comprehensive coverage than traditional Medicare."

19 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 19, 2010

Today's headlines highlight a White House plan to "get specific" on health reform, an analysis showing a nationwide jump in Medicaid enrollment and more on the firestorm surrounding health insurance premium increases.

19 Feb 2010

Coalition warns against bogus health plans that promise full health benefits but deliver fewer products

Bogus health plans are spreading rapidly around the U.S., defrauding vulnerable consumers anxious for affordable health coverage in a downturned economy, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

19 Feb 2010

Ventas reports 7.8% increase in normalized FFO for year ended December 31, 2009

Ventas, Inc. said today that normalized Funds From Operations (“FFO”) for the year ended December 31, 2009 increased 7.8 percent to $409.0 million, from $379.5 million for the comparable 2008 period.

18 Feb 2010

New IPI publication outlines effective healthcare reform plan

President Obama's call during the State of the Union address for a better approach to health care reform is answered today with the release of a new publication from the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) entitled, "Health Care Reform: What Now?"

18 Feb 2010

US health plans adopt unified approach to assist consumers in appropriate medication use

Dozens of US health plans nationwide have adopted a unified approach to assist seniors and other consumers to appropriately use medications. The move follows increased emphasis from the federal government for Medicare plans to offer more robust Medication Therapy Management (“MTM”) programs in 2010.

18 Feb 2010

Seniors News and Research

Blair House bipartisan meeting on health insurance reform: Speaker Pelosi's remarks

Exergames improve mood and mental health-related quality of life in seniors with SSD

Doctors face Medicare payment cuts; Congress considers short-term fix

Health care reform legislation: Americans still split, but several provisions find wide support

Research study to develop new model of health care delivery for patients

State Round up: Utah struggling with state online health exchange; California cracks down on discount health plans

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Pelosi calls for passage of comprehensive, affordable health insurance reform

Medicaid cuts hurt Calif. dental coverage, drive away doctors in Okla; Public hospitals in NYC fear possible reductions

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Accurate CPI for Seniors: RetireSafe calls for support to legislation

Medicare Advantage premiums jump 14 percent

First Edition: February 19, 2010

Coalition warns against bogus health plans that promise full health benefits but deliver fewer products

Ventas reports 7.8% increase in normalized FFO for year ended December 31, 2009

New IPI publication outlines effective healthcare reform plan

US health plans adopt unified approach to assist consumers in appropriate medication use

Senior citizens urge Congress to start over on healthcare reform

The Ensign Group announces record $542.0M total revenue for full-year 2009

Investigation: Dangerous caregivers missing from federal database of disciplinary records

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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