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Japanese MHLW approves St. Jude Medical's Genesis spinal cord stimulation system

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced regulatory approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for the Genesis™ spinal cord stimulation system for the management of chronic pain.

18 Jan 2010

Mass. Senate election could play role in health reform endgame

The Associated Press: "Like a roller-coaster ride on its last twisting turns, President Barack Obama's campaign to remake health care is barreling into final days of breathless suspense and headlong momentum." President Obama and other Democrats are focusing this weekend on "an unpredictable Senate race in Massachusetts, while senior White House and congressional staffers" hurry to complete work on the health bill's "cost and coverage options."

18 Jan 2010

'Cadillac' tax deal in the works

"Unions tentatively struck a deal Tuesday to exempt collectively bargained healthcare plans from a tax on high-cost plans expected to be used to help raise revenue for the healthcare overhaul," CongressDaily reports.

18 Jan 2010

Republicans decry Dems' deal with labor

Democrats' breakthrough deal with labor groups on the health overhaul yesterday is now attracting criticism as a handout to special interests, FOX News reports.

18 Jan 2010

CKD patients do not receive adequate end-of-life care

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) often do not receive adequate end-of-life care and are unhappy with the medical decisions made as their conditions worsen, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that end-of-life care should be improved to meet the needs of CKD patients.

18 Jan 2010

Japan's MHLW approves InSightec's ExAblate MRgFUS system

InSightec Ltd. announced today that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the company's ExAblate(R) MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) system for the treatment of women with uterine fibroids.

18 Jan 2010

Democrats appear to reach deal on 'Cadillac' tax

The New York Times is reporting that Democratic congressional leaders and President Barack Obama "have reached a tentative deal on a proposed excise tax on high-cost, employer-sponsored insurance plans to be included in the final version of major health care legislation, according to officials familiar with the talks." Details of the compromise were not available.

18 Jan 2010

Proposed tax expansions could help pay for health reform

Democratic congressional leaders are considering a new strategy to help finance their ambitious healthcare plan -- applying the Medicare payroll tax not just to wages but to capital gains, dividends and other forms of unearned income.

18 Jan 2010

Democrats endure political anxieties as health talks continue

"President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats stand within days if not hours of striking final deals on historic health care legislation after key labor unions won concessions and pledged their support," The Associated Press reports. "Dozens of issues still needed to be finalized to reconcile bills passed separately by the House and Senate, but several lawmakers said that in the wake of the deal on the insurance plan tax, they felt a logjam had been broken" (Werner, 1/15).

18 Jan 2010

Unions, Democratic leaders and White House reach agreement on 'Cadillac' health insurance plans

Los Angeles Times: "The White House and labor leaders agreed Thursday on a formula to tax high-cost insurance plans, removing one of the last obstacles to President Obama's healthcare overhaul, officials said." Organized labor had staunchly opposed the proposed "Cadillac" tax, but as part of the agreement, "reached after an intense round of negotiations this week, union leaders dropped their opposition ... in exchange for concessions to limit its scope."

17 Jan 2010

Cardiac Science and MEDENT announce new partnership deal

Cardiac Science Corporation, a global leader in automated external defibrillator (AED) and diagnostic cardiac monitoring devices that connect to electronic medical record (EMR) and hospital information systems, today announced a partnership with MEDENT, a leading provider of practice automation and EMR/EHR systems.

13 Jan 2010

U.S. Department of Labor sues Mid-States Express for misusing employees' retirement and health benefit plans

The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the owners of bankrupt Mid-States Express Inc. of Aurora, Ill., for allegedly failing to protect the interests of the participants and beneficiaries in the company's 401(k) and health plans. The department's lawsuit alleges that Bruce Hartmann failed to disclose to employees that their medical bills were not likely to be paid, even as the company continued to take deductions from their paychecks for medical coverage.

13 Jan 2010

Nancy Pelosi: Insurance companies funneled between $10M and $20M to fund deceptive television ads

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on a news report (http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/health-insurers-funded-chamber.php) showing that the nation's largest insurance companies funneled between $10 million and $20 million through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to fund deceptive television ads opposing health insurance reform.

13 Jan 2010

ACP supports equality of Medicaid and Medicare rates for primary care services

The American College of Physicians (ACP) today was one of 118 organizations that joined to send a letter to House and Senate leaders supporting equality of Medicaid and Medicare rates for primary care services.

13 Jan 2010

Studies suggest ways to prevent post-surgical infections in hospitals

Two new studies are suggesting relatively simple ways in which hospitals can prevent many post-surgical infections by killing bacteria the patients themselves bring in, according to Monday's New York Times.

13 Jan 2010

Labor leaders confront Obama on 'Cadillac' tax proposal

Labor leaders were invited to the White House to discuss negotiations to merge the House- and Senate-passed health overhaul packages.

12 Jan 2010

First Edition: January 12, 2010

Today's news coverage details developments related to pending health reform plans with President Obama's meeting with organized labor regarding the 'Cadillac' tax claiming a lot of headlines.

12 Jan 2010

Administration, labor leaders set stage for today's meeting regarding proposed 'Cadillac' tax

The president is expected to meet Monday afternoon with labor leaders who oppose a tax on high-cost insurance premiums that the president has backed, The Associated Press/The New York Times reports.

12 Jan 2010

Jobs numbers in health sector defy recession, more growth expected

As most sectors of the economy shed jobs last month, health care companies continued to defy the pattern and hire more people in a trend that's spanned more than two years, Kaiser Health News reports. The main reason is that people are reluctant to skip health care services, even when times are tight, economists say. That factor, combined with an aging population allowed health care business to grow, albeit more slowly than normal, even as the broader economy flagged (Weaver, 1/8).

12 Jan 2010

Obama to meet with labor leaders to push 'Cadillac' tax in health overhaul legislation

"President Barack Obama, facing growing resistance among Democrats over his support for taxing health benefits, will confront U.S. labor leaders and House lawmakers this week on the issue."

11 Jan 2010