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Quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, says NCQA report

A report released today by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) finds that the quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, a disturbing slowdown after a decade of improvements. The across-the-board trend was seen in care provided to people with private insurance coverage as well as in Medicare and Medicaid.

23 Oct 2009

Some Senate Democrats help republicans defeat $247 billion Medicare payment 'doctor fix'

"Democrats lost a big test vote on health care legislation on Wednesday as the Senate blocked action on a bill to increase Medicare payments to doctors at a cost of $247 billion over 10 years," the The New York Times reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, "needed 60 votes to proceed. He won only 47. And he could not blame Republicans.

23 Oct 2009

Study: Massachusetts health reform popular with doctors, doesn't hold costs down

"The first broad-based survey of how physicians feel about the Massachusetts experiment shows strong and deep support: 70 percent favor the law; three-quarters want to keep it," NPR reports.

23 Oct 2009

House Republicans find many angles for opposition to health bills

"A coalition of pro-life groups, accompanied by several House Republicans outside the U.S. Capitol, delivered a petition signed by 137,000 Americans Wednesday voicing disapproval with current health care reform legislation," FOX News reports.

23 Oct 2009

Health reform changes could increase costs to states

Today's state news round-up includes the cost of health reform to New York, immigrants in California, a possible new mental health overhaul in Arizona and a delay in expanding the children's health program in Iowa.

22 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 22, 2009

Some clear themes emerge from today's headlines. Among them: A new government report indicates that health costs grow even faster under Democratic legislation pending in the House; and, yesterday's Senate vote to block the Medicare pay fix bill represents an important loss for Majority Leader Harry Reid.

22 Oct 2009

ACP disappointed by cloture vote on S. 1776; says repeal of SGR is necessary

The American College of Physicians, representing 129,000 internal medicine physicians and medical student members, is gravely disappointed by the failure of the "cloture" vote today in the U.S. Senate on S. 1776, the Medicare Physician Fairness Act of 2009.

22 Oct 2009

House leaders commit to permanent reform in the Medicare physician payment formula

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and the chairs of the three committees leading the health reform effort, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, and Rep. George Miller, Chair of the Committee on Education and Labor, reaffirmed their commitment today to permanent reform of the Medicare physician payment formula (the "sustainable growth rate" or SGR formula).

22 Oct 2009

Budget hawks block Reid's push for 'doc fix'

Democrats backed away from an unfunded proposal to increase physician payments from Medicare in the face of opposition from Republicans and some fiscally conservative members of their own ranks, the New York Times reports.

22 Oct 2009

Health reform triggers analysis of the lobbying 'revolving door,' spending reports

A joint ProPublica/CBS News investigation found that at least two dozen current lobbyists used to be federal officials who helped design the last major change to American health care.

22 Oct 2009

Small businesses could benefit from insurance exchanges

Supporters of health reform legislation told a Senate subcommittee Tuesday that the insurance exchanges are critical for small businesses, which pay more than large companies to cover their employees and are cutting jobs and insurance coverage to control costs.

22 Oct 2009

Senate Democrats continue pursuit of insurers' antitrust exemption

"Top Senate Democrats intend to try to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws, according to congressional officials, the latest evidence of a deepening struggle over President Barack Obama's effort to overhaul the health care industry," the Associated Press/Boston Globe reports.

22 Oct 2009

House Committee votes to strip health insurance industry of federal antitrust exemption

The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday "voted to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws as senators announced plans to take the same step," The Associated Press reports. The committee voted "20 to 9 to repeal a 1940s law that exempted the health insurance industry from federal controls over certain antitrust violations including price-fixing."

22 Oct 2009

Poll: Rising concern over cost, quality of reformed health system

"Americans are increasingly worried about the cost and quality of medical care that could result from President Obama's effort to revamp health care, but a majority still trust him more than Republicans to change the system, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows," USA Today reports.

22 Oct 2009

Health reform bills maintain some type of insurance 'age rating'

Insurance company "age rating" is likely to continue under proposed health care legislation.

22 Oct 2009

U.S. Congress extends Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, HIV care providers applaud move

Medical providers on the front lines of HIV care applaud the U.S. Congress for extending the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, helping to ensure that more than half a million low-income, uninsured, or underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS have access to lifesaving care.

22 Oct 2009

House lawmakers laud new CBO score of $871 billion, including a public option

A government-run public insurance option is in the House Democrats' health overhaul measure which the Congressional Budget Office has "scored" at $871 billion over 10 years.

22 Oct 2009

PCPCC summit to discuss the national implications for patient centered medical home

National policy to change the shape of health care will be the center of discussion among the national's advocates of a primary care-based model poised to transform health care delivery. The Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) Third Annual Summit will feature a keynote address from Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) concerning the national implications for the patient centered medical home (PCMH), a fundamentally improved model for providing health care.

21 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 21, 2009

As Senate Democrats wrestle with a doctor payment bill separate from sweeping health care reform proposals, the public plan, public opinion and health care costs continue to be a Capitol Hill focus.

21 Oct 2009

Health care experts and policy makers assemble to address current health care reform

The New Republic will host health care experts and policy makers for the decisive conference on the current health care reform debate. Jonathan Cohn, senior editor of The New Republic, health care expert and author will moderate the forum.

21 Oct 2009

Health Reform News and Research

Quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, says NCQA report

Some Senate Democrats help republicans defeat $247 billion Medicare payment 'doctor fix'

Study: Massachusetts health reform popular with doctors, doesn't hold costs down

House Republicans find many angles for opposition to health bills

Health reform changes could increase costs to states

First Edition: October 22, 2009

ACP disappointed by cloture vote on S. 1776; says repeal of SGR is necessary

House leaders commit to permanent reform in the Medicare physician payment formula

Budget hawks block Reid's push for 'doc fix'

Health reform triggers analysis of the lobbying 'revolving door,' spending reports

Small businesses could benefit from insurance exchanges

Senate Democrats continue pursuit of insurers' antitrust exemption

House Committee votes to strip health insurance industry of federal antitrust exemption

Poll: Rising concern over cost, quality of reformed health system

Health reform bills maintain some type of insurance 'age rating'

U.S. Congress extends Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, HIV care providers applaud move

House lawmakers laud new CBO score of $871 billion, including a public option

PCPCC summit to discuss the national implications for patient centered medical home

First Edition: October 21, 2009

Health care experts and policy makers assemble to address current health care reform

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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