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Mcconnell: GOP will seek amendments to offset cost of Medicare physician pay fix

"U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Thursday that Senate Republicans will offer amendments to offset the cost of a 10-year, $247 billion Medicare physician payment bill set for debate next week," according to The Wall Street Journal. The GOP amendments, he said, would "either pay for a one-year fix for Medicare physician payment rates - set to drop 21% in January - or a 10-year fix, possibly paid for with unused funds from the $787 billion fiscal stimulus measure passed earlier this year."

19 Oct 2009

GOP leaders keep up the criticism about Democratic-backed health overhaul plans

Republicans are standing united — mostly — against health care reform in Congress as they try to make the case that Democratic-backed reforms are the wrong way to go.

19 Oct 2009

Senate Democratic leaders say party will unite on health reform vote

Sens. Max Baucus and Harry Reid are predicting that a health care overhaul in the Senate will attract the votes of all Democrats in the Senate — and maybe even more than one Republican.

19 Oct 2009

Lawmakers wrestle with health reform details - publicly and behind closed doors

Reporters examine which provisions - such as the public option or cost control provisions - may be included as House and Senate negotiators try to meld various Democratic health reform bills.

19 Oct 2009

Poll questions lead to varying answers on health reform

News outlets continue to analyze how polls and public opinion intersect.

19 Oct 2009

GOP, Some Dems object to plan for adjusting physicians' medicare pay

Senate Democrats next week will take up a $240 billion, stand-alone bill that would stop scheduled cuts in Medicare's payments to physicians, The Hill reports. Although the action would be separate from sweeping health reform legislation, "[f]ixing the physician payments could boost Democrats' health reform efforts by providing physicians with a win on their foremost priority.

19 Oct 2009

House members consider where others stand in health reform debate

As the House Democratic leadership continues to work toward moving a health overhaul measure to the floor, members continue to stake out positions - sometimes because of their personal histories or where they are from. In a few cases, the positions they have taken lead to increased attention.

19 Oct 2009

Lobbying efforts heat up on health care

All sorts of special interest groups are stepping up lobbying efforts and spending millions to shape health legislation.

19 Oct 2009

Power coalesces among a few Senate players, not all elected

Some key personalities in the Senate and White House are gaining influence over the health care debate. One obvious group of negotiators are those who shaped the committee bills and the leader of the Democratic majority, who will negotiate a final version of the Senate bill, Roll Call reports.

19 Oct 2009

Controversy, lobbying surround Reid's Medicare payment 'fix' plan

Some news outlets are looking ahead to a vote expected next week "fixing" a planned cut in Medicare payments to physicians.

19 Oct 2009

CBO estimate: House bill closing in on Obama's $900 billion limit

An initial Congressional Budget Office estimate of a version of health reform legislation favored by House liberals puts the price-tag within reach of President Obama's stated $900 billion limit for the overhaul, The Washington Post reports.

19 Oct 2009

House panel sets stage for reconciliation maneuver

A key House panel approved a measure Thursday setting the stage for Senate Democrats to bypass likely Republican attempts to block health reform legislation, CBS News reports.

19 Oct 2009

Obama: Health insurers' anti-reform efforts are 'deceptive and dishonest'

Just days before the full Senate is expected to vote on health care reform legislation, President Barack Obama ramped up his attacks on insurers.

19 Oct 2009

California study suggests more spending can save lives

An insurer in Utah is encouraging consumers to use less medical care, but a study of California hospitals suggests that sometimes spending more really does improve patient outcomes.

19 Oct 2009

HHS Secretary to address ASTHO to discuss critical national public health issues

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is scheduled to address the Annual Meeting of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in Vienna, Va. today. This annual meeting (Oct. 14-16), of state and territorial health officials from across the nation, will hold discussions on critical national public health issues including 2009 H1N1 virus, health reform, food safety, health equity and prevention.

19 Oct 2009

Health reform bill approved by finance panel, Snowe sides with Democrats

Kaiser Health News staff writers Eric Pianin and Mary Agnes Carey report on yesterday's Senate Finance Committee action.

15 Oct 2009

Innovative technologies and devices feature at AdvaMed 2009

The exhibit hall at AdvaMed 2009 on the third floor of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is brimming with displays of cutting edge medical technology, organizations committed to the advancement of research and development in the MedTech industry, and innovative devices designed to improve the health and health care of people all over the world.

15 Oct 2009

Snowe's vote prompts speculation about broader bipartisan support

Democrats earned a single, coveted Republican vote for health reform legislation - from Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, - in the Senate Finance Committee, bringing them closer to the goal of bipartisan support, the Boston Globe reports

15 Oct 2009

Regional health care experts weigh in on health reform efforts

Health experts and officials from around America are weighing in on the health care reform efforts in Congress.

15 Oct 2009

Senator Snowe's continued fight to ensure stable Medicare funding for seniors praised

The long term care sector's ongoing concern with deep Medicare cuts, in conjunction with the state Medicaid funding crisis fueled by the recession, was reflected in Senator Snowe's comments on the Senate Finance Committee health care reform package. We thank her for focusing much-needed attention on the unique challenges our sector faces in the continued provision of quality care to the vulnerable patients we serve in Maine and across the nation.

15 Oct 2009