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Research roundup: Nursing home transitions; the impact of raising Medicare premiums; workers' views of job-based insurance

Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

20 Jan 2014

Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare applauds introduction of Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014

The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare – a coalition of home health providers dedicated to improving the integrity, quality, and efficiency of home healthcare for our nation's seniors – today commended Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) for introducing the Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014 (S.1932/H.R.3890) to improve the management of care for Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions.

19 Jan 2014

President Obama signs law to increase funding for Alzheimer's research, education

At the urging of the Alzheimer's Association and its more than 600,000 advocates, the funding bill signed into law today by President Obama contained an unprecedented $122 million increase for Alzheimer's research, education, outreach and caregiver support. The Alzheimer's Association applauds the Obama administration for calling for increased Alzheimer's funding in the President's Fiscal Year 2014 budget and Congress for providing funding to enable the continued, effective implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

18 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 17, 2014

Today's headlines include reports from Capitol Hill about passage of a $1.1 billion spending bill as well as testimony by an Obama administration official about healthcare.gov

17 Jan 2014

White House enlists Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mourning to 'jump start' efforts to urge young people to sign up for insurance coverage

This and other related marketing attempts are meant to spark young people's interest in obtaining health coverage before enrollment ends March 31.

17 Jan 2014

Wyden's Medicare proposal portends new powerful post

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the likely next Senate Finance Committee chairman, is flexing his political muscles by proposing a change to how Medicare treats and pays for care for chronically ill patients. Wyden is in line to take over chairmanship of the committee when Sen. Max Baucus is confirmed as U.S. ambassador to China.

16 Jan 2014

Insurers again extend payment deadlines for customers who signed up for Jan. 1 coverage on exchanges

News outlets in California offer examples of companies that are giving new customers more time to pay their first month's premiums while in Connecticut, one insurer is beginning to get a handle on the crush of enrollment.

16 Jan 2014

Facing Medicare funding cuts, Virginia hospitals push for Medicaid expansion

Expanding the program for low-income residents would help bring new revenue to the hospitals. Meanwhile, supporters of Medicaid expansion offer a new proposal in Nebraska and a young man in Utah diagnosed with cancer faces treatment problems because he lost his Medicaid coverage.

16 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 16, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that a federal judge on Wednesday rejected a legal challenge related to the health law's insurance subsidies.

16 Jan 2014

Health law's prevention funds diverted to other programs in $1T spending bill

New details emerge about the cut to the health law's Prevention and Public Health Fund in the $1 trillion spending bill, but a jobless benefits extension in Congress stalls. In the meantime, a mental health plan pushed by President Obama will get spending bill funds.

16 Jan 2014

Bill seeks team-based approach to caring for Medicare patients with chronic illness

Sen. Ron Wyden plans to unveil a bill to encourage team-based care in the program for older and disabled Americans. In the meantime, Medicare readies to deliver payment data for individual doctors on a "case-by-case" basis.

16 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 15, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services that people who get their health insurance through high-risk insurance pools will have an extra two months before this program ends.

15 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: 'Celebrating' enrollment numbers; Maryland's website 'debacle;' abortion battle moves again to high court

Today the federal government released the most comprehensive data yet about who signed up for Obamacare through Dec. 28. There's reason to cheer for both the law's supporters and its detractors. ... Today's numbers don't settle the question of whether the administration will hit its goals for enrollment in the exchanges, measured either in raw numbers or demographic breakdown. But they show that those goals are within reach (Christopher Flavelle, 1/13).

15 Jan 2014

Lawmakers introduce $1T spending bill with health law prevention fund cuts

The $1 trillion spending bill that lawmakers introduced Monday cuts $1 billion from the health law's Prevention and Public Health Fund and holds down funding for other health law programs to 2013 levels, but leaves it otherwise untouched.

15 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 13, 2014

Today's headlines include news about how the health law's enrollment process is working and about the federal government's decision not to renew the contract for the company that was overseeing the repairs for healthcare.gov.

13 Jan 2014

Obama administration proposes Medicare drug change

In a move that some fear could compromise care for Medicare recipients, the Obama administration is proposing to remove special protections that guarantee seniors access to a wide selection of three types of drugs.

13 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 10, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about Maryland's plan to reduce hospital spending.

10 Jan 2014

Chamber Of Commerce details its updated strategy to deal with health law trouble spots

The Chamber's President and CEO Thomas Donohue vowed first and foremost to fight against the overhaul's employer mandate, but noted that in other cases the organization will work to fix flaws rather than repeal the measure.

10 Jan 2014

Longer reads: Hospice drains Medicare; false Obamacare 'horror stories;' growing up without vaccines

Hospice patients are expected to die: The treatment focuses on providing comfort to the terminally ill, not finding a cure. To enroll a patient, two doctors certify a life expectancy of six months or less. But over the past decade, the number of "hospice survivors" in the United States has risen dramatically, in part because hospice companies earn more by recruiting patients who aren't actually dying, a Washington Post investigation has found. Healthier patients are more profitable because they require fewer visits and stay enrolled longer (Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating, 12/26).

9 Jan 2014

New study compares blood pressure management in the US and England

In the US but not in England, patients on low incomes with high blood pressure have their condition managed poorly compared with those who earn more.

9 Jan 2014

Medicare News and Research

Research roundup: Nursing home transitions; the impact of raising Medicare premiums; workers' views of job-based insurance

Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare applauds introduction of Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014

President Obama signs law to increase funding for Alzheimer's research, education

First Edition: January 17, 2014

White House enlists Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mourning to 'jump start' efforts to urge young people to sign up for insurance coverage

Wyden's Medicare proposal portends new powerful post

Insurers again extend payment deadlines for customers who signed up for Jan. 1 coverage on exchanges

Facing Medicare funding cuts, Virginia hospitals push for Medicaid expansion

First Edition: January 16, 2013

Health law's prevention funds diverted to other programs in $1T spending bill

Bill seeks team-based approach to caring for Medicare patients with chronic illness

First Edition: January 15, 2014

Viewpoints: 'Celebrating' enrollment numbers; Maryland's website 'debacle;' abortion battle moves again to high court

Lawmakers introduce $1T spending bill with health law prevention fund cuts

First Edition: January 13, 2014

Obama administration proposes Medicare drug change

First Edition: January 10, 2014

Chamber Of Commerce details its updated strategy to deal with health law trouble spots

Longer reads: Hospice drains Medicare; false Obamacare 'horror stories;' growing up without vaccines

New study compares blood pressure management in the US and England

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

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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