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Campaigns dispute impact of Medicare 'voucher-type' plan; Some Dem advisers reportedly favor increasing private options

Republican proposals to replace Medicare insurance benefits with vouchers that seniors could use to buy insurance would drive up healthcare costs for the nation's elderly, said a newly released report from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, an advocacy arm for the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress. The vouchers would not grow as quickly as healthcare costs and seniors would be required to pay the difference for plans that exceed the vouchers, the authors said.

12 Sep 2012

In Florida, Obama talks Medicare

President Barack Obama promised to fight GOP efforts to "privatize" the health insurance program for senior citizens, charging that the plan advanced by Republican nominee Mitt Romney would cost seniors more.

11 Sep 2012

Half of all people of South Asian, African descent will develop diabetes by age 80

Half of all people of South Asian, African and African Caribbean descent will develop diabetes by age 80 according to a new study published today. The study is the first to reveal the full extent of ethnic differences in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and also provides some answers as to the causes of the increased risk.

11 Sep 2012

As candidates attempt to woo swing voters, Medicare, health law become fodder on campaign trail

In addition, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports how wary voters are struggling to sort out what the candidates' different positions on Medicare would mean for them.

11 Sep 2012

People with MCI are impaired in several aspects of executive functioning

By the time older adults are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the brain damage is irreparable. For now, modern medicine is able to slow the progression of the disease but is incapable of reversing it. What if there was a way to detect if someone is on the path to Alzheimer's before substantial and non-reversible brain damage sets in?

11 Sep 2012

Merck prices $2.5B public offering of senior unsecured notes

Merck & Co., Inc. priced today a $2.5 billion public offering of senior unsecured notes.

11 Sep 2012

VP ideological divide sparks health care sparring match

The vice presidential candidates prepare to meet each other in a debate -- each with very different ideas on moving forward on health care. In the meantime, GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan defends his stance on automatic cuts to lower the deficit -- which differ from his running mate's stance.

10 Sep 2012

CPF to kick off 'Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month'

Each year around the world, as many as 48,000 people are diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and 40,000 people die – the same number of people who are lost to breast cancer annually. Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease that robs people of their ability to breathe. To help raise awareness about this unknown deadly disease, the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is kicking off "Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month" this September.

10 Sep 2012

Romney says health law isn't 'all bad'

In Sunday news appearances, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that if elected, he would dismantle the health care law, but retain some of the more popular provisions, including coverage of pre-existing conditions for those who had had continuous health insurance.

10 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 10, 2012

Today's headlines include news from the presidential campaign trail, including reports detailing how GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said, if elected, he would retain some parts of the 2010 health law.

10 Sep 2012

Concussion: an interview with Dr Rob Reid

Concussion happens when something produces a concussive force to the head, such as a blow to the head. The definition from the 2008 consensus, which was in Zurich, is, “concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces.”

10 Sep 2012

Post-conventions, parties sharply divided on health care politics

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney, their contest defined anew by joblessness, are seeking to frame the campaign on their own terms. Romney was concentrating on the economy while Obama sought to play to his strengths, with top aides all but daring their challenger to engage in a debate over Medicare.

10 Sep 2012

Campaigns trade Medicare barbs, Romney praises parts of health reform law

Mitt Romney said Sunday that he would retain elements of President Obama's health care overhaul ... The remarks, made in an interview on the NBC News program "Meet The Press," seemed to mark the emergence of a less openly partisan, more general-election-oriented Republican nominee.

10 Sep 2012

Schumer seeks to put GOP Senators on defensive regarding Ryan Medicare plan

Sen. Chuck Schumer says he wants the Senate to vote soon on the Ryan budget to put Republicans, including presidential running mates Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, on the defensive.

7 Sep 2012

Health law among Obama's accomplishments as he makes case for second term

During the final night of the Democratic convention, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden pledged to protect Medicare from GOP proposals to turn it into what they called a voucher program and extolled the benefits of the health law.

7 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 7, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Sarah Varney reports on California Gov. Jerry Brown, his absence from the Democratic convention and efforts to implement the health law: "California's Jerry Brown, the governor of the most populous state in the union, a state that has aggressively pushed ahead with the Affordable Care Act even when it wasn't the "in-thing," is sitting out this year's Democratic National Convention.

7 Sep 2012

Democratic speakers rally around health law

During Wednesday's convention proceedings, speakers criticized what they described as Republican plans to "voucher-ize Medicare" and touted provisions of the 2010 health law already in effect, such as coverage for children with pre-existing medical conditions, the closing Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" and the ability to keep young people on their parents' policies until age 26.

7 Sep 2012

Clinton skewers GOP on Medicare, offers strong defense of Obama on health law

In former President Bill Clinton's speech to nominate Barack Obama for re-election, he made a point-by-point case to return Obama to a second term, lauding his efforts to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid and to pass the health law.

7 Sep 2012

Conservatives say Dems' characterization of GOP Medicare plan is 'misleading attack'

Republican pundits dispute the description of their plans to overhaul Medicare as as a defined-contribution, rather than a defined-benefit program 'vouchercare,' and say that repealing the health law would spur innovation.

7 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 6, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Ankita Rao reports: "While policymakers debate whether doctors should be paid by the number of services they provide or the outcomes of their treatment, shared decision could have an impact on the ground by reducing demand for medical procedures.

6 Sep 2012