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First Edition: September 4, 2013

Todays headlines include reports about how the Balitmore Ravens will be part of the effort to raise public awareness about Maryland's health exchange.

4 Sep 2013

Medicare news: When nursing home benefits run out; reforming doc pay fix more costly than repeal

News outlets examine what options nursing home patients have when their Medicare benefits run out and the latest challenge to reforming how doctors are paid by the program -- the price tag.

4 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Shortages of drugs persist; number of Medicare doctors is growing; Obamacare undermines health savings accounts

As was the case during the last debt-ceiling debacle, in 2011, playing politics with the nation's creditworthiness is irresponsible and unnecessary. Leave aside the ObamaCare obsession, because Republicans have zero chance of persuading the president to kill one of his defining achievements.

4 Sep 2013

N.C. transitional care program shows promise in reducing hospital readmissions

A statewide transitional care program in North Carolina may hold hope for reducing hospital readmissions in the U.S., a new study finds. In the meantime, readmissions' financial stakes become clear for one Minnesota hospital.

4 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Tying 'social safeguards' to work may not be best policy; GOP missing an opportunity by not offering alternative to health law; food makers' health claims 'hard to swallow'

In May, the head of [Trader Joe's] ... sent a confidential memo to employees notifying them of changes to their health coverage, retirement program and wages. ... He pledged to reduce workers' healthcare costs 10% for the remainder of the year while the company determines its response to changes under the Affordable Care Act. ...

31 Aug 2013

State highlights: Texas bans youth from tanning salons; Texas, Fla., have most uninsured; Medicare change threatens rural hospital funding in S.D.

Soon, Texas will join a number of states that bar minors from tanning indoors, which experts say greatly increases the risk of melanoma in those under 18. Senate Bill 329, written by State Senators Joan Huffman, Republican of Southside Place, and Sylvia R. Garcia, Democrat of Houston, automatically became law in June without the governor's signature and will take effect on Sunday (Serrano, 8/29).

31 Aug 2013

Research roundup: Assessing new hospital observation rule; doctors' view of DNR orders for kids

Hospitalized patients in the United States are increasingly placed on "observation status." The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) state that observation should rarely exceed 48 hours.

31 Aug 2013

California releases ads for insurance marketplace; Aetna pulls out of N.Y. exchange

Many of the California advertisements will be in Spanish to persuade consumers unfamiliar with the law to sign up, the Los Angeles Times reports. Meanwhile, Aetna did not give many details about its decision to not compete in New York's exchange.

31 Aug 2013

Those in gay marriages set to receive new federal benefits

The federal government on Thursday issued rules on the federal benefits that gay Americans and their same-sex spouses can expect to receive. HHS said Medicare will allow all beneficiaries access to care in a nursing home where their spouse lives.

31 Aug 2013

White House, GOP Senators throw in the towel on budget talks

Over past weeks, the Republicans had moved away from the kind of "grand bargain" sought by the president, which would have combined higher tax revenues with cuts to programs like Medicare. Republicans said the talks had yielded "no common ground."

31 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 30, 2013

Today's headlines include the latest news on congressional efforts to avert a financial crisis as well as coverage of the news from the Internal Revenue Service, Treasury Department and Department of Health and Human Services about how same-sex marriage will be recognized.

30 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Rove says job losses growing under health law; GOP strategists say health overhaul is aiding their path to white house; Mich. Senators who opposed Medicaid expansion gave themselves lifetime medical benefits

Thousands of American higher-education administrators will spend part of Labor Day weekend trying to plumb the meaning of the ideas President Obama dropped on them last week to "reform" the American college and university system.

30 Aug 2013

State highlights: Calif. dems propose alternative prison care plan; N.Y. extends managed care to cut Medicaid costs; Ga. Medicaid rolls at new high

Democratic leaders of the state Senate on Wednesday proposed an extra $200 million annually for rehabilitation, drug and mental health treatment as an alternative to Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for reducing prison crowding (McGreevy, 8/28).

30 Aug 2013

Duke Institute for Health Innovation to be launched on September

On Sept. 8 and 9, Duke University and Duke Medicine will launch the Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) and host an inaugural "Summit on Transformative Innovation in Health Care."

30 Aug 2013

HHS releases first rule about health benefits for same-sex couples; IRS issues guidance on tax filing

In what the department described as its "first guidance" in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, HHS said that all Medicare Advantage enrollees, including same-sex couples, will have equal access to coverage in a nursing home.

30 Aug 2013

After voting to cut payments to dialysis clinics, many lawmakers seek a reversal

On Capitol Hill, some lawmakers are rethinking the Medicare policy for kidney patients because clinics argue they may have to close or cut services. Elsewhere, the president of the American Medical Association is optimistic Congress will change Medicare's payment formula and a Republican senator wants all congressional staff to get coverage in Obamacare's exchanges.

30 Aug 2013

As deficit talks resume, health law funding fight escalates

News outlets report little optimism that talks between a group of Republican senators and the White House will resolve the impasse. Meanwhile, House Republicans are expected to use the battle over raising the debt limit as leverage to block the health law -- either by stripping away its funds, or delaying implementation.

30 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 29, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about ongoing fiscal fights surrounding efforts to raise the nation's debt limit and to defund the health law. Also, the White House enlists former President Bill Clinton to help spread the word about the overhaul.

29 Aug 2013

Study suggests evaluations of ACO programs may need to consider patient utilization of clinical, economic benefits

Payment incentives implemented with a commercial accountable care organization (ACO) initiative in Massachusetts -Blue Cross Blue Shield's Alternative Quality Contract (AQC) - were associated with lower spending for Medicare enrollees served by the provider groups participating in the AQC, findings that suggest that evaluations of ACO programs may need to consider the implications for other patient populations to assess their full clinical and economic benefits, according to a study in the August 28 issue of JAMA.

29 Aug 2013

European Commission approves EYLEA for treatment of visual impairment due to macular edema following CRVO

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that EYLEA® (aflibercept) Injection has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of visual impairment due to Macular Edema Secondary to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO).

29 Aug 2013

Medicare News and Research

First Edition: September 4, 2013

Medicare news: When nursing home benefits run out; reforming doc pay fix more costly than repeal

Viewpoints: Shortages of drugs persist; number of Medicare doctors is growing; Obamacare undermines health savings accounts

N.C. transitional care program shows promise in reducing hospital readmissions

Viewpoints: Tying 'social safeguards' to work may not be best policy; GOP missing an opportunity by not offering alternative to health law; food makers' health claims 'hard to swallow'

State highlights: Texas bans youth from tanning salons; Texas, Fla., have most uninsured; Medicare change threatens rural hospital funding in S.D.

Research roundup: Assessing new hospital observation rule; doctors' view of DNR orders for kids

California releases ads for insurance marketplace; Aetna pulls out of N.Y. exchange

Those in gay marriages set to receive new federal benefits

White House, GOP Senators throw in the towel on budget talks

First Edition: August 30, 2013

Viewpoints: Rove says job losses growing under health law; GOP strategists say health overhaul is aiding their path to white house; Mich. Senators who opposed Medicaid expansion gave themselves lifetime medical benefits

State highlights: Calif. dems propose alternative prison care plan; N.Y. extends managed care to cut Medicaid costs; Ga. Medicaid rolls at new high

Duke Institute for Health Innovation to be launched on September

HHS releases first rule about health benefits for same-sex couples; IRS issues guidance on tax filing

After voting to cut payments to dialysis clinics, many lawmakers seek a reversal

As deficit talks resume, health law funding fight escalates

First Edition: August 29, 2013

Study suggests evaluations of ACO programs may need to consider patient utilization of clinical, economic benefits

European Commission approves EYLEA for treatment of visual impairment due to macular edema following CRVO

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