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Vote to defund health law on to-do list for the dwindling time before Congress' August break

The vote, which will mark the House of Representatives' 40th effort to undo all or part of the health law, is scheduled for Friday afternoon. This time around, the effort is causing friction within the Republican caucus. Meanwhile, budget issues are gaining attention in the Senate.

31 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: How much power should the AMA have to set Medicare prices?; GOP's 'disastrous' march to defund health law

S.G.R. More than 99 percent of Americans have no idea what these three letters stand for. And yet they are extremely valuable: worth about $140 billion. This week, a House committee will finally take up the issue. The S.G.R., or the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, was enacted as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to restrain the inevitable increase in Medicare's annual spending on physician services. ... Nice idea in theory. Never worked out in practice (Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Topher Spiro, 7/29).

31 Jul 2013

Obama administration touts slower health care cost increases

According to USA Today, personal health care costs rose at the slowest rate in the last 50 years, based on statistics for the past year ending in May.

31 Jul 2013

AstraZeneca, FibroGen partner to develop, commercialize anemia drug candidate FG-4592

AstraZeneca and FibroGen today announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize FG-4592, a first-in-class oral compound in late stage development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease.

31 Jul 2013

HHS Inspector General raises concerns about Medicare policy on observation care

The report also finds that policies on admitting patients or keeping them under observation -- a distinction that can have dramatic financial impact on the patients -- varies substantially among hospitals.

31 Jul 2013

FibroGen, Astellas initiate Phase 2 study of ASP1517/FG-4592 for treatment of anemia linked with CKD

Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo:4503) (Astellas) and FibroGen, Inc. (FibroGen) announced today the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical study in Japan of ASP1517/FG-4592 for treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients on dialysis.

31 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Rove warns against government shutdown; 'despicable' GOP tactics; Medicare database a tool to control costs

President Obama would love nothing more than Republicans' providing him a bully pulpit and big stick with which he can beat them daily through the 2014 midterm elections. That's what the Republicans would give Mr. Obama if they shut down the government by trying to defund Obamacare in the Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government after October 1. That's because the Continuing Resolution only affects discretionary spending. Virtually all of Obamacare costs are mandatory spending, unaffected by what's in the CR (Karl Rove, 7/26).

30 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 30, 2013

Today's headlines include a USA Today story reporting that personal health care costs rose in the 12 months ending in May at the slowest rate in the last 50 years -- a finding that makes the White House happy.

30 Jul 2013

U.S. bans new home health, ambulance providers in three high-fraud cities from Medicare, Medicaid

Federal officials are temporarily banning certain types of home health and ambulance providers in three major, high-fraud cities from enrolling in Medicare or Medicaid.

30 Jul 2013

Effort to defund health law complicates budget talks

The Wall Street Journal reports that Obama administration officials are stepping up meetings with Senate Republicans in hopes of avoiding a deadline clash over federal spending this fall. One of the flashpoints is the Republican demand to defund Obamacare as part of any deal.

30 Jul 2013

NIH expands CRIC study to identify risk factors for progression of early stage CKD

Researchers from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study are embarking on another five years of work to identify risk factors for progression of early stage chronic kidney disease, better understand the importance of reduced kidney function in older persons, and learn what role CKD may play in other illnesses that require hospitalization. CRIC is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

30 Jul 2013

Mississippi, Nevada Wrestle with the development of their health exchanges

In other state and local health law implementation news, the health law may prove key to Detroit's efforts to manuever its bankruptcy process. Also, opponents in many states focus on limiting what they see as "the long arm of Washington."

30 Jul 2013

Fewer doctors treating Medicare patients, CMS says

Amid payment rates and rules they dislike, more doctors are opting to not treat Medicare patients, say the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In the meantime, health care providers ready different models to change how Medicare pays doctors.

30 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 29, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the White House's strategy for building support for the health law.

29 Jul 2013

Research shows that people are remaining healthier later in life

A new study, conducted by David Cutler, the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, shows that, even as life expectancy has increased over the past two decades, people have become increasingly healthier later in life.

29 Jul 2013

Leapfrog unveils new tool that allows purchasers to calculate money spent on medical errors

During a time of flux for U.S. health care, employers and purchasers are increasingly concerned about how much value they receive for their enormous investment in health care. In a presentation yesterday evening at the World Health Congress Innovative Drivers of Value Based Purchasing Seminar, Leah Binder, president and CEO of the employer-driven nonprofit The Leapfrog Group, unveiled a new tool that allows purchasers to calculate how much they spend annually on unnecessary costs due to medical errors that occur within general acute care hospitals.

26 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Reporters Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating have opened Post readers' eyes to the fact that Medicare pays for physician services - a $69.6 billion item in 2012 - according to an arcane and little-known price list, over which doctors themselves exercise considerable and less-than-totally-transparent influence (7/24).

26 Jul 2013

Some warn of 'overwhelming' mental illness care cost without new research investment

Scientists warn health systems could face "overwhelming" costs of treating mental illness if no new money is invested in research.

26 Jul 2013

IOM urges Congress not to shift Medicare payments to pay more in areas with low costs

A panel of experts says the government should by wary of suggestions that cutting payments to high cost areas and rewarding low-cost areas would help improve care and reduce Medicare costs.

26 Jul 2013

Two GOP Senators push to choke off IRS health law implementation funds

Also in the news, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is positioning himself to be the lead sponsor of legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Meanwhile, the nursing home industry is stepping up its lobbying efforts to protect its Medicare funding.

26 Jul 2013

Medicare News and Research

Vote to defund health law on to-do list for the dwindling time before Congress' August break

Viewpoints: How much power should the AMA have to set Medicare prices?; GOP's 'disastrous' march to defund health law

Obama administration touts slower health care cost increases

AstraZeneca, FibroGen partner to develop, commercialize anemia drug candidate FG-4592

HHS Inspector General raises concerns about Medicare policy on observation care

FibroGen, Astellas initiate Phase 2 study of ASP1517/FG-4592 for treatment of anemia linked with CKD

Viewpoints: Rove warns against government shutdown; 'despicable' GOP tactics; Medicare database a tool to control costs

First Edition: July 30, 2013

U.S. bans new home health, ambulance providers in three high-fraud cities from Medicare, Medicaid

Effort to defund health law complicates budget talks

NIH expands CRIC study to identify risk factors for progression of early stage CKD

Mississippi, Nevada Wrestle with the development of their health exchanges

Fewer doctors treating Medicare patients, CMS says

First Edition: July 29, 2013

Research shows that people are remaining healthier later in life

Leapfrog unveils new tool that allows purchasers to calculate money spent on medical errors

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Some warn of 'overwhelming' mental illness care cost without new research investment

IOM urges Congress not to shift Medicare payments to pay more in areas with low costs

Two GOP Senators push to choke off IRS health law implementation funds

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