Medicare News and Research

RSS

Health law computer database 'hub' links 7 agencies, spurs privacy concerns

A computer system designed to determine which Americans get what subsidies to help them buy health coverage will be hugely important to the success or failure of Obamacare, Bloomberg reports. And new federal data show doctors have filed more than 190 million prescriptions electronically.

18 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Running out of money in old age; GOP favors the Pentagon over Americans' health care; Texas Senator's support on abortion stand doesn't reflect American attitudes

Nearly half of all Americans will outlive their assets, dying with practically no money at all. Even more worrisome, that's true even among households that met the traditional standards for secure retirement income. ... The results can be measured in more than merely dollars and cents. [MIT Economist James] Poterba's paper found that this group is "disproportionately in poor health," in part because they have no resources to cover medical expenses outside Medicare. Most shocking, many of these households were considered to have entered retirement in good financial shape; they didn't count on outliving their plans (Michael Hiltzik, 7/16).

18 Jul 2013

State highlights: Poll says N.C. abortion bill hurting Governor support

A selection of health policy stories from North Carolina, California and Virginia.

18 Jul 2013

Hospital information on percutaneous coronary intervention now available to consumers

Information from the American College of Cardiology national database of hospital records on stenting and angioplasty, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI, is now available to consumers.

18 Jul 2013

Pioneer ACO results include improved quality, lowered Medicare costs

Even with these marks, nine of the health systems -- nearly a third of those participating in the program -- have decided to leave after the first year.

18 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 17, 2013

Today's headlines include a report about how the delay of the health law's employer mandate might undermine enforcement of the measure's individual mandate as well as news that the House will consider a bill that would put off both of these provisions.

17 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Does your doctor favor more expensive drugs?; Texas Sen. Wendy Davis says abortion law threatens 'health and safety' of women

Your doctor hands you a prescription for a blood pressure drug. But is it the right one for you? You're searching for a new primary-care physician or a specialist. Is there a way you can know whether the doctor is more partial to expensive, brand-name drugs than his peers? (Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, 7/16).

17 Jul 2013

State highlights: Minn. health plans stockpile nearly $2B in cash; Calif. law to offer health care to immigrants in U.S. illegally

After four straight years of profitable growth, Minnesota's health plans have stockpiled a substantial surplus of cash reserves. The health insurance companies, which get nearly three-quarters of their business from state and federal programs, now have more than $1.9 billion in reserves -- $1.3 billion more than required by state law, according to a review by Twin Cities health care analyst Allan Baumgarten (Crosby, 7/15).

17 Jul 2013

Pilot program finds improving quality easier than lowering health care costs

Lowering health-care costs is tougher than improving the quality of care, according to first-year results from a key pilot program under the federal health law.

17 Jul 2013

Self-referred biopsies cost taxpayers millions, GAO reports

Physicians who prepare and examine tissue samples within their own practices, or who use services in which they have a financial interest, report higher use of these services, which could be driving up costs to Medicare, according to the Government Accountability Office.

17 Jul 2013

Cigna, Hunterdon Healthcare Partners launch collaborative accountable care initiative

Cigna and Hunterdon Healthcare Partners, LLC, a physician hospital organization (PHO) affiliated with Hunterdon Healthcare, have launched a collaborative accountable care initiative to improve patient access to health care, enhance care coordination, and achieve the "triple aim" of improved health, affordability and patient experience.

16 Jul 2013

Three health systems form new initiative to improve healthcare services

Abington Health, Aria Health and Einstein Healthcare Network announced today the development of a new initiative that will enable the three health systems to work collaboratively while remaining independent as they prepare for the demands of national health reform.

16 Jul 2013

House subcommittee schedules markup of 'doc fix' bill

The panel on July 22 will consider a measure repealing the current Medicare physician payment formula. Also in the news, some fact-checking on House GOP efforts to repeal the health law.

16 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 16, 2013

Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews reports: "Since smokers' health-care costs tend to be higher than those of nonsmokers, is it reasonable for smokers to pay higher premiums when they buy insurance through the new state marketplaces that are scheduled to open in October? A handful of states and the District say the answer is no" (Andrews, 7/16).

16 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Disability insurance 'time bomb;' Leavitt on the lessons of Medicare Part D's rollout; Boys and eating disorders

Social Security for retirement and Medicare are the best known of the major entitlement programs with looming financial disasters. While some argue about when they will run out of money, their projected 75-year unfunded liabilities grow larger every year and now total $40 trillion, much worse thereafter. But the ticking time bomb of entitlement reform is Social Security's Disability Insurance Fund (Michael J. Boskin, 7/14).

16 Jul 2013

Roundup: Ore. seniors get special medical deduction, but less generous than hoped; Six fired at Calif. hospital after patient data breaches

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and Democrats wanted to do away with it. Oregonian columnist Susan Nielsen opined against it. Even AARP was OK with its demise. But when the smoke cleared this week, the Oregon Legislature merely curtailed it. Beginning this tax year, only seniors age 62 or older can deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses, not their entire households (Hunsberger, 7/12).

16 Jul 2013

Actavis’ Lamictal ODT drug receives FDA approval for treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder

Actavis, Inc. (NYSE: ACT) today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Lamotrigine Orally Disintegrating Tablets, 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg, a generic equivalent to GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal® ODT.

16 Jul 2013

ACO pioneers face decision deadline

Modern Healthcare reports that Medicare Pioneers have until July 15 to let the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services know if they plan to stay in the program for a second year. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Mirror offers a picture of how accountable care organizations work.

16 Jul 2013

Health exchange countdown: Insurers, regulators test drive new plans, TV ads

News outlets report on how the health law's online health insurance marketplaces will work, the products that will be available through them and the efforts to enroll millions of uninsured or underinsured people.

16 Jul 2013

Insurance status affects spinal surgery outcomes

Among patients undergoing spinal surgery, Medicaid beneficiaries are at higher risk of experiencing any type of complication, compared to privately insured patients, reports a study in the July 15 issue of of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Jul 2013

Medicare News and Research

Health law computer database 'hub' links 7 agencies, spurs privacy concerns

Viewpoints: Running out of money in old age; GOP favors the Pentagon over Americans' health care; Texas Senator's support on abortion stand doesn't reflect American attitudes

State highlights: Poll says N.C. abortion bill hurting Governor support

Hospital information on percutaneous coronary intervention now available to consumers

Pioneer ACO results include improved quality, lowered Medicare costs

First Edition: July 17, 2013

Viewpoints: Does your doctor favor more expensive drugs?; Texas Sen. Wendy Davis says abortion law threatens 'health and safety' of women

State highlights: Minn. health plans stockpile nearly $2B in cash; Calif. law to offer health care to immigrants in U.S. illegally

Pilot program finds improving quality easier than lowering health care costs

Self-referred biopsies cost taxpayers millions, GAO reports

Cigna, Hunterdon Healthcare Partners launch collaborative accountable care initiative

Three health systems form new initiative to improve healthcare services

House subcommittee schedules markup of 'doc fix' bill

First Edition: July 16, 2013

Viewpoints: Disability insurance 'time bomb;' Leavitt on the lessons of Medicare Part D's rollout; Boys and eating disorders

Roundup: Ore. seniors get special medical deduction, but less generous than hoped; Six fired at Calif. hospital after patient data breaches

Actavis’ Lamictal ODT drug receives FDA approval for treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder

ACO pioneers face decision deadline

Health exchange countdown: Insurers, regulators test drive new plans, TV ads

Insurance status affects spinal surgery outcomes

Industry Focus eBook - Life Science Microscopy (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

Latest News