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CBO finds immigration bill would save Gov't. money

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the measure would save $175 billion dollars, but lawmakers question how this would play out for entitlement programs such as Medicare.

20 Jun 2013

Oral probiotic supplement increases vitamin D levels in blood, says study

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism is the first report of an oral probiotic supplement significantly increasing circulating vitamin D levels in the blood.

20 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 20, 2013

Today's headlines include a variety of reports about the health law's implementation as well as related developments from Capitol Hill.

20 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Urgency has slipped away for 'grand bargain'; The need to scrutinize drug competition; Restore funding to 'Meals on Wheels'

It may seem paradoxical that Congress was willing to tackle a grand bargain when the deficit problem looked big and insoluble - but quickly lost interest as soon as the problem became more manageable. … But the reason isn't really mysterious. A grand bargain would have required both sides to swallow unpalatable compromises. It would have required Democrats to agree to cuts in future spending on Medicare and Social Security. Likewise, it would have required Republicans to accept increases in tax revenue (Doyle McManus, 6/19).

20 Jun 2013

State highlights: Ark. AG asks state Supreme Court to uphold J&J fine; N.Y. abortion measure to get separate vote

Arkansas' attorney general filed a brief Tuesday backed by his counterparts in 35 other states asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to uphold a $1.2 billion fine levied against Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary over the marketing of the antipsychotics drug Risperdal (6/18).

20 Jun 2013

Report: Improper prescription drug use drives up cost of care

Doctors and hospitals could save the U.S. $213 billion annually if they used prescription drugs more wisely, according to IMS health.

20 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 19, 2013

Today's headlines include reports the development of the health law's online marketplaces is falling behind schedule.

19 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Controlling costs; Health law's guarantee of coverage; ACO liability

In the impassioned debates over healthcare, one fact is often lost - Americans pay more but get less for their health care than residents of other high-income countries. I believe we can change that. We can improve the quality of care and reduce our expenses, saving a trillion dollars or more a year, by making our health care system more efficient (William A. Haseltine, 6/17).

19 Jun 2013

PwC: Slowdown in health care costs may be turning into a trend

The accounting and consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers projects lower overall growth in costs for next year.

19 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 18, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new publicity push in support of the health law.

18 Jun 2013

Report examines Medicare spending issues, geographic disparities and hospital payments

The report from the congressional advisory group MedPAC assesses a variety of issues, including penalties that Medicare has recently begun imposing on hospitals and how that affects facilities largely serving poor patients.

18 Jun 2013

Political battles congeal around IRS scandals, implementation questions

The Associated Press reports that the funding sought by the Obama administration for the Internal Revenue Service's health law activities could be in jeopardy as a result of recent scandals. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that GOP lawmakers are developing plans for handling constituents' questions about the health law.

18 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Don't change course on Medicare reforms on medical equipment prices; Liberals' agenda depends on cutting entitlements; Making hospital prices public

Marilyn Tavenner has been administrator of Medicare and Medicaid officially for only about a month, but already she faces a policy challenge from Congress. A majority of the House, 145 Republicans and 82 Democrats, wrote to Ms. Tavenner on Wednesday, asking her to delay implementation of a Medicare cost-reduction initiative, scheduled to take full effect July 1, for six months.

18 Jun 2013

Health law's impact on premiums still a question

Meanwhile, news outlets report on the Obama administration's challenge to educate a largely uninformed public about the law's benefits.

18 Jun 2013

Federal officials give final OK for Florida's Medicaid managed care plan

Approval by the Obama administration was expected after it gave its initial go-ahead just hours before Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced his support for the health law's Medicaid expansion.

18 Jun 2013

MedeAnalytics unveils new Financial Strategy Analytics solution

Today MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, introduced its new Financial Strategy Analytics solution, a powerful tool that enables hospitals and health systems to proactively manage finances, hone strategic planning, and optimize managed care performance metrics in the context of today's rapidly changing healthcare marketplace.

17 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 17, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how states are tackling the implementation of specific provisions of the health law.

17 Jun 2013

Mount Sinai researchers present several new studies at ENDO 2013

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will present several new studies at ENDO 2013, The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting & Expo from June 15-18 in San Francisco.

17 Jun 2013

ACP provides feedback to E&C Committee on legislative language to repeal SGR formula

The American College of Physicians (ACP) today sent a letter to the Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) providing feedback on legislative language that the committee released on May 28, meant to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula used for calculating Medicare payments to physicians and replace it with a fair and stable system.

15 Jun 2013

Immigrants' health care costs are hot topic on Capitol Hill

Other media reports detail Sen. Ron Wyden's proposal to allow accountable care organizations to focus on the sickest, most costly patients; questions from Rep. Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., about the navigator program's funding; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif., angry response to a reporter's question about late-term abortions.

15 Jun 2013