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Passage likely for government-wide spending bill

Even as the bipartisan measure, which would fund the federal government through the current fiscal year, progresses through Congress, the larger deficit debate continues as the parties move forward with starkly different fiscal blueprints.

20 Mar 2013

Spending on prescription drugs dropped slightly in 2012

The decrease was miniscule, but it was the first time since 1957 that the research firm IMS Health had recorded a dip in United States drug expenditures, reports The New York Times. In related news, more effective use of medications could lead to Medicare savings, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

20 Mar 2013

Weill Cornell Medical College researchers call for clearer definition of population health

Accountable Care Organizations, a key feature of the Affordable Care Act, aim to control health care costs, enhance quality in health care and improve population health. But what does "improving population health" really mean? This is the question asked in a new viewpoint article by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers published in the March 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

20 Mar 2013

New report shows Alzheimer's deaths continue to rise in US

According to the Alzheimer's Association 2013 Alzheimer's Disease Facts & Figures report released today, one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia in the United States.

19 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 19, 2013

Today's headlines include coverage of a new report about the troubling reach of Alzheimer's disease.

19 Mar 2013

Some lawmakers signal openness to grand deal on deficit

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., suggested during the Sunday talk shows that a deal that includes tax revenue and changes to entitlement programs including Medicare is possible while Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., conveyed openness to Medicare changes. Durbin's comments included shots at the House budget plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

19 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Two views of Medicare equipment bidding changes; High Court case may impact FDA approval process

In 2010, Medicare spent more than $14 billion on oxygen devices, mobility scooters, diabetes test strips and other "durable medical equipment" and supplies that patients use at home.

19 Mar 2013

Patients treated for pneumonia likely to develop new cognitive impairments, research shows

The long-term consequences of pneumonia can be more detrimental to a person's health than having a heart attack, according to joint research from the University of Michigan Health System and University of Washington School of Medicine.

19 Mar 2013

Congress' looming deadlines: Budget votes and averting government shutdown

On the Sunday talk shows, members of Congress sparred over the upcoming budget votes and the ongoing dispute over the cost of 'Obamacare' and entitlement programs such as Medicare. More urgently, if Congress fails to pass an extension to keep the government funded by March 27, agencies and programs face a broad shutdown.

18 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: 'Namby-pamby' Democratic budget offer; Murray argues her plan is responsible; Officials can force hospitals to fix pricing for uninsured

In the absence of an emergency, Washington can and should bring its budget into balance, even though that requires doing what politicians despise: for Republicans, raising taxes; for Democrats, curbing the rapid growth in benefit programs such as Medicare and Social Security that already make up three-fifths of federal spending.

16 Mar 2013

Research roundup: Nurse education and post-surgery mortality; The influence of publicly reported quality-of-care measures

Each week, KHN reporter Alvin Tran compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

16 Mar 2013

Obama lunches with Senate GOP, focuses on entitlement programs

A key message from Republican lawmakers was that President Barack Obama should tone down his rhetoric on changes to Medicare.

16 Mar 2013

Medical schools are expanding but doctors say federal budget cuts are holding down number of residencies

As educators seek to help fill the large number of physicians needed under the health overhaul, they point out that the number of training programs paid for by the federal government needs to rise too.

16 Mar 2013

New medical records software provides more personalized health care for older adult patients

Innovative medical records software developed by geriatricians and informaticians from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research will provide more personalized health care for older adult patients, a population at significant risk for mental health decline and disorders.

16 Mar 2013

Analyzing the budgets: How the House GOP and Senate Dems treated Medicare

The Senate Democratic budget contained more than double the cuts to Medicare and, like the Republican blueprint, it also assumed the repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula.

16 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 15, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about President Barack Obama's third day of Capitol Hill visits in pursuit of progress on the budget.

15 Mar 2013

Article explores benefits of innovative programs for personalized health care

Two innovative programs designed to improve the availability of emerging medical technologies that can help patients receive more effective, efficient and personalized health care are advanced in a commentary written by a team of scientists and policy experts, including seven from Arizona State University, and published today in Science Translational Medicine.

15 Mar 2013

Obama visits House Republicans, points out willingness to make some changes to Medicare

Lawmakers who attended the closed-door meeting said he focused on changes in how cost-of-living increases are calculated, but press reports indicate that partisan differences remain deep.

15 Mar 2013

Experts offer views on controlling health care costs

At two different forums, health care policy experts talk about changes in policy that might slow health spending.

15 Mar 2013

Debate on budget options: Ryan offer is 'cruel'; Obama unwilling to take risks necessary for grand bargain

It's a cruel budget. To finance his largess to the very well-off, Ryan would - through steep Medicaid cuts and the repeal of Obamacare - leave an additional 40 million to 50 million poor or moderate-income Americans without health insurance, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (E.J. Dionne Jr., 3/13).

15 Mar 2013

Medicare News and Research

Passage likely for government-wide spending bill

Spending on prescription drugs dropped slightly in 2012

Weill Cornell Medical College researchers call for clearer definition of population health

New report shows Alzheimer's deaths continue to rise in US

First Edition: March 19, 2013

Some lawmakers signal openness to grand deal on deficit

Viewpoints: Two views of Medicare equipment bidding changes; High Court case may impact FDA approval process

Patients treated for pneumonia likely to develop new cognitive impairments, research shows

Congress' looming deadlines: Budget votes and averting government shutdown

Viewpoints: 'Namby-pamby' Democratic budget offer; Murray argues her plan is responsible; Officials can force hospitals to fix pricing for uninsured

Research roundup: Nurse education and post-surgery mortality; The influence of publicly reported quality-of-care measures

Obama lunches with Senate GOP, focuses on entitlement programs

Medical schools are expanding but doctors say federal budget cuts are holding down number of residencies

New medical records software provides more personalized health care for older adult patients

Analyzing the budgets: How the House GOP and Senate Dems treated Medicare

First Edition: March 15, 2013

Article explores benefits of innovative programs for personalized health care

Obama visits House Republicans, points out willingness to make some changes to Medicare

Experts offer views on controlling health care costs

Debate on budget options: Ryan offer is 'cruel'; Obama unwilling to take risks necessary for grand bargain

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