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State health law implementation efforts trigger confusion -- and even arguments

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that businesses continue to find some provisions of the law "bewildering" while the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel offers a view on the size and scope of issues in play in Wisconsin.

12 Mar 2013

Dueling budget blueprints to be unveiled this week, will show partisan differences on size of government, Medicare and Medicaid

At the same time, President Barack Obama appears to be harboring hopes of reaching a big deficit-reduction deal that could include some of the money-saving changes that Republicans favor. The idea worries some congressional Democrats.

12 Mar 2013

Virtual house calls provide clinical benefits for patients with Parkinson's

A small study of 20 people with Parkinson's disease suggests that "virtual house calls" using Web-based video conferencing provide clinical benefits comparable to in-person physician office visits, while saving patients and their caregivers time and travel.

12 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: 5 lies about entitlements; Obama's plans for Medicare still not clear; Generic drug makers need to be accountable

So here's a list with a bit more gravitas: The five biggest lies you're being told about entitlement programs. Never mind that the very word "entitlement" is a lie. Social Security and Medicare got that name because workers became "entitled" to those benefits by paying into the system. In recent years, however, the term has become distorted to signify benefits people are entitled to without earning them. Leaving that whopper aside, here are the top five.

12 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 11, 2013

Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about insurance options for people with pre-existing conditions.

11 Mar 2013

New tool uses evidence-based care to improve quality of care for heart failure patients

Researchers at the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center have developed an innovative tool designed to eliminate 30-day hospital readmissions for heart failure patients and improve the quality of medical care a patient receives in the hospital.

11 Mar 2013

Obama continues efforts to woo Republicans

In what one news outlet described as a "charm offensive," President Barack Obama is seeking common ground with rank-and-file Republicans for a deficit reduction deal that would overhaul the tax code and slow the growth of Medicare and other entitlement programs.

11 Mar 2013

Rep. Ryan says budget plan will assume repeal of health law

In an interview on Fox, the House Budget chairman doesn't make clear if the plan he will announce this week will call for a total repeal of the 2010 law but he says Republicans are still keen to get rid of the health overhaul.

11 Mar 2013

Research roundup: Insurance coverage and access to care in Massachusetts

With increasing interest in public health problems such as obesity and alcohol and tobacco use, lawmakers are increasingly considering using policy to modify behavior. According to the authors, little is currently known about the public's willingness to accept such policies.

11 Mar 2013

Survey: Large employers pushing health providers for more price transparency

The survey, conducted by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health, also found that most large companies plan to keep continue offering employees an insurance benefit in the next five years.

11 Mar 2013

Sebelius credits health law with slowing medical cost growth; Survey shows few insurers now cover services required in 2014

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Thursday credited President Obama's health care law with a recent slowdown in medical spending. The Congressional Budget Office has projected a significant slowing in the growth of Medicare spending and healthcare costs more generally.

11 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Congress should make CMS leader nonpartisan position; 'Extreme' attack on abortion in Arkansas; Daschle on new health workforce

Mr. Obama has nominated the acting CMS administrator, Marilyn Tavenner, to head the agency permanently. ... The Senate should move expeditiously to confirm Ms. Tavenner. More broadly, Congress should consider whether short-term political appointment remains the best way to fill this trillion-dollar post. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation serves a 10-year term.

11 Mar 2013

Computerized discharge tool with decision support features facilitates improved heart care

The use of electronic discharge orders aimed at providing evidence-based decision support and clear instructions to heart failure patients helped increase compliance with quality care measures and lowered hospital readmission rates, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013

Health insurers launch TV campaign opposing Medicare Advantage cuts

The ads, including a 30-second TV spot that will run in a dozen states and Washington, D.C., are designed to increase pressure on Congress and the Obama administration to stop proposed 2.3 percent cuts to these private plans. In addition, some analysts predict earnings drops for some insurers if the cuts go forward.

8 Mar 2013

Recession not to blame for cost increases at not-for-profit hospitals, study says

Most not-for-profit hospitals did not offset investment losses from the Great Recession by raising prices, according to a new study.

8 Mar 2013

House Republicans, Senate Democrats to release competing budget plans next week

As President Barack Obama courts Republican lawmakers who might be interested in a "grand bargain," the chairmen of the House and Senate Budget Committees are expected to release competing budget proposals. Some hope a conference committee might be able to work out the differences on taxes and spending, including changes to Medicare.

8 Mar 2013

Link between outdoor heat and hospitalization for respiratory disease in the elderly

Outdoor heat is associated with a significantly increased risk of emergency hospitalization for respiratory disorders in the elderly, according to a large epidemiological study of more than 12.5 million Medicare beneficiaries.

8 Mar 2013

African-American women with breast cancer more likely to develop heart failure

African-American women who survive breast cancer are more likely to develop heart failure than other women who have beaten the disease, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Deciding if it's 'time to let mom die,' a cancer hospital's controversial admission procedures

My father, sister and I sat in the near-empty Chinese restaurant, picking at our plates, unable to avoid the question that we'd gathered to discuss: When was it time to let Mom die? ... My father and sister looked to me for my thoughts. In our family, after all, I'm the go-to guy for all things medical. I've been a health care reporter for 15 years: at the Dallas Morning News, the Los Angeles Times and now ProPublica.

7 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Ryan's efforts on Medicare leave Republicans 'howling;' Retirement may be too expensive for seniors

Paul Ryan is one of the few considering the long-term trajectory of federal spending who is also preparing a solution without artificial fiscal cliffs. Perhaps surprisingly, his ideas for structural budget and entitlement reform have some Republicans howling even before Democrats get an opportunity to speak up.

7 Mar 2013

Medicare News and Research

State health law implementation efforts trigger confusion -- and even arguments

Dueling budget blueprints to be unveiled this week, will show partisan differences on size of government, Medicare and Medicaid

Virtual house calls provide clinical benefits for patients with Parkinson's

Viewpoints: 5 lies about entitlements; Obama's plans for Medicare still not clear; Generic drug makers need to be accountable

First Edition: March 11, 2013

New tool uses evidence-based care to improve quality of care for heart failure patients

Obama continues efforts to woo Republicans

Rep. Ryan says budget plan will assume repeal of health law

Research roundup: Insurance coverage and access to care in Massachusetts

Survey: Large employers pushing health providers for more price transparency

Sebelius credits health law with slowing medical cost growth; Survey shows few insurers now cover services required in 2014

Viewpoints: Congress should make CMS leader nonpartisan position; 'Extreme' attack on abortion in Arkansas; Daschle on new health workforce

Computerized discharge tool with decision support features facilitates improved heart care

Health insurers launch TV campaign opposing Medicare Advantage cuts

Recession not to blame for cost increases at not-for-profit hospitals, study says

House Republicans, Senate Democrats to release competing budget plans next week

Link between outdoor heat and hospitalization for respiratory disease in the elderly

African-American women with breast cancer more likely to develop heart failure

Weekend reading: Deciding if it's 'time to let mom die,' a cancer hospital's controversial admission procedures

Viewpoints: Ryan's efforts on Medicare leave Republicans 'howling;' Retirement may be too expensive for seniors

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