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GOP vows to stick to principles, including Medicare and Medicaid

News outlets covered the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee, where party members said they needed to adjust their tone, but not their conservative positions, including on entitlements.

28 Jan 2013

Lawmakers target fiscal cliff's provision aiding Amgen for elimination

The fiscal cliff legislation approved earlier this month excluded Amgen's Sensipar, which is used by kidney dialysis patients, from Medicare price controls for an additional two years.

28 Jan 2013

Medicare foots $120 million bill for patient groups not eligible for the program

According to two government reports, the Medicare program was billed for more than $33 million in inmate care and more than $91 million for illegal immigrant care between 2009 and 2011. Medicare generally does not pay for services for either of these patient groups.

28 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Medicare obligation is heavy future obligation; Mental health's 'elephant in the room'

A growing body of empirical evidence points to increasing dependency on state largess. The evidence documents as well a number of perverse and disturbing changes that this entitlement state is imposing on society. ... Social Security and Medicare have already made tens of trillions of dollars in future promises that are not covered by their expected funding streams. If and when outside resources are required to honor their promises, these entitlements become transfer programs, not insurance programs.

28 Jan 2013

First Edition: January 25, 2013

Today's headlines include various state-level reports about how budget issues are impacting health policy decisions.

28 Jan 2013

Research roundup: Does higher Rx drug spending lower Medicare costs?; Price transparency doesn't affect radiological decisions

Researchers aimed to find a relationship between geographic variation in Medicare Part D spending and medication-taking behavior among patients with diabetes or heart failure.

28 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: GOP's hope to end deficits in 10 years will mean 'dramatic cuts' in entitlements; Mass. health overhaul brings need for more taxes

Ryan has a daunting new assignment that may make that message even more difficult to sell. He's been charged by House Speaker John A. Boehner with drawing up a new budget that will erase the federal deficit within 10 years (the first Ryan budget, written in 2011, needed 30 years) solely through spending cuts

25 Jan 2013

SGR fix on House Subcommittee's to-do list

The GOP leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee are "determined" to solve the "Sustainable Growth Rate problem" this year. Meanwhile, House Democrats are reviving a bill to prevent some workers from avoiding Medicare taxes.

25 Jan 2013

Roundup: Lessons from Mass. health reform; Berwick moves closer to gov. bid; Jindal reverses Medicaid hospice cut

When Massachusetts adopted its landmark health care law in 2006, the goals were ambitious and the potential solutions complex. ... What are they getting in return?

25 Jan 2013

House GOP seeks steep spending cuts, but postpones moment of reckoning

In the next budget battle chapter, House Republicans plan to demand spending cuts that would balance the budget in 10 years and require significant changes to Medicare and other safety-net programs.

25 Jan 2013

Employer-insurer coalition asks HHS to pare essential benefits

Employers, insurers and health providers worry that requiring expansive coverage in the policies sold in health insurance markets could make insurance unaffordable.

25 Jan 2013

State roundup: Legislatures tackle health budget gaps, worker pay

With the national economy picking up and the housing market improving, states are poised in 2013 to finally rebound from the recession's lingering revenue crunch. But continued budget delays in Washington may dampen that prospect.

24 Jan 2013

Supreme Court dashes hospitals' hopes for recovering underpayments

The court's unanimous ruling rejected the arguments advanced by 18 hospitals that sought to reopen a set of Medicare claims that were more than 25 years old.

24 Jan 2013

GOP debt limit plan sets up future battle lines on entitlement spending

House Republican leaders believe their leverage in forcing budget cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other programs will be greater in the next battles.

24 Jan 2013

Sen. Harkin prepares sweeping public health legislation to combat obesity

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Tom Harkin is -- for the sixth time -- introducing legislation to combat obesity in children and adults across America using a host of new programs.

24 Jan 2013

Obama's inaugural speech triggers reaction, analysis regarding his Medicare view

President Barack Obama's inaugural address laid out very specific choices regarding the future of Medicare and other entitlement programs. Some Republicans, such as House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., took a dim view of Obama's take on these issues.

24 Jan 2013

Medicare initiative for enhanced community care helps lower readmission, study finds

The pilot project in 14 communities looked at a variety of strategies, including patient coaches, medication-management and better hospital discharge plans.

24 Jan 2013

Studies in JAMA examine hospital readmissions and effects of new Medicare penalties

Research shows that poor coordination among providers can lead to patients returning to the hospital. In addition, the new payment procedures are likely to affect academic medical centers and safety net hospitals.

24 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: A 'gift' to Amgen; Obama omits talk of grand bargain; Defending physician pay

For a disheartening example of how intense lobbying and financial contributions can distort the legislative process in Washington, consider what happened to the "fiscal cliff" bill approved three weeks ago by Congress.

23 Jan 2013

Actavis seeks FDA approval to market generic Opana ER

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that Actavis South Atlantic LLC, which was acquired by Watson in October, has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Oxymorphone Hydrochloride Extended-release Tablets.

23 Jan 2013

Medicare News and Research

GOP vows to stick to principles, including Medicare and Medicaid

Lawmakers target fiscal cliff's provision aiding Amgen for elimination

Medicare foots $120 million bill for patient groups not eligible for the program

Viewpoints: Medicare obligation is heavy future obligation; Mental health's 'elephant in the room'

First Edition: January 25, 2013

Research roundup: Does higher Rx drug spending lower Medicare costs?; Price transparency doesn't affect radiological decisions

Viewpoints: GOP's hope to end deficits in 10 years will mean 'dramatic cuts' in entitlements; Mass. health overhaul brings need for more taxes

SGR fix on House Subcommittee's to-do list

Roundup: Lessons from Mass. health reform; Berwick moves closer to gov. bid; Jindal reverses Medicaid hospice cut

House GOP seeks steep spending cuts, but postpones moment of reckoning

Employer-insurer coalition asks HHS to pare essential benefits

State roundup: Legislatures tackle health budget gaps, worker pay

Supreme Court dashes hospitals' hopes for recovering underpayments

GOP debt limit plan sets up future battle lines on entitlement spending

Sen. Harkin prepares sweeping public health legislation to combat obesity

Obama's inaugural speech triggers reaction, analysis regarding his Medicare view

Medicare initiative for enhanced community care helps lower readmission, study finds

Studies in JAMA examine hospital readmissions and effects of new Medicare penalties

Viewpoints: A 'gift' to Amgen; Obama omits talk of grand bargain; Defending physician pay

Actavis seeks FDA approval to market generic Opana ER

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