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Capsules: CMS community initiatives could reduce health costs; Report: States making it easier to apply for Medicaid

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Phil Galewitz reports on a study finding that states are making it easier to apply for Medicaid: "Despite the reluctance of some Republican governors to expand Medicaid next year under the 2010 health law, most governors are making it easier for people to apply for coverage in the state-federal program for the poor".

23 Jan 2013

Obama's vision includes safety net programs

Drawing on language from his re-election campaign, President Barack Obama used his inaugural address to set out a promise to preserve programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

23 Jan 2013

Amgen drug gets boost in fiscal cliff legislation

Just two weeks after pleading guilty in a major federal fraud case, Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology firm, scored a largely unnoticed coup on Capitol Hill: Lawmakers inserted a paragraph into the "fiscal cliff" bill that did not mention the company by name but strongly favored one of its drugs.

23 Jan 2013

AANS, CNS join other medical societies in endorsing Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) joined 24 other medical societies in endorsing the "Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act." Sponsored by Reps. Phil Roe, MD (R-TN) and Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), this bipartisan legislation would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), thereby protecting seniors from Medicare cuts that could threaten their access to care.

23 Jan 2013

Obama: 'Medicare and Medicaid ... strengthen us' (video)

This Kaiser Health News video clip features excepts from President Barack Obama's second inaugural adress in which he discussed the need to reduce health costs, but also defended the importance of Medicare and Medicaid.

23 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: 'A president set to fight' and a speech that argues for 'a collective turn'

On Monday, there was a clear sense that a pent-up Obama agenda had begun to tumble out - along with a clear willingness to engage in more and new partisan battles with Republicans in pursuit of it.

23 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: A 'fail safe' and a 'time bomb' in health law; Reason for 'optimism' about health costs?

Although Republicans are eager to repeal the entire 2010 healthcare reform law, they started the new session of Congress last week by taking aim at one provision in particular: the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a yet-to-be-named group of 15 presidential appointees from various healthcare disciplines that could play a key role in limiting the growth of Medicare spending. Critics argue that it's a bad idea and even un-American to put so much power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats.

23 Jan 2013

UCLA to participate as a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the UCLA Health System has been selected to participate in the federal government's Medicare Shared Savings Program as an accountable care organization.

21 Jan 2013

GOP House members back plan to raise debt ceiling but still expect entitlement cuts

House Republican leaders abruptly announced they would vote next week to temporarily extend the nation's debt limit, sharply reducing the threat that the government might default on its obligations, but leaving the party still divided as it casts about for the best way to pressure President Obama for more budget cuts.

21 Jan 2013

Paying medical expenses, raising hopes, triggering fears ...

USA Today and Marketplace report on ways in which the cost of health care, especially regarding a serious illness, causes patient anxieties, challenges for the health system and new approaches within the marketplace.

21 Jan 2013

Federal gov't. awards health exchange grants to some states

The federal health department announced $1.5 billion in new grants Thursday for states to continue building their insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont received funding - either one-or multi-year awards based on their progress in creating the marketplaces.

20 Jan 2013

Debt ceiling, March spending cuts present policy and political choices

As the White House and congressional Republicans wrestle with strategies to deal with these upcoming budget issues, Medicare and Medicaid will be important factors.

19 Jan 2013

UnitedHealth indicates limited participation in state-based exchanges

CEO Stephen Hemsley said Thursday that the insurer expects to participate in 10 to 25 of these marketplaces and noted that there should be no assumptions that the company will participate widely. His announcement comes along with news that the company's 4th quarter profits were down slightly, which was mainly attributed to rising medical costs.

19 Jan 2013

Invacare sells ISG medical supplies business to AssuraMed

Invacare Corporation announced today that it has completed the sale of its Invacare Supply Group (ISG) medical supplies business to AssuraMed of Twinsburg, Ohio, a leader in wholesale and home-delivered medical supplies across the United States, for a purchase price of approximately $150.8 million in cash, which is subject to final post-closing adjustments.

19 Jan 2013

Greenway earns ONC HIT certificate for PrimeSUITE 2014

Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc., announced today that Greenway PrimeSUITE 2014 (17.0) is compliant with the ONC 2014 Edition criteria and was certified as an EHR Module on Jan. 15, 2013 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), an ONC-ACB, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

19 Jan 2013

Rite Aid obtains more than 400,000 additional seasonal flu shots

In response to the nationwide flu epidemic and customer demand, Rite Aid Corporation announced today it has obtained more than 400,000 additional seasonal flu shots, which began arriving in stores earlier this week.

19 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Krugman cautions against locking in benefit cuts that may not be necessary; Lift the freeze on CDC's gun research

Well, its probable (although not certain) that, within two or three decades, the Social Security trust fund will be exhausted, leaving the system unable to pay the full benefits specified by current law. So the plan is to avoid cuts in future benefits by committing right now to ... cuts in future benefits. Huh? O.K., you can argue that the adjustment to an aging population would be smoother if we commit to a glide path of benefit cuts now. On the other hand, by moving too soon we might lock in benefit cuts that turn out not to have been necessary.

19 Jan 2013

Business Roundtable offers Medicare plan to increase eligibility age to 70

The Associated Press reports that, under this plan, "people 55 and older would be protected from cuts but younger workers would face significant changes." Meanwhile, CNN Money takes a look at the cost of such a move.\

18 Jan 2013

$ADT increases risk of fracture incidence after treatment completion in men with prostate cancer$

ADT increases risk of fracture incidence after treatment completion in men with prostate cancer

In what is believed to be the first study to describe the impact on men with a 'high' risk of bone fracture who are receiving long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer, new research from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey shows this population to have a higher fracture incidence following treatment completion.

18 Jan 2013

Researchers: Operating room checklists, good work environments for nurses help reduce errors, readmissions

Having step-by-step checklists on hand may help doctors and nurses manage emergencies in the operating room, a new study suggests. In situations when a person's heart stops beating on the operating table or a patient begins bleeding uncontrollably, those lists can save time and brainpower, researchers said.

18 Jan 2013

Medicare News and Research

Capsules: CMS community initiatives could reduce health costs; Report: States making it easier to apply for Medicaid

Obama's vision includes safety net programs

Amgen drug gets boost in fiscal cliff legislation

AANS, CNS join other medical societies in endorsing Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act

Obama: 'Medicare and Medicaid ... strengthen us' (video)

Viewpoints: 'A president set to fight' and a speech that argues for 'a collective turn'

Viewpoints: A 'fail safe' and a 'time bomb' in health law; Reason for 'optimism' about health costs?

UCLA to participate as a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO

GOP House members back plan to raise debt ceiling but still expect entitlement cuts

Paying medical expenses, raising hopes, triggering fears ...

Federal gov't. awards health exchange grants to some states

Debt ceiling, March spending cuts present policy and political choices

UnitedHealth indicates limited participation in state-based exchanges

Invacare sells ISG medical supplies business to AssuraMed

Greenway earns ONC HIT certificate for PrimeSUITE 2014

Rite Aid obtains more than 400,000 additional seasonal flu shots

Viewpoints: Krugman cautions against locking in benefit cuts that may not be necessary; Lift the freeze on CDC's gun research

Business Roundtable offers Medicare plan to increase eligibility age to 70

ADT increases risk of fracture incidence after treatment completion in men with prostate cancer

Researchers: Operating room checklists, good work environments for nurses help reduce errors, readmissions

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