Medicare News and Research

RSS

'Doc fix' unlikely without fiscal deal

Lawmakers have assumed that whatever deal is negotiated by President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner would include a patch to avoid the 26.5% cut to physicians who treat Medicare patients, which takes effect next month. Without a deal, however, providers face a double whammy, since they would also see 2 percent pay cuts under sequestration.

21 Dec 2012

Boehner fails to rally GOP, pulls his tax plan back

House speaker was under pressure from conservatives who wanted bigger cuts in entitlement spending.

21 Dec 2012

Research Roundup: Health law's under-26 coverage 'significantly increased' access to care; Thousands of surgical 'never events' occur each year

The health law allows young adults to remain under their parents' health insurance plans until age 26, raising questions about the law's overall impact on access to care. Researchers used data from two nationally representative surveys to compare young adults who've gained access to dependent coverage to a control group of individuals (ages 26-34) unaffected by the new policy.

21 Dec 2012

First Edition: December 21, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the House Republicans' failure to pass Speaker John Boehner's tax and federal debt plan.

21 Dec 2012

As clock runs down, 'fiscal cliff' negotiations stall

Speaker John Boehner pledged to bring his alternative option to a House vote as early as today. Meanwhile, the issue of savings in the Medicare program continue to be examined.

21 Dec 2012

House passes bio-threat vaccines, Medicare coverage bills

The House passed several health measures Wednesday including bills on developing vaccines to thwart bio-threats and on Medicare coverage for immune deficiency care.

21 Dec 2012

CMS awards $306M to states for enrolling more kids in Medicaid

The Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday awarded $306 million in bonuses to 23 states for enrolling more children in Medicaid. The move is meant to help offset the expense of covering more kids in the state-federal health care program.

21 Dec 2012

Longer looks: Disparities in nursing home penalties; Understanding dying with dignity

My mortality wake-up call came in a hospital after knee surgery, when I flat-lined because of a heart arrhythmia and was resuscitated by a nurse. In response to columns about those events, stories have streamed in from people who are running out of time themselves, or enduring the pain of watching loved ones fade. The deaths they face are as different as the lives they've lived, but a steady refrain runs through their emails and letters.

21 Dec 2012

Akorbi announces aggressive growth strategy in early 2012

Akorbi, one of the health insurance industry's largest suppliers of translation and interpretation services, announced an aggressive growth strategy in early 2012 that included the addition of multilingual and technology consulting staffing services.

21 Dec 2012

California Hospital Association honors Sharp HealthCare leader with Award of Merit

Daniel L. Gross , DNSc, RN, Executive Vice President of Hospital Operations for Sharp HealthCare, received the Award of Merit from the California Hospital Association (CHA), at the organization's board meeting today in Newport Beach.

21 Dec 2012

Mayo Clinic announces UnitedHealthcare as new member of HAIL consortium

Mayo Clinic announced UnitedHealthcare as the newest member of the Healthy Aging and Independent Living (HAIL) consortium.

21 Dec 2012

Viewpoints on the fiscal cliff: Boehner as 'adult in charge'?; Sorting through entitlement program spending

Since the election, House Speaker John Boehner has emerged as that Washington rarity, the adult in charge. ... Shortly after the election, Mr. Boehner made the first move by acknowledging that Washington could draw additional revenue if it also cut spending.

21 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Could expanding mental health services curb gun violence?; Opinions on other aspects of health law

President Obama said he would use whatever powers his office holds to address this violence. ... Currently, nearly half of all gun sales in the U.S. are conducted without a background check. Criminals, the mentally ill, minors and domestic abusers are all prohibited from purchasing guns, but they all can do so as easily as attending a gun show or going online.

20 Dec 2012

Roundup: Calif. Report sets 10-year health goals; Conn. hospitals plead to stop cuts; Colo. lawmaker wants state universal health care on ballot

With the state facing rising medical costs and increasing rates of chronic disease, California health leaders issued a report Wednesday setting specific health targets to meet by 2022. The state's goals include reducing smoking rates, increasing vaccinations among children and improving depression screening and treatment. The report also describes ways to improve end-of-life care, by expanding palliative care at hospitals and hospice programs at home.

20 Dec 2012

Maneuvering toward a 'fiscal cliff' deal

Despite progress toward an agreement with the White House, House Republicans appeared to veer off course Tuesday with a "Plan B" if budget talks fail. Some media outlets suggested that both President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, are attempting to quell backlash within their own parties -- Boehner for agreeing to tax increases, Obama for ceding some entitlement cuts.

20 Dec 2012

Negotiators eye short-term and long-term 'doc fix' options

Single-year and two-year fixes to the "sustainable growth rate" formula -- or even a permanent fix -- are floated as the White House and congressional republicans continue negotiations over taxes and spending.

20 Dec 2012

Patients with hypertension or diabetes have increased risk of cancer recurrence, survival

By all accounts, a combination of colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure can be a recipe for medical disaster. Now, a new study led by a surgical oncologist and researcher at Temple University School of Medicine and Fox Chase Cancer Center has shown just how deadly this mix can be.

20 Dec 2012

Speaker doesn't foresee increase in Medicare eligibility age this year

Congress doesn't need to raise the Medicare eligibility age this year, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Tuesday. Raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67 was on the table in earlier debt talks, and has been floated again as Boehner and President Obama look for a way to avoid the looming fiscal cliff.

20 Dec 2012

Hospitals with good work environment have low readmission rates

New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has found that Medicare patients treated in hospitals with a good work environment for nurses had up to ten percent lower odds of readmission than those treated in hospitals with a poor work environment.

20 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Does 'fiscal cliff' end justify the means?; A shrinking government under any plan; Wrongly confusing Asperger's with mental illness

It is the third week of December, and all of Washington is focused on whether the country will fall off the "fiscal cliff" it has built for itself. ... As of January 1, physicians' fees for treating Medicare patients are scheduled for an across-the-board reduction of about 27% in addition to the 2% reduction for all services relating to Medicare under sequestration.

19 Dec 2012

Medicare News and Research

'Doc fix' unlikely without fiscal deal

Boehner fails to rally GOP, pulls his tax plan back

Research Roundup: Health law's under-26 coverage 'significantly increased' access to care; Thousands of surgical 'never events' occur each year

First Edition: December 21, 2012

As clock runs down, 'fiscal cliff' negotiations stall

House passes bio-threat vaccines, Medicare coverage bills

CMS awards $306M to states for enrolling more kids in Medicaid

Longer looks: Disparities in nursing home penalties; Understanding dying with dignity

Akorbi announces aggressive growth strategy in early 2012

California Hospital Association honors Sharp HealthCare leader with Award of Merit

Mayo Clinic announces UnitedHealthcare as new member of HAIL consortium

Viewpoints on the fiscal cliff: Boehner as 'adult in charge'?; Sorting through entitlement program spending

Viewpoints: Could expanding mental health services curb gun violence?; Opinions on other aspects of health law

Roundup: Calif. Report sets 10-year health goals; Conn. hospitals plead to stop cuts; Colo. lawmaker wants state universal health care on ballot

Maneuvering toward a 'fiscal cliff' deal

Negotiators eye short-term and long-term 'doc fix' options

Patients with hypertension or diabetes have increased risk of cancer recurrence, survival

Speaker doesn't foresee increase in Medicare eligibility age this year

Hospitals with good work environment have low readmission rates

Viewpoints: Does 'fiscal cliff' end justify the means?; A shrinking government under any plan; Wrongly confusing Asperger's with mental illness

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News