Medicare News and Research

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Reports: State budgets looking grim, Medicaid particularly problematic

Medicaid costs are continuing to rise as state revenues are not recovering fast enough from the recession.

15 Dec 2012

New finding likely to fuel cost-benefit debate over cancer care

A study published Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded that proton-beam therapy provided no long-term benefit over traditional radiation despite far higher costs.

15 Dec 2012

Research roundup: Workers' insurance costs vary depending on employers' size; Seniors mental health needs often unmet

Survey -- The authors of this analysis provide a detailed look at the availability of health coverage at small and large employers, as well as the variations in plan costs and cost-sharing requirements.

15 Dec 2012

MDx, Amarantus sign license agreement for LymPro Alzheimer's disease diagnostic blood test

Amarantus BioScience, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and developing treatments for diseases associated with protein misfolding and apoptosis, today announced that it has licensed the LymPro Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Blood Test (LymPro) from Memory Dx, LLC (MDx), formerly known as Provista Life Sciences, Inc.

14 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Krugman says GOP's attacks on big government don't translate to Medicare; Democrats' must overcome hesitancy to bargain

By all accounts, Republicans have, so far, offered almost no specifics. They claim that they're willing to raise $800 billion in revenue by closing loopholes, but they refuse to specify which loopholes they would close; they are demanding large cuts in spending, but the specific cuts they have been willing to lay out wouldn't come close to delivering the savings they demand. It's a very peculiar situation.

14 Dec 2012

House Republicans assail administration on health law implementation

Members of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health assert administration officials have not been helpful to states.

14 Dec 2012

Prostate cancer patients experience minimal relief from side effects following proton radiotherapy

Prostate cancer patients receiving the costly treatment known as proton radiotherapy experienced minimal relief from side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, compared to patients undergoing a standard radiation treatment called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

14 Dec 2012

'Fiscal cliff' deal: What will the compromise look like?

Right now, news reports indicate that neither side shows much inclination toward making concessions, but a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll indicates that Americans want lawmakers and the White House to reach an agreement. Analysts predict a softening of positions as the deadline for automatic tax increases and spending cuts approaches.

14 Dec 2012

Liberal Dems line up against raising Medicare's eligibility age

Proposals to raise the eligibility age continue to get traction in the fiscal negotiations between the White House and Congress. But liberal Democrats oppose it and express concern that President Barack Obama has not ruled out.

14 Dec 2012

Study examines Medicare out-of-pocket expenses in the last 5 years of life

Should your 82-year-old dad, who has been declining after a stroke, get hip surgery after a fall? Would your 43-year-old sister, fighting late-stage cancer, benefit from an experimental drug that could have serious side effects? These are wrenching decisions.

14 Dec 2012

Question for physicians, politicians: Is 'doc fix' part of Capitol Hill negotiations?

Medical providers are hoping that part of the fiscal cliff negotiations includes adjusting the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for Medicare.

14 Dec 2012

Longer looks: 'Reckless' drug prescriptions lead to patient deaths; The struggles to reopen NY hospitals

Dr. Carlos Estiandan was up to no good, and the medical board of California was on to him. He prescribed powerful painkillers to addicts who had no medical need for them, conducted sham examinations and appeared to be a key supplier for drug dealers, according to court records. He wrote more prescriptions than the entire staffs of some hospitals and took in more than $1 million a year.

14 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Politicians flirting with danger on Medicare eligibility age; Maybe doctors should be paid less

The 2010 health- care law, which imposed immediate and heavy cuts on hospitals, drugmakers and insurers, left doctors relatively untouched. A 1997 law that reduces doctors' Medicare payments is consistently overridden by Congress.

14 Dec 2012

Aetna CEO predicts some 'premium rate shock' because of health law provisions; More Medicare ACOs expected in 2013

In news about the health law, Bloomberg reports that Aetna's Mark Bertolini says premiums for individuals and small businesses could as much as double in 2014 and Modern Healthcare examines what's ahead for the accountable care organizations next year.

13 Dec 2012

BioScrip to acquire HomeChoice

BioScrip, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire HomeChoice Partners, Inc., a leading provider of alternate-site infusion pharmacy services, for $70.0 million in cash.

13 Dec 2012

Roadmap outlines steps that are necessary to improve healthcare delivery in the U.S.

Regardless of what you think about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also called Obama Care, healthcare in the U.S. needs a major overhaul. That overhaul began with ACA, and now additional changes are going to be needed in order to make healthcare more economically sustainable in the U.S.

13 Dec 2012

Fiscal talks continue with new round of proposals, finger-pointing

With the deadline looming, President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boener, R-Ohio, traded new fiscal offers but appeared no closer to a deal. Boehner is pushing for more specifics on how Obama would cut safety net programs, while the White House continues to press for tax increases for the wealthy.

13 Dec 2012

Liberal Democrats pledge to protect Medicaid

Some Democrats argue that cuts to Medicaid, which provides health insurance coverage to low-income Americans, should not be part of the fiscal negotiations.

13 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Pelosi says higher Medicare age 'doesn't work;' Marketplace's clout could lower seniors' drug costs

In the talks to avert the fiscal cliff, the idea of raising the Medicare age is central to the Republican proposal. There's just one critical problem: It doesn't work. It doesn't have public support. It's unfair. And it doesn't lower health expenditures. Such a proposal is a reflection of the broader Republican plan: an assault on the middle class, seniors -- and our future.

12 Dec 2012

Hospice use driven by finance rather than patient eligibility

Barriers to hospice care in the USA could be more to do with individual hospices' enrollment policies than with patients’ true eligibility, indicate study findings.

12 Dec 2012

Medicare News and Research

Reports: State budgets looking grim, Medicaid particularly problematic

New finding likely to fuel cost-benefit debate over cancer care

Research roundup: Workers' insurance costs vary depending on employers' size; Seniors mental health needs often unmet

MDx, Amarantus sign license agreement for LymPro Alzheimer's disease diagnostic blood test

Viewpoints: Krugman says GOP's attacks on big government don't translate to Medicare; Democrats' must overcome hesitancy to bargain

House Republicans assail administration on health law implementation

Prostate cancer patients experience minimal relief from side effects following proton radiotherapy

'Fiscal cliff' deal: What will the compromise look like?

Liberal Dems line up against raising Medicare's eligibility age

Study examines Medicare out-of-pocket expenses in the last 5 years of life

Question for physicians, politicians: Is 'doc fix' part of Capitol Hill negotiations?

Longer looks: 'Reckless' drug prescriptions lead to patient deaths; The struggles to reopen NY hospitals

Viewpoints: Politicians flirting with danger on Medicare eligibility age; Maybe doctors should be paid less

Aetna CEO predicts some 'premium rate shock' because of health law provisions; More Medicare ACOs expected in 2013

BioScrip to acquire HomeChoice

Roadmap outlines steps that are necessary to improve healthcare delivery in the U.S.

Fiscal talks continue with new round of proposals, finger-pointing

Liberal Democrats pledge to protect Medicaid

Viewpoints: Pelosi says higher Medicare age 'doesn't work;' Marketplace's clout could lower seniors' drug costs

Hospice use driven by finance rather than patient eligibility

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The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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