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IOM report: Estimated $750B wasted annually in health care system

The Institute of Medicine offers an analysis of how the money is misspent and some steps that might address these trouble spots.

7 Sep 2012

Paul Ryan sticks to Medicare stump speech, even after Clinton critique

Headlines offer a range of developments from the Romney-Ryan campaign, including reports about its advertising strategy, Ryan's response -- or lack of one -- to former President Bill Clinton's criticism and a fact check regarding their Medicare policy.

7 Sep 2012

Political cartoon: 'I Am Your Father'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "I Am Your Father" by Jerry King.

7 Sep 2012

More than just facts: Convention speeches feature poetic license, omissions, flaws

News outlets check the facts offered in the Thursday night convention speeches by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

7 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 7, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Sarah Varney reports on California Gov. Jerry Brown, his absence from the Democratic convention and efforts to implement the health law: "California's Jerry Brown, the governor of the most populous state in the union, a state that has aggressively pushed ahead with the Affordable Care Act even when it wasn't the "in-thing," is sitting out this year's Democratic National Convention.

7 Sep 2012

Democratic speakers rally around health law

During Wednesday's convention proceedings, speakers criticized what they described as Republican plans to "voucher-ize Medicare" and touted provisions of the 2010 health law already in effect, such as coverage for children with pre-existing medical conditions, the closing Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" and the ability to keep young people on their parents' policies until age 26.

7 Sep 2012

Clinton skewers GOP on Medicare, offers strong defense of Obama on health law

In former President Bill Clinton's speech to nominate Barack Obama for re-election, he made a point-by-point case to return Obama to a second term, lauding his efforts to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid and to pass the health law.

7 Sep 2012

Conservatives say Dems' characterization of GOP Medicare plan is 'misleading attack'

Republican pundits dispute the description of their plans to overhaul Medicare as as a defined-contribution, rather than a defined-benefit program 'vouchercare,' and say that repealing the health law would spur innovation.

7 Sep 2012

Report: N.Y. public employees face $250B gap in covering retiree health care costs

A new report has found a gaping $250 billion hole in what New York state and local governments have promised to public employees to help pay for their retiree health care costs -- a $45 billion increase since 2010.

7 Sep 2012

Roundup: Judge keeps Calif. prison health care under fed control; Hospital mergers possible in Kan., Wis., Minn.

A judge has again rejected the state's request for a speedy end to federal control of prison health care. In an order issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said he would require tougher reviews than the state wanted before agreeing to dissolve the receivership that has run inmate medical care for six years.

7 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Clinton's rousing support for Medicare, health law; Thalidomide and the struggle for an abortion; Arkansas health innovations

Clinton, once known for the strategy of "triangulation" between the parties, was among the speakers who answered Patrick's call. He assailed Romney and Paul Ryan for falsehoods on welfare and Medicare, dismantling one Tampa argument after another. Offering a vision of "shared responsibilities, shared prosperity [and] a shared sense of community," he stoutly defended Obama's health care law, student loan reforms, rescue of the auto industry, commitments to community colleges and job training, and budget proposals.

7 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 6, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Ankita Rao reports: "While policymakers debate whether doctors should be paid by the number of services they provide or the outcomes of their treatment, shared decision could have an impact on the ground by reducing demand for medical procedures.

6 Sep 2012

GOP group jabs at health law

As the Democratic convention began, a Republican-leaning non-profit organization unveiled a new advertisement criticizing the health law. Meanwhile, national health issues are picking up steam in House and Senate races.

6 Sep 2012

Convention news: Dems embrace health law

In speeches from the podium and in the buzz from the convention floor, it was apparent on the first day of the Democratic National Convention that delegates and speakers aimed to reclaim the health law as an important accomplishment of the Obama administration.

6 Sep 2012

Same illness, but very different treatment costs

A new study published in the September issue of Health Affairs focuses on the cost of care delivered by nearly 250,000 doctors to non-elderly adults.

6 Sep 2012

Maine sues CMS seeking Medicaid cuts resolution

Maine -- unhappy with how long a decision is taking -- is suing the federal government over its request to lower Medicaid eligibility.

6 Sep 2012

Party platforms reveal two very different visions for the nation

The Democratic platform, which was released Tuesday, includes many health care policy references, but it is light on specifics about what health initiatives would come during a second Obama term.

6 Sep 2012

Latest round of health IT regs will be topic of Capitol Hill hearing

The House hearing is planned in order to give lawmakers a chance to review a proposed rulemaking regarding incentives for so-called "meaningful use" of health information technology.

6 Sep 2012

Will Medicare's quality incentives be big enough to make a difference?

Incentives are among the quality issues coming to the fore as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services prepares to hand out bonuses and penalties based on how hospitals perform.

6 Sep 2012

Medicare’s bundled payment program faces challenges, says economist

For years policymakers have attempted to replace Medicare's fee-for- service payment system with approaches that pay one price for an aggregation of services. The intent has been to reward providers for offering needed care in the most appropriate and cost-effective manner. But many of these programs have known pitfalls, says Stuart Altman, an economist and the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.

6 Sep 2012