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Out-of-pocket spending on health care in old age puts significant strain on finances

The protection of the savings of the elderly-one of the primary goals of Medicare-is under threat from a combination of spiraling healthcare costs and increased longevity. As the government attempts to reduce Medicare costs, one suggestion is that the elderly could pay a larger proportion of the costs of their healthcare. But exactly how much would this be and what impact would it have on their finances?

6 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Anti-abortion Democrats praise health law; A defense of the Medicare cost-cutting board

The big question heading into the Democratic Convention is just how forcefully the party will defend the Affordable Care Act, which the president fought to pass and then declined to sell. On Tuesday, an unusually vocal endorsement of the law came from an unlikely source: Anti-abortion Democrats.

6 Sep 2012

Medicare beneficiaries who were overcharged for drugs because of CVS' incorrect prices will receive refunds

The Federal Trade Commission said that it is mailing refund checks to 13,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries who were overcharged for drugs because a CVS Caremark Corp. business understated the price of the medications.

6 Sep 2012

Texas hospitals under scrutiny: Parkland's record penalty, how Houston treats heart attacks

Texas officials fined Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital a record $1 million for patient safety violations in the wake of intense federal oversight that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars if errors aren't corrected.

5 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 5, 2012

Today's headlines include reports on how health reform is playing a role in presidential politics, both during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., and in a new GOP campaign ad.

5 Sep 2012

Roundup: Texas probes Xerox in Medicaid overbilling; Miss. abortion clinic fights to stay open

Texas authorities are investigating whether Xerox Corp. played a role in allowing dentists to allegedly overbill the state's Medicaid system by millions of dollars.

5 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: President Obama's Charlotte challenge; Action on vets' mental health; The Aetna arms race

Mr. Obama needs to explain how his actions eased the economic crisis and took on long-standing challenges such as extending health-care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. ... Specifically, what would Mr. Obama do to restrain health care costs and entitlement spending? (9/3).

5 Sep 2012

Presidential election could have major impact on Medicaid

The New York Times reports that though Medicare reforms get the headlines, Medicaid is more likely to be immediately affected by the presidential election.

5 Sep 2012

Medicare at center of tug-of-war between campaigns

Both parties are casting themselves as protectors of the program, leaving voters to decide which of their plans will best slow the program's cost growth while also protecting seniors.

5 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 4, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including previews of the Democratic convention and a New York Times analysis of how the Obama and Romney campaigns vary on Medicaid policy.

4 Sep 2012

Medical imaging not a driver of escalating Medicare costs

According to a study in the Sept. issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, overall non-invasive diagnostic imaging (NDI) costs to Medicare Part B dropped 21 percent from 2006 to 2010. The study reveals that medical imaging is not a driver of escalating Medicare costs.

4 Sep 2012

Obama defends health law, saying Romney would end its consumer protections

President Barack Obama slapped a "Romney doesn't care" label on his rival's health-care views Sunday and said Republicans want to repeal new protections for millions without offering a plan of their own. ... "Gov. Romney promised that on his first day in office he's gonna sit right down, grab a pen and repeal Obamacare," the president said.

4 Sep 2012

In sharp contrast to GOP, Dems to highlight health care

News outlets are looking ahead to the Democratic convention, which begins Tuesday in North Carolina, and how the parties are prepping for post-convention politicking around health care.

3 Sep 2012

Romney barely mentions health care in acceptance speech

The Republican presidential nominee doesn't offer details on his plans for Medicare or the health care law. Nonetheless, several outlets look at what's ahead on that topic from the GOP ticket.

1 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Who should fear changes to Medicare; Ryan not a 'Serious, Honest Conservative'

For those of us who like to believe that human beings are rational, trying to explain what happens in politics is a challenge. For example, that segment of the population that has the least to fear from a reform of Medicare or Social Security is the most fearful -- namely, those already receiving Medicare or Social Security benefits.

1 Sep 2012

Justice department asks for review of questionable defibrillator surgeries

In what experts say is a novel legal tactic to resolve hundreds of ongoing investigations simultaneously, the Justice Department is e-mailing hospitals across the country today with instructions to examine questionable implantable defibrillator surgeries on Medicare patients and estimate potential penalties under the False Claims Act.

1 Sep 2012

Democrats plan attack on GOP Medicare plan

The Wall Street Journal reports the Obama campaign will offer counter arguments to Republican proposals to revamp Medicare at the Democrats' convention next week.

1 Sep 2012

Longer looks: Too many pills for dad; Genetic secrets; A supermarket's dietitian

Job burnout can strike workers in nearly any field, but a new study finds that doctors are at special risk. Nearly 1 in 2 U.S. physicians report at least one symptom of burnout, with doctors at the front line of care particularly vulnerable, the study found -- a significantly higher rate than among the general working population.

1 Sep 2012

Complaints grow about assertions in Ryan's speech

Fact-checkers and Democrats cry foul over the vice-presidential nominee's statements about Medicare, a local GM plant and the deficit commission.

1 Sep 2012

Health Net helps to increase awareness about importance of whooping cough vaccination

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of whooping cough cases in the United States could reach a 50-year high in 2012. The CDC's forecast is based on the fact that, as of July 2012, twice as many cases of whooping cough - or pertussis as it's referred to clinically - had been reported to the CDC thus far this year as compared to the same point in 2011.

1 Sep 2012

Medicare News and Research

Out-of-pocket spending on health care in old age puts significant strain on finances

Viewpoints: Anti-abortion Democrats praise health law; A defense of the Medicare cost-cutting board

Medicare beneficiaries who were overcharged for drugs because of CVS' incorrect prices will receive refunds

Texas hospitals under scrutiny: Parkland's record penalty, how Houston treats heart attacks

First Edition: September 5, 2012

Roundup: Texas probes Xerox in Medicaid overbilling; Miss. abortion clinic fights to stay open

Viewpoints: President Obama's Charlotte challenge; Action on vets' mental health; The Aetna arms race

Presidential election could have major impact on Medicaid

Medicare at center of tug-of-war between campaigns

First Edition: September 4, 2012

Medical imaging not a driver of escalating Medicare costs

Obama defends health law, saying Romney would end its consumer protections

In sharp contrast to GOP, Dems to highlight health care

Romney barely mentions health care in acceptance speech

Viewpoints: Who should fear changes to Medicare; Ryan not a 'Serious, Honest Conservative'

Justice department asks for review of questionable defibrillator surgeries

Democrats plan attack on GOP Medicare plan

Longer looks: Too many pills for dad; Genetic secrets; A supermarket's dietitian

Complaints grow about assertions in Ryan's speech

Health Net helps to increase awareness about importance of whooping cough vaccination

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