Medicare News and Research

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Research roundup: Readmission risks after surgery; Assessing Medicaid applicants' eligibility; Satisfaction among health plan types

General Surgeons Identify Postoperative Complications Posing Strongest Readmission Risks -- Researchers found that about 11 percent of patients in a study of 1,442 individuals who underwent general surgery were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.

31 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 31, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine Mitt Romney's speech last night and the messages on health care at the Republican convention.

31 Aug 2012

Medicare issue reverberates during convention

As both parties press their views about revamping the program, a National Journal poll says both sides think they can win on the issue. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that even as the Romney-Ryan ticket seems to be holding its own against Democratic attacks on the issue, some Republicans down the ballot are concerned.

31 Aug 2012

Ryan says GOP will protect Medicare

In speech to the Republican convention, the vice presidential candidate parried Democratic attacks on his Medicare proposals, saying, "The usual posturing on the Left isn't going to work. Mitt Romney and I know the difference between protecting a program and raiding it."

31 Aug 2012

U.S. behind France, Germany, U.K. in stopping preventable deaths

The study, published in Health Affairs, pointed the finger at the lack of health insurance -- as well as conditions such as hypertension and medical errors -- in the U.S. as part of the problem.

31 Aug 2012

Surveying Romney's health advisers; The pressures he faces if he wins

News outlets examine the role Micheal Leavitt and his followers will have on Romney's health policy and the expectation that a new president can change the health law quickly.

31 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Romney, Ryan rely on 'the magic asterisk'; Frightening voters over Medicare cuts

The press has focused a lot on the similarities between Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. They are both technocratic, they espouse tax cuts, and they believe in a balanced budget. But there is a deeper similarity as well: they both believe deeply in the "magic asterisk." The magic asterisk was the invention of David Stockman, budget director to Ronald Reagan. Stockman, who needed to show a more favorable budget than the Reagan tax cuts would justify, put in an asterisk and noted "future savings to be identified."

31 Aug 2012

U.S. lags three other industrialized nations in potentially preventable death rates

The United States lags three other industrialized nations-France, Germany, and the United Kingdom-in its potentially preventable death rate, and in the pace of improvement in preventing deaths that could have been avoided with timely and effective health care, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study published as a web first online today in Health Affairs.

31 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 30, 2012

In this updated FAQ, Kaiser Health News staff writer Marilyn Werber Serafini reports: "It may come as a surprise that President Barack Obama and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan are pushing the same target rate for controlling federal spending on Medicare.

30 Aug 2012

Christie says Romney would tell 'hard truths'

Republican keynote address lays "the foundation for calls" by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to change Medicare, Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Clarity needed on GOP health plan; Blaming the poor

As soon as he moves into the White House, Mitt Romney promises, he will demand that Congress repeal the health care reform law that is President Barack Obama's signature achievement. Far less clear is how Romney and Republicans in Congress would replace the Affordable Care Act. That is a critical question for Florida, which has nearly 4 million uninsured residents and has failed to develop its own solution.

30 Aug 2012

New York State Department of Health issues license to Veracyte's Afirma Gene Expression Classifier

Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company pioneering the emerging field of molecular cytology, and Genzyme, a Sanofi company, today announced that the New York State Department of Health has issued a license enabling Veracyte's Afirma Gene Expression Classifier to be offered to patients in the state.

30 Aug 2012

Hospital news: Low readmissions rates at 2 NYC hospitals; Parkland still facing crisis

Two New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. facilities are among the New York hospitals with the lowest rates of preventable readmissions. Hospitals face reductions in their Medicare rates starting in October, and 18 New York City hospitals will have the maximum penalty allowed under the federal health care reform law - 1% of their base Medicare reimbursement.

30 Aug 2012

GOP platform calls for turning Medicare into voucher-like program, repealing Obamacare

The Republican Party's platform calls for a ban on all abortions, reshaping Medicare and deep cuts to Medicaid, if Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are elected in November.

30 Aug 2012

Ryan makes his pitch to voters tonight

The 42-year-old Wisconsin representative will be making the case that he is ready to be vice president, and may highlight aspects of his budget plans, which would revamp both Medicare and Medicaid.

30 Aug 2012

Obama clings to narrow lead in new polls

But recent surveys also indicate that despite speculation that Medicare policies may cause seniors to rebuff the Republican party, GOP presumptive nominee Mitt Romney continues to find strong support among this population.

29 Aug 2012

Anova Cancer Care to participate in CyberKnife research study

Anova Cancer Care has been chosen to participate in a landmark national prostate cancer study. The goal of the two-year study is to determine the best treatments for prostate cancer. The study will look specifically at prostate cancer radiosurgery.

29 Aug 2012

As GOP convention picks up, health issues draw attention

News outlets report on how the most conservative Republicans are uniting around Mitt Romney, even as he appears more open to embracing the Massachusetts health law he signed while that state's governor.

29 Aug 2012

Exchange planning takes hold in states -- each with different flavor

Vermont, the District of Columbia and Connecticut are among those planning health law-mandated marketplaces where consumers and small businesses can buy insurance -- each with its own twist.

29 Aug 2012

Boehner predicts GOP victory, but not a mandate to overhaul Medicare

At a lunch with reporters, Mr. Boehner said that the nation's dire fiscal position, driven by health care spending, would confront Washington next year "regardless of who wins the election." But he was cautious about predicting a mandate for the House Republican plan to end the government guarantee for Medicare, replacing the program with fixed contributions that older Americans would use to buy private health insurance or pay into the government plan.

29 Aug 2012