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Aetna acquires additional stake in Medicare and Medicaid business

Aetna announced Monday plans to acquire Bethesda-based Coventry Health Care in a deal valued at $5.7 billion, part of the managed-care giant's effort to beef up its Medicare and Medicaid programs. The purchase comes as insurance companies race to position themselves for a broad expansion of health-care coverage slated to take effect in 2014, following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the comprehensive reforms supported by the Obama administration.

22 Aug 2012

Medicare debate moves to the forefront of congressional races

The future of the popular entitlement has become an issue in close House races, with both sides casting themselves as the program's protectors.

22 Aug 2012

Romney, Ryan blast Obama on Medicare, health law

But the Los Angeles Times checks some of their claims against President Barack Obama. In addition, Obama makes an apparance in the White House press room to answer questions and draw distinctions between himself and his GOP opponents.

22 Aug 2012

Reactions to Rep. Akin's comments: 'Offensive and ignorant;' 'loathsome;' 'bad science'

Opinions are uniformly negative in response to the Senate candidate's comments on rape during a TV interview.

22 Aug 2012

Views on Medicare: Ryan plan could hurt disabled Americans; Pitting the poor against seniors

Opinion writers continue to look at the debate about Medicare as it becomes a focal point of the presidential election.

22 Aug 2012

Poll finds Calif. voters strongly support federal health law; Montana lawmakers consider Medicaid expansion

States are confronting a bevy of issues in implementing the health care law including gauging public support for the law, fights over a contraception coverage mandate, expanding Medicaid and assessing the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole."

22 Aug 2012

Research explores impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence

A Rhode Island Hospital radiation oncologist says in a new editorial that research exploring the impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence has little effect on actual clinical decisions.

22 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 21, 2012

Today's headlines include reports from the campaign trail, where House candidates are turning up the Medicare debate; and from the health care marketkplace, where Aetna acquired Coventry Health, a Medicare and Medicaid insurer.

21 Aug 2012

Competing Medicare positions: The debate behind the campaign rhetoric

As the Romney and Obama campaigns continue to spar over Medicare politics, news outlets examine the questions in play.

21 Aug 2012

Study: Medicare 'donut hole' not linked to more heart attacks, related deaths

U.S. seniors forced to pay full price for their medications while in Medicare's so-called donut hole didn't suffer more heart attacks or deaths as a result, in a new study.

21 Aug 2012

Views on Medicare debate: Krugman skewers Ryan's budget plan; WSJ says Obama setting a double standard

On the spending side, Mr. Ryan proposes huge cuts in Medicaid, turning it over to the states while sharply reducing funding relative to projections under current policy. That saves around $800 billion. He proposes similar harsh cuts in food stamps, saving a further $130 billion or so, plus a grab-bag of other cuts, such as reduced aid to college students.

21 Aug 2012

Siemens, Arkansas complete $10M agreement for Soarian health IT solution

Siemens recently completed a 10-year, $10 million agreement, which included $4.8 million of financing, with Arkansas Heart Hospital for the acquisition and implementation of the Soarian® healthcare information technology (IT) solution.

From Siemens Healthineers 21 Aug 2012

Roundup: Abortion cases against Kan. Planned Parenthood dropped; Maine Readies session on money owed hospitals; Calif. suing doc over billing practices

The first criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood came to an abrupt end Friday when Kansas prosecutors dropped all charges against a local affiliate accused of failing to determine the viability of fetuses before abortions were performed. ... They said that state law did not prohibit Planned Parenthood from using the gestational age of fetuses to determine whether they were viable or could survive outside of the womb.

21 Aug 2012

How's Medicare playing in the Florida Senate race

News outlets report on how Medicare is shaping the much-watched Florida Senate race as well as how this year's House candidates that are physicians also tend to be Democrats.

20 Aug 2012

Aetna to buy Coventry Health for $5.7B

Aetna is joining the post-health law insurer purchasing fray and buying Coventry Health for a proposed $5.7 billion to increase its Medicaid business.

20 Aug 2012

Presidential campaign keeps focus on Medicare

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his running-mate pick Paul Ryan are taking their Medicare message to New Hampshire today. Meanwhile, President Obama blasts the Republican ticket on its Medicare plan.

20 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 20, 2012

Today's headlines focus on how the Medicare story is continuing to unfold on the presidential campaign trail.

20 Aug 2012

Obama, Ryan make pitches for Medicare plans

After several days in which he mentioned only generalities on the campaign trail, Representative Paul D. Ryan sought on Saturday to play offense on Medicare, attacking in detail President Obama's health care plan, seizing an issue that has the potential to be one of Mr. Ryan's biggest liabilities in joining the Republican presidential ticket.

20 Aug 2012

Obama and Romney offer competing Medicare visions

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney broke out a whiteboard outside an air terminal to illustrate his key points. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's campaign launched a new ad to argue his approach strengthens the program, citing plaudits from the seniors group AARP.

18 Aug 2012

Democrats unleash Medicare attack ads in congressional races

Ads from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are being run against Rep. Dan Benishek of Michigan and North Carolina state Sen. David Rouzer, the Republican opponent of Rep. Mike McIntyre.

18 Aug 2012