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Moody's, Standard & Poor's offer health industry perspectives

Moody's gave American not-for-profit health care sector a negative outlook because of uncertainly surrounding funding for federal health programs and gridlock surrounding the health law. But the S & P notes that revenue for Medicare and commercial insurers grew over the year that ended in June.

18 Aug 2012

Polls: Opposition to changing Medicare cuts across party lines

Two polls, one conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, and another conducted by KFF and the Washington Post, find that a majority of Republicans and Democrats oppose plans to cut Medicare benefits or transform the program into a "definied-contribution" model.

18 Aug 2012

Ryan pressed on $716 billion, 10-year Medicare cut

Romney criticizes those reductions in the future growth of Medicare, which were put in place by the 2010 health law. But his running mate, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, is put on the spot by reporters about why he included those same reductions in his budget proposals, which were passed twice by the House.

18 Aug 2012

Teva launches generic ACTOplus met to improve glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today the launch of an authorized generic of ACTOplus met (pioglitazone/metformin tablets)15 mg/500 mg, 15 mg/850 mg.

18 Aug 2012

Views on Medicare feud: Both sides working toward cuts; If vouchers aren't the answer, what is?

Americans who don't count themselves confused by the current debate over Medicare must be in the minority. Mitt Romney and Republican running mate Rep. Paul D. Ryan accused President Obama of hurting seniors by cutting $716 billion from the federal health program. The president retorts that the Republicans would "end Medicare as we know it." The truth is that both sides have plans that dramatically change the nearly half-century-old program.

18 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Calif. health exchange off to good start; Fay Vincent on access problems for disabled; How 'upcoding' increases health costs

The California Health Benefits Exchange, established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to offer subsidized private coverage to most of the uninsured, represents an excellent opportunity to improve the quality and cost of healthcare in this state.

18 Aug 2012

State news: Tenn. abortion clinic closes; Tex. wrestles with funding for Women's Health Program; Mich. lawmakers pass bill to cut state share of teachers' health care

A Knoxville abortion provider has closed after 38 years, citing a newly enacted Tennessee law that requires doctors to hold admitting privileges at local hospitals. The Volunteer Women's Medical Clinic in Knoxville closed Friday. In a public letter titled "End of an Era," Executive Director Deb Walsh wrote that she was unable to keep their doors open in part due to the "Life Defense Act," which requires physicians to obtain admitting privileges at area hospitals.

18 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 17, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Jenny Gold reports on a new survey about accountable care organizations: "Few hospitals interested in becoming accountable care organizations are ready to take on financial risk, according to a survey released Friday from The Commonwealth Fund."

17 Aug 2012

Parsing Medicare policy and politics

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's promise to restore the Medicare cuts made by President Obama's health care law would move the insolvency date of the program closer, reports The Associated Press. Other news outlets examine the Medicare policy specifics that Rep. Paul Ryan, the likely GOP vice presidential pick, has advanced in his House budget proposals.

17 Aug 2012

Ryan sees Medicare issue as opportunity

Paul Ryan addressed Medicare in a stump speech for the first time, saying the debate is one "we will win." But Vice President Joe Biden offered a very different view of the Republicans' Medicare plan, calling it a "voucher system."

17 Aug 2012

Top-of-the-ticket sparring focuses on Medicare

In a Wednesday campaign appearance, President Barack Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney went on the attack, trading barbs over the Medicare program. For Romney, it included taking steps to distance himself from the ideas advanced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Paul Ryan, his pick for running mate.

17 Aug 2012

HHS using pharmacies to sell health law benefits to seniors

The Department of Health and Human Services is touting a partnership with major retail pharmacies to tell seniors about health law benefits.

17 Aug 2012

A view from the field: How Medicare is playing in congressional, Senate races

From Texas to Connecticut, members of Congress and their challengers are pressing their views on the federal health program for seniors.

17 Aug 2012

Congressional leaders plan to make the most of this election-year Medicare debate

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, urged his fellow Republicans to "play offense" on the issue while their Democratic counterparts plan to keep the heat on.

17 Aug 2012

Affordable Care Act: an interview with Val J. Halamandaris, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)

The intent of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to provide all Americans with medical insurance. Thirty-five million additional people will be covered, in part by government premiums and in part by making it easier for them to buy their own insurance.

17 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Public seeks better campaigns but politicians use 'schoolyard rules;' GOP's Medicare 'flip-flops'

Political ads often stretch facts to the breaking point, but the people who create them usually feel constrained to back up their claims by citing sources - at least enough to keep neutral fact-checkers from exposing their work as fiction. Not so in this year's presidential campaign. There's no nice way to say this: President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are both condoning deliberate falsehoods.

17 Aug 2012

Parkland Hospital struggles with 1,300 unfilled positions; Largest Boston hospitals pay chiefs up to $3 million

Vacant jobs at Parkland Memorial Hospital have reached "crisis mode" -- almost 16 percent, or more than 1,300 unfilled positions -- a top official said Wednesday. Parkland's board of managers was presented a grim picture of an understaffed facility and a lagging effort to keep track of how many jobs were available. The situation was further crippled by the hospital's inability to process tens of thousands of job applications.

17 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 16, 2012

In this Kaiser Health News video, Insuring Your Health columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about what you can do when insurance only covers a portion of an ambulance bill.

16 Aug 2012

Medicare politics by the numbers?

The budget plan authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., assumed the same amount of Medicare savings as President Obama's health care law. News outlets report that both presidential campaigns are accusing the other of undermining the insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and attempt to separate fact from fiction.

16 Aug 2012

Florida is ground zero in battle for seniors' votes

Florida's 29 electoral votes appear to be among the most sought-after prizes as both campaigns craft their Medicare messages to woo the state's older voters.

16 Aug 2012

Medicare News and Research

Moody's, Standard & Poor's offer health industry perspectives

Polls: Opposition to changing Medicare cuts across party lines

Ryan pressed on $716 billion, 10-year Medicare cut

Teva launches generic ACTOplus met to improve glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes

Views on Medicare feud: Both sides working toward cuts; If vouchers aren't the answer, what is?

Viewpoints: Calif. health exchange off to good start; Fay Vincent on access problems for disabled; How 'upcoding' increases health costs

State news: Tenn. abortion clinic closes; Tex. wrestles with funding for Women's Health Program; Mich. lawmakers pass bill to cut state share of teachers' health care

First Edition: August 17, 2012

Parsing Medicare policy and politics

Ryan sees Medicare issue as opportunity

Top-of-the-ticket sparring focuses on Medicare

HHS using pharmacies to sell health law benefits to seniors

A view from the field: How Medicare is playing in congressional, Senate races

Congressional leaders plan to make the most of this election-year Medicare debate

Affordable Care Act: an interview with Val J. Halamandaris, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)

Viewpoints: Public seeks better campaigns but politicians use 'schoolyard rules;' GOP's Medicare 'flip-flops'

Parkland Hospital struggles with 1,300 unfilled positions; Largest Boston hospitals pay chiefs up to $3 million

First Edition: August 16, 2012

Medicare politics by the numbers?

Florida is ground zero in battle for seniors' votes

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