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Viewpoints: Obama, Romney pitch health care plans in NEJM

Because of you, America is blessed with the world's most talented health care professionals, who do a heroic job serving and saving our citizens. But for years you have faced a health care system that was increasingly fractured. ... But after a century of trying, a broad coalition of doctors, nurses, hospitals, businesses, AARP, and patients helped me sign into law the Affordable Care Act.

28 Sep 2012

Talk on the trail: Romney praises his own Mass. health reforms, denounces the 2010 health law

In what The Washington Post describes as "political flexibility," GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney touted the state health law he signed while Massachusetts governor as proof of compassion and empathy, while also sharply criticizing the federal health law, which is viewed as President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement.

28 Sep 2012

Private Healthcare Australia grants reimbursement code to IDEV’s SUPERA stent

IDEV Technologies, Inc. (IDEV), an emerging global innovator in peripheral devices, today announced that Private Healthcare Australia has granted the Company a reimbursement code for the SUPERA stent.

28 Sep 2012

Roundup: Md. Blues chief pans hospital costs shift plan; Pharmacies struggle with new drug controls

Negotiations to avert a breakdown in Maryland's unique system of regulating hospital prices have deteriorated into a stalemate between the state's largest insurer and the Maryland Hospital Association. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield CEO Chet Burrell, speaking out for the first time about the talks, blames hospitals for their proposal to shift hundreds of millions in costs to CareFirst and other private insurers in an attempt to control rising Medicare spending.

28 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 27, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how the health law and Medicare are buzz words in public opinion polls and on the campaign trail.

27 Sep 2012

Hatch seeks more details from the Obama administration about federal exchanges

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R- Utah, charged that states can't make decisions about whether to pursue their own health insurance exchanges or to rely on the federal fallback version unless they have more information.

27 Sep 2012

Report details Ga. mental health improvements; Colo. attempts to integrate physical, mental care

A new report shows improvement in Georgia's mental health system, but problems persist. In the meantime in Colorado, new experiments try to combine mental and physical well-being to better care for patients.

27 Sep 2012

Deficit continues to be test for Obama -- with debate about Medicare and Medicaid central to both campaigns

The New York Times reports that with the deficit over $1 trillion, President Barack Obama and GOP presidential pick Mitt Romney propose different prescriptions, especially regarding government health programs. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports on how health firms are preparing for possible election outcomes.

27 Sep 2012

Roundup: Calif. deciding on exchange name; Further scrutiny for Calif. adult day care eligibility; N.C. nurses embracing evidence-based practices

As states work to comply with the federal health care law, many are designing their insurance exchanges, where people will be able to shop for coverage. But just the word 'exchange' sounds to many like off-putting government-speak, and some states are eager to come up with a more appealing name for these new marketplaces. Peter Lee, who directs California's Health Benefit Exchange, says it's up for a new name, and he says they want it to sound fresh, dynamic and innovative.

27 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 26, 2012

Today's headlines include a reports about a round of new polls sizing up the status of the presidential campaign as well as one from The Associated Press measuring public opinion about the implementation of the health law.

26 Sep 2012

Romney scolded for emergency room remark

During his Sunday interview on CBS's 60 Minutes, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that uninsured Americans can get care in emergency rooms -- a comment that drew a critical response from the American College of Emergency Physicians.

26 Sep 2012

Health insurance to provide easy-to-understand plan summaries

On Monday, a health law provision goes into effect that requires insurance companies to provide user-friendly guides that provide explanations of plan benefits that will be as clear and easy to understand as the nutrition facts provided on food packages.

26 Sep 2012

Health insurance costs rise, driven by higher hospital, doctor prices

According to a report by the Health Care Cost Institute, insurance spending jumped in 2011 - a departure from the two previous years.

26 Sep 2012

Double-digit premium increases seen in popular Medicare drug plans

Seniors in seven of the 10 most popular Medicare drug plans will see marked premium increases for 2013 if they don't opt to change plans, according to an analysis by Avalere Health.

26 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: The 'real story' of Ryan at AARP; 'Get thee to an emergency room'

The headlines this weekend were all about the boos Paul Ryan elicited on Friday when he addressed the AARP, the self-styled seniors' lobby. The herd of independent media minds missed the real story, which is that the Republican Vice Presidential nominee went into the heart of the entitlement culture, told some hard truths, and even won applause for doing so.

26 Sep 2012

Roundup: Calif. mental hospitals released from fed oversight; Kansas hospitals cooperate to recruit rural docs; Va. abortion law questions

A U.S. District Court judge Monday released the state's mental hospitals from federal oversight on all but one issue -- a significant step in ending a costly six-year reform effort. The extensive court-supervised changes were imposed on four hospitals in 2006 as part of a settlement to a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice. The department alleged that the state was violating patients' civil rights by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them and failing to provide appropriate treatment.

26 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 25, 2012

Today's headlines headlines include reports about a study that details accelerating health care spending.

25 Sep 2012

Health issues are hot topics on campaign trail

From their appearances Sunday night on CBS' 60 Minutes to their answers to questions about their proposals for Medicare, President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney draw stark differences in their visions.

25 Sep 2012

Lawmakers spar on Medicare Advantage plans

In a Capitol Hill hearing Friday, Republicans challenged the Obama administration's so-called Medicare Advantage "bonuses."

24 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 24, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan was booed and heckled on Friday when he told an AARP convention in New Orleans that he would repeal President Barack Obama's health law. In contrast, Obama's remarks about Medicare --delivered by live satellite an hour earlier -- were warmly received."

24 Sep 2012