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House plans vote on amended FDA user fee reauthorization bill, hears from docs on Medicare payment fix

The GOP-led House will vote on an amended version of the FDA reauthorization bill, and medical officials are urging action on Medicare payments.

30 May 2012

Health law opinions: 'Improvised explosive' device tax; Iowa legislators force role for brokers on insurance exchanges

"Taxmageddon" isn't only about the half-trillion-dollar blow to the economy that arrives in 2013 on the end of the Bush-Obama tax rates. Several of the Affordable Care Act's worst tax increases kick in too, such as the new excise tax on medical devices. The 2.3 percent levy applies to the sale of everything from cardiac defibrillators to artificial joints to MRI scanners. The device tax is supposed to raise $28.5 billion from 2013 to 2022, and it is especially harmful because it applies to gross sales, not profits.

30 May 2012

Towers Watson acquires Extend Health

Towers Watson, a leading global professional services company, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Extend Health, Inc., which operates the largest private Medicare exchange in the United States.

30 May 2012

Watson, Endo and Teikoku Seiyaku enter settlement agreement to resolve Lidoderm patent litigation

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has entered into an agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teikoku Seiyaku Co., Ltd to settle all outstanding patent litigation related to Watson's generic version of Lidoderm.

29 May 2012

Intensive wellness program addresses multiple aspects of diabetes care

An integrated wellness team approach to diabetes care is helping patients lower their prescription costs and improve their condition, according to research presented today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' (AACE) 21st Annual Scientific & Clinical Congress in Philadelphia.

28 May 2012

Nearly half of Iraq, Afghan war vets seek medical compensation benefits

America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen. A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s, top government officials told The Associated Press.

28 May 2012

Research roundup: Do mandatory screening laws affect disparities?; Mass. health law, 6 years later

Since Massachusetts passed its own expansive health law, the state's uninsured rate has dropped and access to care has dramatically improved. But as this brief notes, two major issues remain. Massachusetts will have to find ways to contain health care costs -- now under discussion in the state legislature -- as well as align itself with the federal health law. In the process, other states "can draw on some of the state's early successes and challenges"

25 May 2012

Viewpoints: Bill could make universal health care possible via states; The need to change how physicians are paid

Universal coverage, Medicare for all, single payer -- call it what you will. It's clear that conservative forces are determined to prevent such a system from ever being introduced at the national level. So it's up to the states.

25 May 2012

FDA reauthorization bill sails through Senate

Showing unusual bipartisan spirit, the Senate passed a massive FDA user-fee reauthorization bill Thursday designed to prevent drug shortages and speed federal approval of medicines, including lower-cost generic versions.

25 May 2012

While GOP pledges austerity, Democrats rebuff efforts to restructure Medicare, Medicaid

Health care continues to play a major role this political season. News outlets look at the parties' differences on spending, Sen. Baucus' early reelection calculations and a protest against Rep. Steve King.

25 May 2012

Dueling student loan bills stall in Senate

Neither measure reached the 60-vote threshold needed to delay an interest rate increase for 7.4 million students with college loans. Republicans want to pay for it by abolishing a preventive health program in the health care law; Democrats proposed raising Medicare and Social Security payroll taxes on high-income owners of some privately held companies.

25 May 2012

Auditors find Medicare lax in collecting overpayments; New members named to Medpac

Federal auditors say Medicare failed to collect about 80 percent of the more than $400 million that were identified as overpayments, Modern Healthcare reports.

25 May 2012

New ad touts Obama's commitment to Medicare

President Barack Obama's campaign rolled out ads pitched to seniors and veterans Wednesday. Meanwhile, Politico analyzes Mitt Romney's decision to emphasize his record as a businessman rather than as Massachusetts governor when he helped pass that state's health reform law.

25 May 2012

Link between increase in assisted living options and decline in nursing home occupancy

A new study finds an association between an increase in assisted living options, which provide older adults with an array of services such as help with everyday tasks in homelike settings, and a decline in nursing home occupancy. This shift in delivery of care has both positive and negative implications for seniors.

25 May 2012

WSU introduces web-based decision support system to select wheeled mobility devices

A Wayne State University researcher has introduced computer technology that makes it easier for people who need wheelchairs to select one that best suits their needs.

25 May 2012

Viewpoints: Politics of the Medicare debate; Measuring the impact of Catholic bishops' legal challenge

So don't expect the Obama administration to agree to any cuts in Medicare between now and Election Day. And don't expect them to show any support for Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to privatize Medicare. Holding strong on Medicare is the silver bullet for Obama. It may offset some of seniors' concerns about low interest rates on their savings.

25 May 2012

Auxilium, FCB I file suit against Watson over generic Testim

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Testosterone Gel, 1%. Watson's 1% testosterone gel product is a generic version of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s Testim 1%.

25 May 2012

Mass. safety-net hospitals slated to get $628M to better coordinate care

Safety net hospitals in Massachusetts are slated to get $628 million to help them focus on coordinating care for patients instead of on which tests and treatments will earn them the most pay. In the meantime, two hospitals in North Carolina are settling their differences over transparency and indigent care.

24 May 2012

CBO says recession possible if Congress fails to resolve budget impasse

The Congressional Budget Office reported Tuesday that the nation's economy could fall back into a recession if President Barack Obama and Congress fail to come to terms on tax and spending issues. However, Democratic and Republican leaders appeared unwavering in their positions.

24 May 2012

Strategies, views on the health law's future vary depending on politics

Congressional Republicans continue to appear divided over what their strategy should be if the Supreme Court strikes down all or part of the health law. More immediately, though, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is targeting the measure's device tax as part of the Senate's consideration of a bill that would reauthorize the Food and Drug Administration user fees.

24 May 2012

Medicare News and Research

House plans vote on amended FDA user fee reauthorization bill, hears from docs on Medicare payment fix

Health law opinions: 'Improvised explosive' device tax; Iowa legislators force role for brokers on insurance exchanges

Towers Watson acquires Extend Health

Watson, Endo and Teikoku Seiyaku enter settlement agreement to resolve Lidoderm patent litigation

Intensive wellness program addresses multiple aspects of diabetes care

Nearly half of Iraq, Afghan war vets seek medical compensation benefits

Research roundup: Do mandatory screening laws affect disparities?; Mass. health law, 6 years later

Viewpoints: Bill could make universal health care possible via states; The need to change how physicians are paid

FDA reauthorization bill sails through Senate

While GOP pledges austerity, Democrats rebuff efforts to restructure Medicare, Medicaid

Dueling student loan bills stall in Senate

Auditors find Medicare lax in collecting overpayments; New members named to Medpac

New ad touts Obama's commitment to Medicare

Link between increase in assisted living options and decline in nursing home occupancy

WSU introduces web-based decision support system to select wheeled mobility devices

Viewpoints: Politics of the Medicare debate; Measuring the impact of Catholic bishops' legal challenge

Auxilium, FCB I file suit against Watson over generic Testim

Mass. safety-net hospitals slated to get $628M to better coordinate care

CBO says recession possible if Congress fails to resolve budget impasse

Strategies, views on the health law's future vary depending on politics

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