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Painkillers create quandary for physicians

News outlets report on the hazards -- both in the ER and in maternity wards -- being brought about by painkiller use and abuse.

2 May 2012

FDA approves Protalix, Pfizer’s ELELYSO for treatment of type 1 Gaucher disease

Pfizer Inc. and Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. announced today that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ELELYSO (taliglucerase alfa) for injection, an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for the long-term treatment of adults with a confirmed diagnosis of type 1 Gaucher disease.

2 May 2012

House Republicans divided over how to 'replace' health law

Ask each of the 242 House Republicans what kind of health policy they'd like to enact instead of President Barack Obama's health care reform law and you might get 242 different answers. Even after three years of railing against Obama's plan, Republicans have coalesced around only a few basic tenets of health policy - let alone a full replacement plan.

2 May 2012

Hospital billing collections company seeks dismissal of Minn. lawsuit

The Minn. state attorney general lodged a suit against Accretive Health arguing that it violated privacy laws when an employee lost a laptop computer with medical data of 23,500 patients. In addition, Accretive is also lashing out at publicity about its efforts to get hospital patients to pay their bills.

2 May 2012

As voters weigh presidential candidates, Romney seeks support from intra-party rivals

Although President Barack Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney offer voters "a distinct choice," Romney is still courting conservatives within his party who have been concerned about his past positions on things such as abortion and health reform.

2 May 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's argument that health law would kill free enterprise; FDA's delay in cutting use of antibiotics in animals

In my column on Sunday, I quoted Mitt Romney's warning last week that President Obama's health reform law could doom the free-enterprise system in the United States. "With Obamacare fully installed," Romney said, "government will come to control half the economy, and we will have effectively ceased to be a free-enterprise society." Could that be true? Would "Obamacare," which relies mostly on free-enterprise health insurance companies, really turn America into a socialist state?

2 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. premium increases muted; Iowa cuts payment to charity after fraud probe; Ga. asks EMS providers to save scarce drugs

State regulators on Monday approved third-quarter health insurance rates that will raise premiums an average of just 1.2 percent in the market serving small businesses and individuals, continuing a trend of more modest increases seen over the past three quarters. And several carriers, including Tufts Health Plan of Watertown and Fallon Community Health Plan, based in Worcester, will reduce their rates -- a rarity in Massachusetts health care -- according to data from the state Division of Insurance.

2 May 2012

First Edition: May 1, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports from the presidential campaign trail and from states on issues ranging from Massachusetts' payment reform to Idaho's scope-of-practices issues.

2 May 2012

Some parts of health law expected to take hold regardless of court decision

Many experts believe state-level health exchanges are here to stay. However, Politico reports that some state officials worry that if the individual mandate is struck down, healthy people could avoid buying policies and premiums for everyone else could skyrocket, putting them in a bind.

30 Apr 2012

Viewpoints on health law: Concerns about 'Lake Wobegon-ization' of Medicare Advantage; Romney's efforts to raise fears

One of the significant reforms in the health-care law was to put private Medicare plans on a more equal footing with the traditional government program. ... But the immediate sting of the cuts was significantly lessened by the Obama administration's move to expand and speed up a program to pay bonuses to high-performing programs.

30 Apr 2012

Hospital collection co. says Minn. Attorney General 'grossly' distorted its work

Accretive says it is seeking to address concerns. The Minnesota probe suggested the company may have thwarted state and federal rules to get payments from patients even as they were seeking hospital care.

30 Apr 2012

High-deductible plans become 'mainstream' in the marketplace

The PBS News Hour story examined how high-deductible health plans work, and possible consumer risks with this form of health coverage.

30 Apr 2012

Out-of-state insurers show no interest in Georgia

A new law that allows Georgians to buy health insurance plans approved by other states was envisioned as free-market solution that would lower prices and increase choices. So far, the law has failed to produce results: Not a single insurer is offering a policy under the new law. "Nobody has even asked to be approved to sell across state lines," Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said.

30 Apr 2012

State roundup: Mass. may vote on assisted suicide; Colo. to try medical homes

Heather Clish has become a leading advocate for affording terminally ill patients in Massachusetts the same choice her father had. Clish and other supporters are pushing a ballot initiative to legalize the practice they call Death with Dignity, more commonly known as physician-assisted suicide.

30 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Entitlement 'train wrecks' approaching; Collecting for health bills at the hospital

The evidence has been clear for a long time now regarding the future of those twin financial train wrecks known as Social Security and Medicare. We have known for decades that without significant reform both are on a path toward insolvency.

30 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 30, 2012

In today's headlines, a variety of health policy headlines ranging from reports about state-level health law implementation progress to marketplace news.

30 Apr 2012

Humana first quarter consolidated revenues increase 11% to $10.22B

Humana Inc. today reported diluted earnings per common share (EPS) for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 (1Q12) of $1.49, compared to $1.86 per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 (1Q11). The company had previously anticipated earnings per share in the range of $1.35 to $1.45 for 1Q12.

30 Apr 2012

Milner-Fenwick releases four new ‘Hospital Quality of Care’ videos

Hospitals are under fire. With heightened regulations and guidelines by the federal government and national health care organizations, the pressure to improve patient outcomes has never been greater. In response, the leading publisher of patient education videos, Milner-Fenwick, has released four new videos within its Hospital Quality of Care Series to help facilities comply with growing regulatory requirements. These videos address key hospital issues such as medication safety, infection control, fall prevention and discharge education.

30 Apr 2012

Obama says Romney, GOP ‘out of touch' on women's health issues

Casting his re-election along gender lines, President Barack Obama told hundreds of female supporters Friday that Republicans seem determined to meddle in women's health decisions in ways that are "appalling, offensive and out of touch." A recent fight over contraception access, Obama said, was like "being in a time machine." "These are folks who claim to believe in freedom from government interference and meddling - it doesn't seem to bother them when it comes to a woman's health," Obama said during early evening remarks at a women's issues conference.

30 Apr 2012

Ryan says his budget will protect seniors

Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said in the Republican weekly address the GOP budget will reform the tax code and protect such programs as education and Medicare.

30 Apr 2012