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Romney assails Gingrich for remarks about GOP Medicare plan

At his campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, (GOP presidential candidate Mitt) Romney reminded voters (former Speaker Newt) Gingrich had attacked U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Medicare plan last spring as "right-wing social engineering."

12 Dec 2011

Health care - and the '$10,000 bet' - a hot topic at GOP debate

It was a Saturday night brawl in Des Moines, with Republican rivals clubbing each other and front-runner Newt Gingrich, who batted back at criticisms that he once supported mandating purchase of health insurance and that he makes inflammatory remarks.

12 Dec 2011

House GOP's tax bill includes Medicare pay fix, cuts to health law funding

House Republicans on Friday released their legislation to extend the payroll tax cut, reform and extend unemployment insurance, and fix the Medicare reimbursement rate for doctors. The move sets up a vote on the year-end package as early as Tuesday. ... the legislation extends a pay freeze for federal workers, ... and gradually increases Medicare premiums for the wealthy. It also changes the co-payment structure for certain federal retirees.

11 Dec 2011

HHS released final rules on new health co-ops

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a final rule Thursday to establish at least one health insurance cooperative in every state by providing loans from a $3.8 billion federal fund created by the health care law to provide start-up money and fund capital reserves.

9 Dec 2011

State roundup: Consumers dispute Iowa rate hike; Wis. senior program extension?; Fla. criticized on nursing homes

California Pacific Medical Center, including its St. Luke's campus, is San Francisco's most profitable hospital, yet it spends proportionately far less on care for poor residents than other private nonprofit hospitals in the city, according to a new report.

9 Dec 2011

Data inform decision-making among patients, doctors, insurers

A study uses a new measure to judge nation's health care, another asks doctors to rate the best and worst insurers.

9 Dec 2011

Republicans and Democrats hone in on health law to rally supporters

Rick Perry releases a new TV spot bashing frontrunner Newt Gingrich and rival Mitt Romney for supporting health care policies similar to those of President Obama, while Newark Mayor Cory Booker focuses on the health law's benefits for young people as he campaigns for the president in New Hampshire.

9 Dec 2011

Medicaid news: Fla. Gov. Scott's budget tackles hospital reimbursements

Florida Gov. Rick Scott recommended cutting the state's Medicaid budget by $2.1 billion. Most of that savings, part of a $66.4 billion budget proposal, would come from changing the way hospitals are paid for treating Medicaid patients.

9 Dec 2011

Republican leaders to pitch 'doc fix' as part of payroll tax cut extension package

House Speaker John Boehner is readying fellow Republicans on a plan to extend a payroll tax cut by sweetening the pot with cuts to the health law, among other measures. The plan, if it passes the House, would almost certainly be opposed by Senate Democrats.

9 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Obama's lessons from LBJ; Plan B positions; Choosing Gingrich

In 2005, for example, the United States devoted only 29 percent of gross domestic product to health and social services combined, while countries like Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark dedicated 33 percent to 38 percent of their G.D.P. to the combination.

9 Dec 2011

Berwick blasts Republicans in IHI speech

The former CMS administrator, at a speech in Orlando Wednesday, singled out those who generated "groundless fear" over "death panels."

9 Dec 2011

Prevention practices for catheter-associated urinary tract infections lacking in most hospitals

Hospitals are working harder than ever to prevent hospital-acquired infections, but a nationwide survey shows few are aggressively combating the most common one - catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

9 Dec 2011

Research roundup: Depression and Medicaid spending; Saving on chronic care costs?: Mental health coverage

The researchers looked at treatment of depression in Medicaid enrollees in Florida from 1996-2006. They found a 29 percent increase in spending "despite decreases in inpatient costs." They attributed much of the increase to the growing use of antipsychotic drugs. They concluded that "spending for Medicaid enrollees with depression increased substantially, with minimal improvements in quality of care".

9 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 9, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include artilces about a new GOP tax plan that includes a Medicare pay fix for doctors and President Obama's support of a decision to keep the "Morning After Pill" from minors.

9 Dec 2011

The latest on the payroll tax break extension and 'doc fix'

Top House Republicans hope to win rank-and-file GOP support for a measure renewing this year's Social Security payroll tax cut and extending benefits for the long-term unemployed. House GOP lawmakers were meeting privately Thursday to seek agreement on legislation that leaders want to bring to a vote next week. They would also include language heading off a 27 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors.

9 Dec 2011

Perry makes brief GOP health care caucus visit

In other campaign trail news, media outlets examine who is supporting and opposing GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich's run, and how health policies are playing into their decisions.

9 Dec 2011

HHS to widen access to Medicare data

The Wall Street Journal reports that, in a change of policy, the Department of Health and Human Services will make claims information available to help consumers make decisions about medical care.

9 Dec 2011

Spreading the word about the health law

The Washington Post offers a compelling example of the challenges the White House faces in its efforts to get its message out about the benefits of the health law. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe offers insights from former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick about what the administration needs to do in order to have more success with this message.

9 Dec 2011

State health spending gap widens

A government report released Wednesday offers the first snapshot of state-by-state health care spending since the recession, as well as a look at where provisions of the 2010 health law could have their greatest effect.

9 Dec 2011

Roundup: Ohio lawmakers consider abortion bill; Aetna sues Mich. Blues

An Ohio lawmaker on Wednesday touted the importance of the fetal heartbeat as an indicator of life as he urged a legislative panel to support a bill that would impose the nation's most stringent abortion limit. The measure would outlaw abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat. That's sometimes as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

9 Dec 2011