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Obama touts health law before donors; Romney says health law costs nearly the same as defense cuts

The president may not always highlight the health overhaul before the public, but it's a strong talking point at his fundraising events. Meanwhile in the debate Tuesday, former Gov. Mitt Romney, while lamenting scheduled Pentagon cuts, said they are about the same as what the health law will cost.

24 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 23, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include an examination of changes in Medicare that the Democrats have endorses and a Kansas abortion case.

23 Nov 2011

Health spending still in jeopardy despite end of super committee

Although Medicare and Medicaid were largely protected when the panel broke up, budget cutters will continue to eye them, and other health programs will likely have funding reduced.

23 Nov 2011

Super committee failure: Let the blame game begin

President Obama summed up our debt crisis best when he told Republican members of the House in January 2010 that "The major driver of our long-term liabilities ... is Medicare and Medicaid and our health care spending." A few months later, however, Mr. Obama and his party's leaders in Congress added trillions of dollars in new health-care spending to the government's balance sheet.

23 Nov 2011

Medicare to cover infusion costs for prostate cancer vaccine, company says

In Medicare news, the drug maker Dendreon says federal officials have said they will pay doctors to administer the drug. Also, policymakers are studying Medigap to see if curbs on those policies could help cut Medicare costs.

23 Nov 2011

Super committee ends work without a deal; Automatic cuts take effect in 2013

A special congressional committee created to try to curb the national debt abandoned its work and conceded failure Monday. ... Although Republicans offered to raise taxes by $300 billion over the next decade, they insisted on conditions that all but guaranteed that the wealthy would not be hit hard. And Democrats refused to agree to deep cuts in spending on health care for the poor and the elderly unless the rich were forced to make greater sacrifices.

23 Nov 2011

In Colo. and Mass., worries about health care impact of super committee's failure

"Uncertainty" was a word used repeatedly Monday by Colorado economists and industries in lamenting the failure of the congressional super committee ... Health care is another area with super committee consequences, resulting "in millions of dollars in reduced Medicare payments to Colorado providers for many years to come" by restricting access, Steven Summer, president of the Colorado Hospital Association, said in a statement.

23 Nov 2011

California providers sue over Medicaid rates; Texas weighs steep cuts for Medicaid rehab

The federal law extends Medicaid coverage to millions of Americans in 2014, including childless adults. But with permission – and dollars – from the federal government, California started the expansion early. ... Surprisingly though, the roll-out of what conservatives derisively call "Obamacare" has largely gone unnoticed in Bakersfield.

23 Nov 2011

Post-surgery death risk high among thinner people: Study

A new study has found that thinner people are at a higher risk of dying within 30 days of an operation than heavier people. The cause behind this trend is not clear.

22 Nov 2011

UnitedHealthcare announces agreement to acquire XLHealth

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, has agreed to acquire XLHealth Corp., a sponsor of Medicare Advantage health plans with a primary focus on Medicare recipients with special needs, such as those with chronic illness, and those also eligible for Medicaid.

22 Nov 2011

Essence Healthcare, CompCare sign new multi-service agreement

Comprehensive Care Corporation announced today it has signed a new multi-service agreement with Essence Healthcare to provide managed behavioral health and pharmacy management services to the Medicare Advantage population serviced by Essence Healthcare in Missouri, Washington and Illinois.

22 Nov 2011

Researchers report on inadequacy of nursing home quality scorecards

The scoring system government agencies use to rate nursing home quality does not provide an adequate evaluation because they do not take into account the degree of cognitive impairment of their patient populations and whether facilities include a specialized dementia unit according to a new study.

22 Nov 2011

Medicare will still cover Avastin for breast cancer, despite revocation of FDA approval

The FDA announced that Avastin, while still approved for other cancers, is more harmful than helpful to breast cancer patients.

22 Nov 2011

Super committee ends talks without deal

Late Monday afternoon, the co-chairmen of the congressional super committee announced that their talks had ended in stalemate. In a joint statement, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said, "After months of hard work and intense deliberations, we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee's deadline."

22 Nov 2011

If there's no deficit reduction deal, what happens next?

Both parties are jockeying for position, trying to spin the super committee's expected announcement of failure into political victory. Meanwhile, some news outlets are examining what happens next for the automatic cuts, which will be triggered in 2013 if the deficit panel indeed does not offer a plan.

22 Nov 2011

Racial disparities in emergency diverticulitis surgery

Black senior citizens who need surgery for the intestinal disorder diverticulitis are significantly more likely to die in the hospital than their equally ill white counterparts, even when each racial group carries the same health insurance, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

22 Nov 2011

Health policies, entitlements grab headlines in GOP campaign coverage

Newt Gingrich's health policies are getting a thorough review as his standings in the polls improve. In the background, Mitt Romney blames President Barack Obama for the super committee's difficulties.

21 Nov 2011

Super committee failure looms

After two months of deliberation and debate to try to find ways to cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion over ten years, the deficit panel is expected to announce today that it was unable to come to terms on an agreement.

21 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Finding savings in Medicare; The Avastin saga; Changes in health care business

There is no way to wrestle down the deficit without reining in Medicare costs. Ensuring that the program provides quality health care coverage to millions of older and disabled Americans is essential. These goals are not incompatible, but they require a judicious approach to policy making that is depressingly absent in Washington.

21 Nov 2011