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Changes to Medigap plans meet resistance

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Susan Jaffe writes: A provision of the 2010 federal health law seeking to increase Medicare beneficiaries' share of health care costs is meeting resistance from an unlikely group of 33 state insurance regulators, health insurers and consumer advocates charged with revising Medigap insurance policies that cover most out-of-pocket expenses.

31 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 30, 2011

Today's headlines include a report about a new federal and state program that will apply scrutiny to any health-premium increase of more than 10 percent.

30 Aug 2011

Smarter health care spending key, according to Harvard study

Economists take on health care spending issues in presentations before the Fed's August meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

30 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Spotlight on insurance industry; local health costs rising; obesity debate

The GOP candidate's positions are not a vision of the future for the U.S. but of a discredited past. ... Perry's proposed fixes for the healthcare system - tort reform, individual ownership of health insurance, portability of plans for people who move or change jobs - would do nothing to slow the growth of healthcare costs or reduce the number of uninsured Americans.

30 Aug 2011

Roundup: Calif. ruling may extend mental health coverage; Conn. dropping early intervention program; Alaska clinic focuses on Medicare patients

A Northern California woman's treatment for anorexia at a residential facility was medically necessary and must be covered by her healthcare plan, a federal appeals court has ruled in a case that could lead to more extensive benefits for those being treated for mental illnesses.

30 Aug 2011

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry on health issues

In analyzing Texas Gov. Rick Perry's health record, medical malpractice reform is one of the issues he appears to be most passionate about.

29 Aug 2011

CMS: Insurers need to create plans for dual eligibles

Medicare Advantage insurers that cover some of the most expensive patients must develop individualized plans to coordinate care for each one, according to a final CMS rule issued Friday. The agency also formalized language in the Affordable Care Act requiring these so-called Special Needs Plans, which handle the costly population covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, to implement quality improvement programs and be certified in 2012 by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

29 Aug 2011

Premier healthcare alliance awards new agreements for procurement of energy

The Premier healthcare alliance today announced that new agreements for the procurement of energy have been awarded to Amerex Brokers, LLC. of Sugar Land, Texas; Co-eXprise Inc. of Wexford, Pa.; Hospital Energy Development LLC. of Middletown, Conn.; Vical Energy Consultants Inc. of Hackensack, N.J.; and World Energy Solutions, Inc. of Worcester, Mass.

29 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 29, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, writes: "The federal health law calls for a huge expansion of the Medicaid program in 2014 - a potential bonanza for insurers if the law survives court challenges and opposition by Republican contenders for the White House. The expansion will add 16 million enrollees, mostly in private plans, bringing the total nationwide to about 65 million and raising the stakes for controlling costs. As budgetary pressure rises, states are increasingly passing it on to private plans".

29 Aug 2011

Health Endeavors releases web-based ACO Audit Program

Health Endeavors releases web-based ACO Audit Program to assist healthcare providers in achieving PQRS quality measures and ACO success.

29 Aug 2011

GOP trying to turn Medicare, health reform law into political gain

"Republicans are accusing Democrats of using 'scare tactics' to convince Americans the GOP wants an end to Medicare and Social Security. In the party's weekly radio address, Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada says both parties should come together to fix those programs ... 'Let's stop the lies about who wants to end Medicare or eliminate Social Security and fix both programs now,' Heller says".

29 Aug 2011

Health information exchanges improve provider efficiencies and save health plan costs

A new study conducted by Humana and the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange (WHIE) found that health information exchanges (HIE), when used in emergency departments, resulted in improved provider efficiencies and health plan cost savings.

26 Aug 2011

Quality of care in for-profit nursing homes 'predictably appalling'

Today, Brian Lee, Executive Director of Families for Better Care, called the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) findings related to the quality of care in for-profit nursing homes acquired by private investment firms "predictably appalling."

26 Aug 2011

New test to better predict heart attack risk in women

The biggest killer of women over the age of 50 is heart disease. By age 65 women have the same heart attack or stroke risk as men and a greater risk of dying from either. To help better predict heart attack risk in these women, Atherotech Diagnostics Lab has developed a new and better way to test for heart disease risk. The new test will soon be available exclusively through Atherotech Diagnostics Lab.

26 Aug 2011

States putting more kids into CHIP programs, but some Medicaid programs squeezed

Thirty states increased the number of children under the program, Stateline reports. Also, Medicaid advocates are urging federal officials to deny California's request to cut the program, and in Georgia, officials are looking for more funding.

26 Aug 2011

Perry takes on Romney's Massachusetts health reforms

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry criticized the Massachusetts health overhaul that became law while fellow candidate Mitt Romney was governor. Meanwhile, news outlets are fact-checking statements about related reform initiatives - such as Texas' tort reform law, and members of Congress appear to be taking a less-is-more approach to August town hall meetings.

26 Aug 2011

Hospitals, health care facilities feeling effects of economic downturn

The July jobless rate dipped one-tenth of a point from June to 10.4 percent. That was unchanged from a year earlier. So too, were the number of jobs at hospitals, nursing homes, residential care facilities and clinics across Georgia.

26 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 26, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about presidential politics and health reform -- most notably, Rick Perry's assault on Mitt Romney's Massachusetts record.

26 Aug 2011

Trauma patients with no insurance more likely to seek follow-up care in ED

Providing access to an outpatient clinic isn't enough to keep some trauma patients who have been discharged from the hospital from returning to the emergency department (ED) for follow-up care, even for such minor needs as pain medication refills and dressing changes, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

26 Aug 2011

CBO's latest budget projections assume end of 'doc fixes'

The Congressional Budget Office projects that rebounding revenue, combined with the force of the debt-reduction deal that became law earlier this month, will reduce the deficit by an estimated $3.3 trillion.

26 Aug 2011