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Consumer groups, economists and members of Congress oppose Medicare's bidding system

As Medicare expands a controversial "competitive" bidding program for home medical equipment and services, economists, consumer groups, and members of Congress have gone on record to oppose that program citing reduced patient access to care, flaws in the program design, and impact on local jobs.

20 Aug 2011

Deficit panel has 'extraordinary power' but will face 'bumpy' start

The LA Times reports on some of the challenges ahead for the "super committee" and explores the panel's chances for success. Meanwhile, one GOP member of this select group vows that there will be no cuts to entitlement benefits.

20 Aug 2011

Second-annual UnitedHealthcare's Hair Fitness competition to be held in Atlanta

UnitedHealthcare and the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show are hosting the second-annual "Hair Fitness" competition for exercise-friendly hairstyles at the International Hair Show Aug. 21 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

20 Aug 2011

States grow anxious for federal exchange guidance

State policymakers are growing increasingly anxious in the face of administration signals that key guidance on federal exchanges may not be coming until late 2011 or early 2012 — if they're coming at all. The administration appears to have decided that it does not need to issue a rule outlining the operation of a federal fallback exchange, according to sources familiar with the administration's thinking.

20 Aug 2011

Managed care plans can effectively reduce Medicare market costs

Medicare managed health care plans can be effective in reducing costs and encouraging appropriate care, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Arizona State University, the University of California, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

20 Aug 2011

Medicare cost growth slows

Medicare costs grew at their slowest pace in six years, according to Standard & Poor's Healthcare Economic Indices.

20 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Tea party & Medicare; Minn. health exchange politics; fixing drug shortages

Unlike the Florida district court that earlier found ObamaCare unconstitutional, the 11th Circuit did not invalidate the entire law. But it likewise reaffirmed the fundamental constitutional rule that our federal government is one of enumerated powers with judicially enforceable limits.

20 Aug 2011

Research roundup: Majority of Docs face malpractice claims; colonoscopies in older adults; 'overwhelming' Medicare advantage choices

The authors "analyzed malpractice data from 1991 through 2005 for all physicians who were covered by a large professional liability insurer with a nationwide client base" and found that "by the age of 65 years, 75% of physicians in low-risk specialties had faced a malpractice claim, as compared with 99% of physicians in high-risk specialties." Most of those claims did not result in a pyament.

20 Aug 2011

White House budget chief orders agencies to find savings — sets target 5% below current year spending levels

It's a microcosm of the budget battling that has consumed Congress all year: The Obama administration wants federal agencies to save money while Republicans push for additional savings to take a substantial bite out of the government's towering pile of IOUs. White House budget chief Jacob Lew has ordered agency heads to submit spending plans for the upcoming budget at least 5 percent below this year's levels. He also wants them to propose ways to trim a total of at least 10 percent of their spending.

20 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 19, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Susan Jaffe writes: Shopping for health insurance next year will be easier when hundreds of health insurers and employers use the same simple forms unveiled Wednesday by the Obama administration, consumer advocates and government officials say. But the new materials, required by the 2010 health law, are still a work in progress.

19 Aug 2011

States spend up to $15B a year in medical expenses related to obesity

States spend up to $15 billion a year in medical expenses related to obesity, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Duke University, and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

19 Aug 2011

Longer looks: Doctors advocating less care; addiction as a 'disease'

These physicians are not anti-medicine. They are not trying to save money on their copayments or deductibles. And they are not trying to rein in the nation's soaring health-care costs, which at $2.7 trillion account for fully one sixth of every dollar spent in the U.S. They are applying to their personal lives a message they have become increasingly vocal about in their roles as biomedical researchers and doctors: more health care often means worse health.

19 Aug 2011

Amgen to present data from several Prolia studies at ASBMR 2011 meeting

Amgen today announced that it will present data from several Prolia (denosumab) studies, including eight year efficacy and safety data from a Phase 2 extension study in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis with low bone mineral density (BMD), at the 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif. from Sept. 16-20, 2011.

19 Aug 2011

Obama urges balanced approach by 'super committee'

As for deficit reduction, Mr. Obama suggested that he would call in his speech for the bipartisan 12-member Congressional committee that was created by his debt-reduction deal with Republicans this month to be more ambitious about deficit-reduction than its formal charge requires — including tax increases on the wealthy, which Republicans oppose.

19 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 18, 2011

"The SSI program for children is rapidly expanding, with the biggest increase among kids with mental, behavioral and learning disorders, including ADHD, speech delays, autism, and bipolar disorder. But as it pulls in children like Hulston, the program is sparking criticism in Congress.

18 Aug 2011

Pressure-reduction mattresses could help hospitals reduce health care costs

Hospitals could reduce health care costs arising from pressure ulcers, commonly known as bedsores, by investing in pressure-reduction mattresses for elderly patients in emergency departments, according to new research from the University of Toronto.

18 Aug 2011

CCP expands hybrid model services to large medical groups and health systems

Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP), the nation's pioneer in the hybrid model of concierge medicine programs, announced today the expansion of its services to mid-size and large medical groups, and to national and regional health systems.

18 Aug 2011

Interests line up to guide 'super committee' decisions

The American Medical Association is among the groups taking a message to Congress — but it goes beyond trying to avoid the 2 percent cut that would be triggered if the deficit reduction panel doesn't meet its savings target. The AMA hopes to link fixing the scheduled Medicare physician payment cut to what it terms "any serious proposal" to address the nation's fiscal challenges.

18 Aug 2011

Medicare Advantage plans may be counter-productive for the elderly

In health care, more choice may not always lead to better choices, particularly for the elderly. In a new study, researchers from Harvard Medical School's Department of Health Care Policy found that the large variety of managed care plans offered by the Medicare Advantage program may be counter-productive.

18 Aug 2011

UnitedHealthcare, 4-H to launch new nutrition and wellness program for young people

Texas 4-H and UnitedHealthcare joined together today to launch a new partnership - Youth Voice: Youth Choice - a program to help young people in the state improve their health and well-being through exercise, proper nutrition and attention to personal safety.

18 Aug 2011