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First Edition: August 1, 2011

In today's headlines, the early details regarding how the politics and policies involved of the debt-ceiling deal are taking shape.

1 Aug 2011

Nursing homes attack Medicare's payment cuts

"Medicare says it will cut payments to nursing homes to correct for an unintended windfall this year, and the industry is warning that quality will be compromised. Officials announced the 11 percent cut Friday, along with other changes meant to tamp down on physical therapy costs".

1 Aug 2011

Debt deal on table includes possible Medicare cuts

"Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on CNN's State of the Union said lawmakers were looking at $3 trillion in spending cuts. 'We're very close,' McConnell said".

1 Aug 2011

Default scenarios include questions about fate of Medicare, Medicaid, government workers

With the debt-ceiling fight unlikely to be resolved this weekend, news outlets are covering the possible fallout for the health care system.

1 Aug 2011

Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care expresses alarm about CMS' newly-published Final Rule

Saying the nation's Skilled Nursing Facility sector has contributed significantly to advancing health care reform and deficit reduction in the face of severe state Medicaid funding pressures and other major budgetary challenges, the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care today expressed alarm about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' newly-published Final Rule ["Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities for FY 2012"], and said it will dangerously destabilize the nation's second largest health facility employer, place patients and their care at deep risk, and put tens of thousands of health jobs in immediate jeopardy.

30 Jul 2011

Study shows disparity between hospital costs and reimbursement

Study results released today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery 8th Annual Meeting reveals that treatment costs for some neurovascular conditions remain higher than reimbursement in the form of Medicare payments.

30 Jul 2011

Boehner's debt-ceiling plan faces delay in the House

As Republican leaders struggle to gather enough votes to push the measure through, news outlets are analyzing a number of related issues -- including how both the House GOP and Senate Democrats' plans avoid tough decisions on entitlement program spending, and how future discussions surrounding Medicare may be significantly altered.

30 Jul 2011

Canadian Cancer Society praises Supreme Court judgment against tobacco industry

The Supreme Court of Canada today unanimously decided that if the tobacco industry is forced to pay damages to the BC government for tobacco-related health care costs, the federal government will not be required to reimburse the tobacco industry for those damages.

30 Jul 2011

HHS makes funds available for health insurance co-ops

The Department of Health and Human Services will make available $600 million in loans to help start these co-ops, which were authorized by the health law. Meanwhile, various regulations regarding the health law's coverage expansions are pending at the Office of Management and Budget.

30 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Avoiding readmissions; the future of ACOs

Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

30 Jul 2011

WARFARIN Study initiated to assess utility of genetic testing to reduce warfarin-related adverse events

Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. announced that the WARFARIN Study was initiated at Colorado Heart & Vascular, P.C. in Denver and other major hospital systems nationwide to assess the utility of genetic testing to determine a personalized warfarin dose for individual patients to reduce their risk of serious bleeding or clotting events.

30 Jul 2011

State roundup: Protests over plans to close Brooklyn hospital

A stream of hospital administrators, a state assemblyman, doctors and advocates for immigrants took the microphone at a sometimes raucous hearing in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday to plead with state officials not to close, merge or shrink troubled hospitals in the borough.

30 Jul 2011

Medicare, health law stay in the political spotlight

In a pair of stories, Politico addresses various ways these health issues continue to make political waves in the run up to the next election. Also, CNN reports the AARP members are worried about what a debt deal will do to Medicare, and an AP poll underscores baby boomers concerns about health care costs.

30 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Sanders on angry Americans; Sebelius on Md. exchanges; Samuelson: 'it's the elderly, stupid'

If the Republicans have their way, the entire burden of deficit reduction will be placed on the elderly, the sick, children and working families. In the midst of a horrendous recession that is already causing severe pain for average Americans, this approach is morally grotesque. ... The Reid plan is bad. The constantly shifting plan by House Speaker John Boehner is much worse. ... Those cuts would mean drastic reductions in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

30 Jul 2011

Amgen reports 8% increase in second quarter total product sales to $3,893 million

Amgen reported total revenue increased 4 percent during the second quarter of 2011 to $3,959 million versus $3,804 million in the second quarter of 2010. Total product sales increased 8 percent in the second quarter of 2011 to $3,893 million versus $3,613 million in the second quarter of 2010. The increase in total revenue in the second quarter of 2011 included a decline in other revenue due to certain milestone payments earned in the second quarter of 2010.

29 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 29, 2011

Today's headlines include speculation about how the debt-ceiling debate may have altered the discussion regarding changes to Medicare.

29 Jul 2011

LifePoint Hospitals second quarter revenues increase 11.0% to $877.6 million

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. today announced results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2011.

29 Jul 2011

HMS second quarter revenue increases 26% to $89.3 million

HMS today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2011.

29 Jul 2011

Amerigroup second quarter total revenues increase 6.3% to $1.53 billion

Amerigroup Corporation today announced that net income for the second quarter of 2011 was $44.3 million, or $0.83 per diluted share, versus net income of $67.2 million, or $1.31 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2010 and compared to $70.5 million, or $1.37 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2011.

29 Jul 2011

Hospice services improve quality of care and support for dementia patients

Hospice services substantially improved the provision of care and support for nursing home patients dying of dementia and their families, according to an analysis of survey responses from hundreds of bereaved family members.

29 Jul 2011