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Politics, personalities swirl around health overhaul

Whether it's more skirmishes over the individual mandate, pushes to repeal and replace the sweeping overhaul or state-level pressure to join lawsuits challenging the measure, the health law continues to be a part of high-stakes political discourse.

17 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Medicare eligibility age; Medicare 'scares'; questions about Fla. Medicaid managed care

The bottom line is that we probably need to start raising Medicare's eligibility age incrementally, given today's life-expectancy realities. But it is not going to be the silver bullet that saves Medicare.

17 Jun 2011

Roundup: Few states raise taxes to ease budgets; Ala. Gov. signs abortion law; Texas House advances bill to turn Medicaid, Medicare into block grants

As 2011 began, the budget situation in state capitals looked more dire than just about anybody could remember. ... With Medicaid, the states had their hands tied. The new federal health care law prohibits states from cutting eligibility or making it harder for people to apply for coverage. So states had to find other ways to control costs. Idaho reduced the amount paid to hospitals and doctors to treat Medicaid patients, an idea that some 30 governors proposed this year.

17 Jun 2011

Benefitfocus unveils Medical Loss Ratio Rebate App for insurance companies

Benefitfocus today unveiled its Medical Loss Ratio Rebate App, which helps health insurance companies calculate premium contributions and manage rebates as they adjust to new medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements.

16 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 16, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about the prospect for Medicaid cutbacks in an emerging bipartisan budget deal, as well as how a report from a Medicare advisory panel may bolster Medicare options currently on the table.

16 Jun 2011

CBO portends 'heavy lifting' to avert Medicare doc pay reduction

The report offers cost estimates for a range of approaches that would head off a 29.4 percent reduction in Medicare physician payments scheduled to kick in Jan. 1, 2012. Meanwhile, in other news, a plan to curb the overuse of costly medical imaging demonstrates the difficulties posed by attempting even small changes in the health insurance program for seniors.

16 Jun 2011

Budget woes lead GOP governors to push feds to relax Medicaid rules

President Barack Obama has the power to relax rules, which would allow cash-strapped governors more flexibility in spending Medicaid dollars, including allowing them to tighten eligibility requirements. But allowing such changes would outrage many of the president's core supporters and be at odds with the health law's goal of expanding coverage.

16 Jun 2011

Majority of publicly-insured children unable to get doctor's appointment for medical conditions

Sixty-six percent of publicly-insured children were unable to get a doctor's appointment for medical conditions requiring outpatient specialty care including diabetes and seizures, while children with identical symptoms and private insurance were turned away only 11 percent of the time, according to an audit study of 273 specialty physician practices in Cook County, Ill.

16 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Hiaasen on 'insane' insurance; residential facilities' budget nightmares; safety at VA hospitals

If Obama's healthcare plan is struck down in court, lots of politicians will celebrate it as a victory over big government. The dubious reward for taxpayers will be to continue footing the medical bills for 50 million uninsured Americans, and watching the dangerous deficit swell.

16 Jun 2011

Infosys introduces Health Benefit Exchange

Infosys today announced the availability of Infosys Health Benefit Exchange, a cost effective solution designed to help states set up the insurance exchanges mandated in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

15 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Romney and 'Obamneycare'; 'fundamental constitutional flaws'; leading vs. following in Md.

Hence the young campaign's most unfortunate new coinage, courtesy of Tim Pawlenty: "Obamneycare." That's the word Pawlenty used Sunday to describe President Obama's health-care law, which borrowed ideas from the reform package Romney devised and implemented when he was governor of Massachusetts. Obamacare plus Romneycare equals . . . Okay, we get it, we get it.

15 Jun 2011

Universal influenza vaccination may reduce health care costs in the U.S.

Implementing a recommendation that all Americans be vaccinated against influenza may dramatically reduce health care costs and the number of people infected with seasonal influenza in the United States.

14 Jun 2011

Texas House approves major changes to Medicaid; N.J. officials release details of cuts

Texas would seek relief from federal Medicaid rules and nudge the needy into private health insurance with taxpayer subsidies under a bill the House tentatively approved Friday. The vote, mostly along party lines, was 97-45.

14 Jun 2011

New poll finds little support for privatizing Medicare

A new poll finds little support for privatizing Medicare, even though most people agree the government-sponsored health insurance program for older Americans needs major changes if it is to survive.

14 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Private vs. public Medicare; N.J. Medicaid tough choices; IPAB's cost controls

Every once in a while a politician comes up with an idea that's so bad, so wrongheaded, that you're almost grateful. For really bad ideas can help illustrate the extent to which policy discourse has gone off the rails. And so it was with Senator Joseph Lieberman's proposal, released last week, to raise the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67.

14 Jun 2011

Aetna announces acquisition of Genworth's Medicare Supplement business

Aetna today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Genworth Financial, Inc. to acquire Genworth's Medicare Supplement business and related blocks of in-force business. Genworth is a leading provider of Medicare Supplement coverage. The business has more than 145,000 Medicare Supplement members.

13 Jun 2011

Parties continue to clash over ways to curb Medicare spending

Amidst a pitched political debate over the federal deficit, all sides agree that health care spending must be addressed. Still, Medicare continues to cause considerable political differences. At the same time, a new CBS poll finds that Americans have "mixed feelings" about what should happen to the health insurance program for senior citizens.

13 Jun 2011

HHS: Enrollment in high-risk pools tops 20,000

Figures released Friday reflect the number of participants in the health overhaul's high-risk pools as of April. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that Kansas has widened it's high-risk pool to allow child-only plans.

13 Jun 2011

MinuteClinic, OhioHealth enter affiliation to enhance high quality care services

MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark, and OhioHealth, a nationally recognized not-for-profit, charitable health care organization based in Columbus, Ohio, have entered into a clinical affiliation that will enhance the high quality, affordable health care services they provide in central Ohio.

13 Jun 2011

Pawlenty rips Romney's health plan; other GOP candidates get ready to rumble

In advance of Monday night's GOP presidential contenders' debate, news outlets covered candidates ramping up the rhetoric on health care.

13 Jun 2011

Health Insurance News and Research

Politics, personalities swirl around health overhaul

Viewpoints: Medicare eligibility age; Medicare 'scares'; questions about Fla. Medicaid managed care

Roundup: Few states raise taxes to ease budgets; Ala. Gov. signs abortion law; Texas House advances bill to turn Medicaid, Medicare into block grants

Benefitfocus unveils Medical Loss Ratio Rebate App for insurance companies

First Edition: June 16, 2011

CBO portends 'heavy lifting' to avert Medicare doc pay reduction

Budget woes lead GOP governors to push feds to relax Medicaid rules

Majority of publicly-insured children unable to get doctor's appointment for medical conditions

Viewpoints: Hiaasen on 'insane' insurance; residential facilities' budget nightmares; safety at VA hospitals

Infosys introduces Health Benefit Exchange

Viewpoints: Romney and 'Obamneycare'; 'fundamental constitutional flaws'; leading vs. following in Md.

Universal influenza vaccination may reduce health care costs in the U.S.

Texas House approves major changes to Medicaid; N.J. officials release details of cuts

New poll finds little support for privatizing Medicare

Viewpoints: Private vs. public Medicare; N.J. Medicaid tough choices; IPAB's cost controls

Aetna announces acquisition of Genworth's Medicare Supplement business

Parties continue to clash over ways to curb Medicare spending

HHS: Enrollment in high-risk pools tops 20,000

MinuteClinic, OhioHealth enter affiliation to enhance high quality care services

Pawlenty rips Romney's health plan; other GOP candidates get ready to rumble

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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