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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

Medicare as a political weapon

NPR details Medicare's political muscle. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports on a Florida representative who is unabashed in his defense of his support for the GOP plan to privatize Medicare.

15 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 14, 2011

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "When you're calling for an ambulance, chances are good that you won't think to ask for one that's in your health plan's provider network. And in most cases, you wouldn't have much control over who it is anyway. That could leave you with hassles and extra charges for an out-of-network ride".

14 Jun 2011

Republican candidates bash health reform law in first debate

Republican White House hopefuls assailed President Barack Obama's handling of the economy from the opening moments of their first major debate of the campaign season Monday night and pledged emphatically to repeal the administration's year-old health care law.

14 Jun 2011

Response Biomedical NTproBNP Assay does not meet FDA regulatory criteria for CLIA waiver

Response Biomedical Corporation announced that it has received a notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its NTproBNP Assay did not meet the criteria to obtain a waiver under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988.

14 Jun 2011

Enox to receive European patent for 'Device and Method for Administering Therapeutic Agents'

Enox Biopharma, Inc., a leader in the development of innovative solutions for infections associated with medical devices, today announced that it has received notification from the European Patent Office that its patent application entitled "Device and Method for Administering Therapeutic Agents" has been approved and a patent will be granted.

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

Hospital trends mark changes in employment, admission patterns

Meanwhile, in Oregon, hospital profit margins were down in 2010, according to the state Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.

13 Jun 2011

HHS offers Medicaid guidance for same-sex couples

Late last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services clarified that same-sex couples are entitled to the same protections that exist for heterosexual couples when one member enters a nursing home.

13 Jun 2011

Policy issues related to dual-eligible patients, cancer medication coverage attract headlines

The Associated Press reports that seniors are facing Medicare cost barriers which sometimes lead them to not fill cancer drug prescriptions. Also, CQ HealthBeat reports that a special team within the Department of Health and Human Services is working on finding ways to save money and improve care for patients on both Medicare and Medicaid.

13 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

Mayo Clinic will not participate in ACO program

The Mayo Clinic says it will not be part of a critical piece of national health care reform under the government's proposed rules. The prestigious Rochester clinic is raising questions about accountable care organizations, or ACOs, which are supposed to be updated — and better — versions of health maintenance organizations.

13 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 13, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Lawrence Lindner writes: "The Obama administration's bid to slash funding for training pediatricians at children's hospitals is provoking intense protests from medical educators and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle".

13 Jun 2011

Ambulance diversion linked to high risk of mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Among Medicare patients with heart attack in 4 California counties, diversion of ambulance traffic by the nearest emergency department for 12 hours or more was associated with an increased risk of death for up to one year, according to a study in the June 15 issue of JAMA.

13 Jun 2011

Medicare News and Research

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

Medicare as a political weapon

First Edition: June 14, 2011

Republican candidates bash health reform law in first debate

Response Biomedical NTproBNP Assay does not meet FDA regulatory criteria for CLIA waiver

Enox to receive European patent for 'Device and Method for Administering Therapeutic Agents'

New poll finds little support for privatizing Medicare

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

Hospital trends mark changes in employment, admission patterns

HHS offers Medicaid guidance for same-sex couples

Policy issues related to dual-eligible patients, cancer medication coverage attract headlines

Aetna announces acquisition of Genworth's Medicare Supplement business

Parties continue to clash over ways to curb Medicare spending

Mayo Clinic will not participate in ACO program

First Edition: June 13, 2011

Ambulance diversion linked to high risk of mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Unique approach improves discharge disposition and older patient's outcomes

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

Premier healthcare alliance awards new agreements for ophthalmology products

MHS wins EPA's 2011 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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