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Seniors living in supportive neighborhoods have better stroke survival rates

The odds of surviving stroke appear to be much better for seniors living in neighborhoods where they interact more often with their neighbors and count on them for help, according to research published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

16 Apr 2011

Congress approves current-year spending plan, votes on defunding health law as part of agreement

Separate measures to defund the health law and Planned Parenthood, which were voted on as part of the compromise that enabled the broader spending bill to move to a vote in both chambers, were approved in the House but defeated in the Senate.

16 Apr 2011

Research roundup: Oral health; details of Medicare's IPAB

Trends And Variation In End-Of-Life Care For Medicare Beneficiaries With Severe Chronic Illness - This report explores the shifts in the use of medical resources to treat Medicare beneficiaries at the end of life between 2003 and 2007.

16 Apr 2011

House to vote today on GOP blueprint to trim $6 billion in spending

The fiscal framework relies on cuts to Medicaid as well as a revamp of the Medicare program. Meanwhile, reaction continues regarding the budget outline unveiled earlier in the week by President Obama.

16 Apr 2011

Camp, Hatch allege misuse of Medicare advantage bonus payments

The GOP lawmakers allege that the administration's use of certain bonus payments that are available through a demonstration program are for political gain.

16 Apr 2011

Roundup: Medicaid bill headed for Florida Senate floor; Texas nursing home funding vulnerable in state budget

The Texas Legislature is faced with a budget challenge that has pitted the Republican majority's desire to cut government spending against a vulnerable target: nursing homes.

16 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Ryan responds to Obama; calling Ryan's 'bluff'; 'magical solutions'

This week the House of Representatives will take the first real step in addressing our looming fiscal crisis by bringing "The Path to Prosperity," a budget resolution for next year and beyond, to the House floor. This budget offers a clear contrast to the president's speech on Wednesday. … [A] deficit speech that doesn't even rise to the level of a plan. Missing was a credible way to curb out-of-control spending.

15 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 15, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about yesterday's passage of the short-term spending compromise as well as debate and detail regarding health care costs, entitlement reform and other long-term budget concerns.

15 Apr 2011

Health program spending at crux of partisan budget debate

As details emerged regarding the Obama deficit plan, news outlets explored the very different approaches favored by the White House versus the GOP to control Medicare and Medicaid spending.

15 Apr 2011

Obama's deficit plan earns raves, pans from editorial boards; more views on abortion and planned parenthood

I've proposed a balanced approach that looks at the entire budget for savings. The third step is to reduce the growth in health care spending in order to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid for future generations. We will get rid of wasteful subsidies and fraud that cost Medicare billions of dollars each year. We'll cut spending on prescription drugs by helping to get generic brands of medicine to market faster.

15 Apr 2011

Boehner offers 'unswerving support' for Ryan's Medicare plan

Los Angeles Times: Boehner On Board With Ryan's Medicare Plan.

15 Apr 2011

AP: Poll shows support for health law drops with budget woes

The Associated Press: Poll Shows Health Care Law Support Dips On Budget Woes.

15 Apr 2011

Obama plan likely to include Medicare, Medicaid changes; take steps to curb long-term spending

In a speech today, President Barack Obama is scheduled to outline his plans to reduce the deficit. They will likely include controversial proposals to trim Medicare and Medicaid spending while also raising taxes.

15 Apr 2011

Obama administration unveils new initiative to reduce medical errors

The new, $1 billion patient-safety program comes on the heels of a recent study that found one in three Americans admitted to hospitals will experience some type of medical error or accident.

15 Apr 2011

Obama offers framework to cut federal budget deficit

In his plan, which the administration says would cut federal budget deficits by $4 trillion over 12 years, President Barack Obama rejected GOP calls to make fundamental changes to Medicare and Medicaid and scale back the reach of the new health law.

15 Apr 2011

House GOP budget plan under the microscope

More details of the House GOP budget plan are taking shape, including the blueprint's inclusion of Democratic Medicare cuts that were subject to Republican criticism during the election season. Other parts of the health law also would stay intact. Meanwhile, the full House is scheduled to vote on the 2012 budget measure this week.

15 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Cities coping with aging populations; new apps for health

Robert Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. … The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig's impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a "toxin" or a "poison," terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely "evil."

15 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Dems vs. Ryan on entitlement cuts; defending planned parenthood

Every time Republicans have proposed serious entitlement reform, they've taken a beating. ... But it's far from clear the average voter appreciates what's at stake. Incredibly, 54 percent of those in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll said they didn't believe Medicare cuts were essential to meaningfully trim the deficit. I'd say Republicans have a lot of work to do.

15 Apr 2011

Improving ‘home care’ critical to addressing chronic disease and reducing health care costs nationwide

Val J. Halamandaris, president of The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to exclude proposals that would impact seniors’ access to critical home care services:

13 Apr 2011

Obama’s next target - medical error reduction for patient safety

Finally serious efforts are being made to ensure patient safety. The Obama administration announced this Tuesday an aggressive approach called ‘The 'Partnership for Patients Program’ to reduce medical errors, partnering with private insurers, business leaders, hospitals and patient advocates to tackle a problem that kills thousands of Americans every year.

12 Apr 2011