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Health law's retiree health plans, exchanges, waivers draw scrutiny

A congressional report found that the retiree health plan could run out of money as soon as this year, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, the health overhaul's insurance exchanges create a challenge for GOP governors just as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners will examine exchange issues among other topics at their Austin meeting.

25 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Deconstructing a $65,515 bill; 'Puzzling' health reform; Good news on America's health

Susan Kovinsky underwent outpatient surgery recently at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The procedure, a hysterectomy, began at 10:40 a.m. By 3 p.m., she was on her way home.

25 Mar 2011

Fraud updates sought by top Senate Finance members

Top members of the Senate Finance Committee have asked the Obama administration for frequent progress reports on its work to cut down on fraud and abuse in health programs.

25 Mar 2011

HealthSpring prices underwritten public offering of common stock

HealthSpring, Inc. announced today that it has priced its underwritten public offering of 7,500,000 shares of its common stock. The shares were resold by the underwriters at a price of $35.95 per share. The Company has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 shares of common stock.

25 Mar 2011

Tengion 2010 adjusted net loss decreases to $25.8 million

Tengion, Inc. today provided a business update and reported its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2010.

25 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 25, 2011

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, John Goodman writes: "As governors across the land struggle with fiscal pressures and pepper the federal government with requests to scale back Medicaid - many people are losing sight of the fact that health care reform requires a huge expansion of Medicaid".

25 Mar 2011

P&G, Teva sign partnership agreement for consumer health care

The Procter & Gamble Company and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced the signing of a master agreement to create a partnership in consumer health care by bringing together both companies' existing over-the-counter medicines and complementary capabilities to accelerate growth.

25 Mar 2011

Contention continues a year later

News outlets remark on the continuing ferocity of the health overhaul debate — even a year later — as its advocates and detractors continue efforts to advance or block the measure's implementation.

25 Mar 2011

Study: Surgeon enthusiasm linked to high spinal procedure rates

Surgeons in some areas are more likely to recommend surgery for low back problems—and those differences in "surgeon enthusiasm" are a major factor driving regional variations in spinal surgery rates, suggests a study in the March 14 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

25 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius, Vilsack, Weiner defend reform law; pro/con on seniors' access to health care

As former governors from states with large rural populations, we cheered this new health-care law. We knew that it would give Americans more freedom in their health-care choices, lower costs and improve the quality of care, especially for those in rural communities.

25 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 24, 2011

In today's headlines, more reports about how supporters and opponents of the health law are staking out positions and taking action to advance their causes. Meanwhile, a South Dakota abortion law becomes a flashpoint.

24 Mar 2011

Pharmacists seek delay of rule limiting amount of dispensed drugs

The National Community Pharmacists Association is pressuring Medicare officials to delay a regulation that they say will drive up labor costs for drug stores and increase the potential for dispensing errors. The proposed rule is expected to be finalized and take effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

24 Mar 2011

Money matters: Some of the health law's big winners, possible costs emerge

MarketWatch reports that insurance companies appear to be coming out in the win column. Meanwhile, a new industry report details some of the health law's "hidden" costs.

24 Mar 2011

Most clinicians feel systems and procedures for preventing hospital readmissions ineffective

More than nine out of ten clinicians believe that reducing readmissions is an important topic, but few have the resources at hand to tackle it, according to a new study from QuantiaMD®, the leading mobile and online physician community, and the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM).

24 Mar 2011

FTC: Granting pharmacists authority over PBMs may increase drug prices, reduce competition

In a letter to Mississippi State Representative Mark Formby this week, the Federal Trade Commission warns that a bill shifting regulatory authority over pharmacy benefit managers from the Mississippi Insurance Commissioner to the Board of Pharmacy "may increase pharmaceutical prices and reduce competition."

24 Mar 2011

Prescription Solutions launches unique online service to streamline Prior Authorization requests

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefits management organization and UnitedHealth Group company, has launched a unique online service to streamline submission, review and approval of Prior Authorization requests.

24 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Boehner, Mcconnell, Thune, major new organizations opine on health law

We now know that lawmakers who promised that "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan" were wrong. The president likes to say Americans aren't interested in revisiting the debates of the past. No one would accept an answer like that from an electronics store manager who refused to offer a refund on a defective television.

24 Mar 2011

FDA approves Nordion's TheraSphere IDE for Phase III trial to treat HCC

Nordion Inc., a leading provider of products and services to the global health science market, today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to conduct a Phase III clinical trial for TheraSphere® under an Investigational Device Exemption.

23 Mar 2011

U.S. hospitals bill insurance companies $1.2 trillion during 2008 for inpatient care: AHRQ

U.S. community hospitals billed insurance companies and federal and state programs $1.2 trillion in 2008 for inpatient care, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

23 Mar 2011

Health law opponents appeal recent Medicare ruling on opting out

News outlets detail a recent Medicare ruling as well as a status report on Medicare drug discounts.

23 Mar 2011

Medicare News and Research

Health law's retiree health plans, exchanges, waivers draw scrutiny

Viewpoints: Deconstructing a $65,515 bill; 'Puzzling' health reform; Good news on America's health

Fraud updates sought by top Senate Finance members

HealthSpring prices underwritten public offering of common stock

Tengion 2010 adjusted net loss decreases to $25.8 million

First Edition: March 25, 2011

P&G, Teva sign partnership agreement for consumer health care

Contention continues a year later

Study: Surgeon enthusiasm linked to high spinal procedure rates

Viewpoints: Sebelius, Vilsack, Weiner defend reform law; pro/con on seniors' access to health care

First Edition: March 24, 2011

Pharmacists seek delay of rule limiting amount of dispensed drugs

Money matters: Some of the health law's big winners, possible costs emerge

Most clinicians feel systems and procedures for preventing hospital readmissions ineffective

FTC: Granting pharmacists authority over PBMs may increase drug prices, reduce competition

Prescription Solutions launches unique online service to streamline Prior Authorization requests

Viewpoints: Boehner, Mcconnell, Thune, major new organizations opine on health law

FDA approves Nordion's TheraSphere IDE for Phase III trial to treat HCC

U.S. hospitals bill insurance companies $1.2 trillion during 2008 for inpatient care: AHRQ

Health law opponents appeal recent Medicare ruling on opting out

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