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Health costs: Employer-sponsored insurance premiums rise 41%

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, and Maryland's rise was among the highest, at 50%, according to a report to be released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund.

3 Dec 2010

Teva comments on Lovenox’s patent infringement lawsuit

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. commented today on the patent infringement lawsuit filed by Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sandoz Inc.

3 Dec 2010

Medicare beneficiaries will need significant savings to cover health insurance costs in retirement

The Hill's Healthwatch blog: "Medicare beneficiaries of retirement age will need upwards of nearly $150,000 in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in order to have a 50-50 chance of being financially secure in retirement, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

3 Dec 2010

Debt panel proposals target health costs

A White House-appointed commission's deficit-taming proposals would affect every corner of society. Workers with solid coverage on the job, seniors, drug companies, trial lawyers, hospitals, doctors, state governments and federal employees would all feel the effects.

3 Dec 2010

In spite of health care law, patients may still pay for preventive care

Minnesota Public Radio: In principal, the new federal healthcare law "requires insurers to cover preventive care — including colonoscopies, mammograms and immunizations at no cost to the patient — no co-pays, no deductibles." The aim is to encourage people to get preventive care before they develop conditions that are more costly to treat, and while "Medicare will begin covering these tests 100 percent on January 1st ... for other plans there are myriad exceptions.

3 Dec 2010

Text from KHN: Fiscal commission's recommendations on health care spending

Kaiser Health News provides excerpts of the fiscal commission's opening remarks and recommendations related to health

2 Dec 2010

Today's Op-Eds: Preventing hospital errors; myths about the reform law; Medicare and the independent payment advisory board

Greenbay Press Gazette: No matter what happens with health care reform, the principles we've been discussing the past few months still hold true. Health care systems should continue to focus on quality and cost.

2 Dec 2010

Physician-led models of care benefit patients, health system

To best meet the goals of optimized, coordinated patient care and also help curb health care costs, physicians should be the heart of accountable care organizations (ACOs), an evolving model of patient care. The American Medical Association today outlined recommendations to make this a reality in comments provided to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

2 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 2, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about how the debt panel's plan would boost costs for seniors on Medicare; how parts of the GOP are making clear their positions regarding health reform "repeal and replace" strategy; and how limited health plans faced critics at a Senate hearing.

2 Dec 2010

Universal Health Care's Medicare members offered Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness Program

In an effort to promote wellness and disease prevention to its older adult members, Universal Health Care will begin offering the Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program on January 1, 2011, to subscribers of their Medicare Advantage Plan in 13 states (Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia). SilverSneakers is the nation's leading social support and exercise program designed to improve seniors' well-being and health.

2 Dec 2010

Deficit panel delays vote; Curbing Medicare spending part of proposal

Over the next ten years, 30 million more seniors will pour into Medicare, which already eats up 12 percent of the federal budget and 20 percent of all health spending, NPR reports. That has deficit hawks worried. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director, says, "If you look past the next eight to 10 years, Medicare is the deficit problem… And there's simply no way we can address our fiscal problems without coming to terms with Medicare's future."

2 Dec 2010

Medical groups weigh in on health reform, pay freeze

News outlets report on how new treatment models impact care, as well as political developments and positions among medical organizations.

2 Dec 2010

UIC receives HHS grant to expand family medicine residency program

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine has received a $1.92 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand its family medicine residency program.

2 Dec 2010

Dec. 1 news from RSNA 2010

The risk of developing radiation-induced cancer from computed tomography (CT) may be lower than previously thought, according to a Stanford University study. Using more than 10 million Medicare claims from 1998 through 2005, the researchers analyzed the distribution of CT scans, determined the ionizing radiation exposure associated with the exams and estimated the associated cancer risk in a population of older adults.

1 Dec 2010

Key factors in evaluating Medicare Part D plans

More than 1,100 Medicare prescription drug (Part D) plans are available for 2011. Most consumers have about 33 plans to choose from in their area during annual enrollment, which is Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. However, Part D plans with the lowest premiums may not be the best match for Medicare beneficiaries' individualized needs, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare plan selection services.

1 Dec 2010

Older adults with diabetes have reduced life expectancy

Despite medical advances enabling those with diabetes to live longer today than in the past, a 50-year-old with the disease still can expect to live 8.5 years fewer years, on average, than a 50-year-old without the disease.

1 Dec 2010

Loyola's mortality rate from heart-bypass surgery 74% lower than at peer hospitals

Loyola University Hospital's mortality rate from heart-bypass surgery is 74 percent lower than the mortality rate at peer hospitals, according to Thomson Reuters Cardiovascular Benchmarks Report.

1 Dec 2010

Alliance of Specialty Medicine calls for permanent fix to Medicare SGR formula

In response to Congress acting to postpone unprecedented reimbursement cuts to doctors who treat Medicare patients, The Alliance of Specialty Medicine (Alliance) today called on lawmakers to work towards a permanent solution to fix to the program's Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula so temporary fixes would no longer be necessary.

1 Dec 2010

Teva board authorizes $1 billion share repurchase program

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to repurchase (including through one or more subsidiaries) up to an aggregate of $1 billion of its ordinary shares/ADRs over the next 12 months.

1 Dec 2010

Study indicates risk of developing radiation-induced cancer from CT may be lower than previously thought

The risk of developing radiation-induced cancer from computed tomography (CT) may be lower than previously thought, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2010