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Health insurance: Coverage expands for children, young adults; not necessarily for retirees

Glenn Franco, a retired community-college instructor in Michigan, tried to get his 24-year-old daughter on his health plan—and was turned away. Many large employers are telling retirees the same thing.

11 Oct 2010

Senate leaders eye temporary, one-month 'doc fix' for Medicare reimbursement

Congress Daily: "Senate leaders are eyeing a temporary, one-month patch for a looming Medicare physician pay cut, hoping to buy time to work out a longer-term fix despite pushing deadlines for a number of other provider reimbursement issues.

11 Oct 2010

Charges and counter-charges on health law infiltrate political debates

CNN: "The two candidates vying for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat sat side-by-side and calmly accused each other of lying and other improprieties in a televised debate Sunday," on NBC's Meet the Press (Cohen, 10/10).

11 Oct 2010

Research roundup: Examining comparative effectiveness research and changes in Medicare Part D

Health Affairs: The Potential Impact Of Comparative Effectiveness Research On The Health Of Minority Populations -- This is part of a collection of reports this month on comparative effectiveness research. Studies that compare how different treatments work is a focus of the new health law because advocates believe it could help hold down costs.

11 Oct 2010

Study finds inconsistencies in methods to identify CA-BSI infection in pediatric patients

A new study looking at how hospitals identify pediatric patients who develop catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSI) found significant inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop them.

11 Oct 2010

Administration's waivers of health law raise questions about 'mini-med' plans

The White House on Thursday defended granting waivers to some employers from a key provision of the new health care law, saying it was the best way to keep people insured until the law fully takes effect.

11 Oct 2010

AFA quarterly magazine features President Obama as guest columnist

President Obama is featured as a guest columnist in the latest issue of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's (AFA) quarterly magazine for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, care ADvantage. In his column, he outlines important provisions in the Affordable Care Act that are relevant to the Alzheimer's community, such as health insurance, drug coverage and long-term care.

8 Oct 2010

Leavitt Partners introduces Health Reform Bracketology

Lots of people handicap elections. Very few take the next step and say what it means for health reform. Borrowing from the time-worn tradition of creating brackets for various sporting events, Leavitt Partners introduces Health Reform Bracketology, a systematic analysis of various election outcomes and what it means to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

8 Oct 2010

Endo grants Watson royalty-free license to U.S. patents

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc. has reached a settlement with Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on outstanding patent litigation related to Endo's Opana ER (Oxymorphone ER) product.

8 Oct 2010

AHRQ awards $1.2M grant to evaluate effectiveness of primary care transformation efforts

The Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded a $1.2 million grant to Michigan State University to evaluate the effectiveness of primary care transformation efforts at Priority Health and Independent Health, a New York plan.

8 Oct 2010

Device maker study: Hospital middlemen arrangement wastes billions

The payment arrangements of group purchasing organizations waste billions of dollars each year, according to a new study funded by the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, a trade group that represents device makers.

8 Oct 2010

Senate Dems criticize 'excessive' Medigap price hikes; Acos examined

Top Senate Democrats on Wednesday called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to protect seniors in Medigap plans from excessive rate hikes.

8 Oct 2010

Doctors say practices disrupted by piecemeal Medicare payment fixes

Doctor groups are warning congressional leaders that a series of short-term measures lawmakers passed earlier this year to block Medicare payment cuts were too disruptive to medical practices," CQ HealthBeat reports.

8 Oct 2010

Should Medicare consider cost-effectiveness when setting reimbursement rates?

Medicare reimbursement rates should be based on how cost effective the treatment is for a particular illness, according to a piece by two policy experts in the October edition of Health Affairs.

7 Oct 2010

CCAW program launched at Baltimore County Department of Aging Senior Expo

In a unique partnership with sanofi-aventis U.S., the Baltimore County Department of Aging, and the John A. Hartford Foundation, the National Council on Aging is launching a pilot program to help physicians connect older patients with diabetes to evidence-based education and wellness support, right in their local community.

7 Oct 2010

PharmMD STAR Solution introduced to help health, drug plans increase their Medicare CMS Star Ratings

PharmMD, the nation's leader in quality Medication Therapy Management, announced today a new product, PharmMD STAR Solution, to help health and drug plans increase their Medicare CMS Star Ratings.

7 Oct 2010

Health law rhetoric increases in races across country

In races around the U.S., the health care law is proving to be a main factor in deciding who gets elected, with Republicans promising repeal and Democrats defending the tenets of the law. Fox News/The Wall Street Journal has video of debate between Connecticut Senate candidates Dick Blumenthal, a Democrat, and Linda McMahon, a Republican, on the health law (10/5).

7 Oct 2010

Daschle warns opponents can still damage health law and stirs controversy on public option

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has written a book about the struggle to overhaul the health system. But while promoting this book, some of Daschle's comments about White House strategy on the public option have stirred a controversy.

7 Oct 2010

3.5 million Calif. residents eligible for tax credits in future exchange; N.Y. prescription drug aid for seniors cut back; Idaho trims dental providers in Medicaid

An estimated 3.5 million Californians would be eligible for federal tax credits to slash the cost of their health coverage when they begin buying policies through a new statewide insurance marketplace in 2014, a study released Tuesday found.

7 Oct 2010

U.S. Army re-awards Patient Appointing Services bridge contracts to Health Net Federal Services

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, part of the Government Contracts segment of Health Net, Inc. today announced it was re-awarded three Patient Appointing Services bridge contracts, continuing its Patient Appointing Services work in Fort Irwin and Puget Sound through March 31, 2011, and in Great Lakes through January 31, 2011, by the United States Army's Center for Health Care Contracting, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Each contract includes an option to extend services for an additional six months.

6 Oct 2010

Medicare News and Research

Health insurance: Coverage expands for children, young adults; not necessarily for retirees

Senate leaders eye temporary, one-month 'doc fix' for Medicare reimbursement

Charges and counter-charges on health law infiltrate political debates

Research roundup: Examining comparative effectiveness research and changes in Medicare Part D

Study finds inconsistencies in methods to identify CA-BSI infection in pediatric patients

Administration's waivers of health law raise questions about 'mini-med' plans

AFA quarterly magazine features President Obama as guest columnist

Leavitt Partners introduces Health Reform Bracketology

Endo grants Watson royalty-free license to U.S. patents

AHRQ awards $1.2M grant to evaluate effectiveness of primary care transformation efforts

Device maker study: Hospital middlemen arrangement wastes billions

Senate Dems criticize 'excessive' Medigap price hikes; Acos examined

Doctors say practices disrupted by piecemeal Medicare payment fixes

Should Medicare consider cost-effectiveness when setting reimbursement rates?

CCAW program launched at Baltimore County Department of Aging Senior Expo

PharmMD STAR Solution introduced to help health, drug plans increase their Medicare CMS Star Ratings

Health law rhetoric increases in races across country

Daschle warns opponents can still damage health law and stirs controversy on public option

3.5 million Calif. residents eligible for tax credits in future exchange; N.Y. prescription drug aid for seniors cut back; Idaho trims dental providers in Medicaid

U.S. Army re-awards Patient Appointing Services bridge contracts to Health Net Federal Services

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