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Obama: Health reform law boosts future of Medicare

The Washington Post: "President Obama on Saturday took credit for placing Medicare on a more certain fiscal path and pledged to American seniors that they would see more help soon paying for drug costs in a direct appeal to an important segment of the midterm electorate. Citing a report issued this week by the Medicare trustees, Obama said the health-care overhaul he pushed through Congress this year has added at least a dozen years to Medicare's solvency".

9 Aug 2010

Affordable Care Act improves strength of Medicare, Social Security: Report

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the report released today by the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees, http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TRSUM/index.html. The report shows that the Affordable Care Act has improved the strength of both Medicare and Social Security.

7 Aug 2010

Myths and realities of Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment

Providers of home medical equipment and services across California are proposing a fiscally responsible alternative to the mislabeled "competitive" bidding scheme currently under way in Medicare that will actually discourage competition, reduce access to care for many of California's 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries, and put thousands of California homecare providers out of business.

7 Aug 2010

Health Net Federal Services to sponsor AMVETS Symposium

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, part of the Government Contracts segment of Health Net, Inc., is honored to sponsor the American Veterans 2010 Symposium for 21st Century Veterans in Louisville, Ky., August 9-11, 2010. The 2010 AMVETS Symposium will bring together more than 100 young Veterans to help develop a new comprehensive report on important issues such as reintegration, health care and benefits.

7 Aug 2010

Omnicare second-quarter earnings per diluted share decrease to 18 cents

Omnicare, Inc., one of the nation's leading providers of pharmaceutical care for the elderly, reported today financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

NeurogesX net loss for second-quarter 2010 increases to $10.2 million

NeurogesX, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel pain management therapies, today reported results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

Will health savings trickle from your paycheck to social security?

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz writes: "If employers save money on health insurance because of the new health law, will they give their workers a raise? Absolutely, says a new report by the trustees of Social Security.

7 Aug 2010

Forum sets goal for achieving widespread adoption, meaningful use of EHRs by 2014

The following joint statement, by the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Principal Deputy Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, was issued today at a forum, "Accelerating Electronic Health Records Adoption and Meaningful Use."

7 Aug 2010

Driving for Quality Care petition tour for securing stable Medicaid, Medicare funding

As the extension of emergency Medicaid relief moves from the Senate to the House of Representatives, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living's nationwide Driving for Quality Care petition tour for securing adequate, stable Medicaid and Medicare funding for long term and rehabilitative care for America's seniors and disabled citizens continues to draw significant support from legislators and coverage from local media.

7 Aug 2010

Health reform law update: State lawsuits, implementation efforts attract attention

Today, 20 states and the National Federation of Independent Business are planning "to file their response to the government's attempt to dismiss their lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The Justice Department in June asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the U.S. District Court in Pensacola lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over some of the lawsuit's claims. ... A key issue raised by their lawsuit is whether the federal government can require individuals to purchase health care insurance and fine those who don't" (Kay, 8/6).

7 Aug 2010

Ongoing diabetes education continues to deliver better health results: Study

Preliminary data from a study of private insurance and Medicare claims commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators reveal that ongoing diabetes education continues to deliver results in terms of better health and reduced private insurance and Medicare claims.

7 Aug 2010

Response Genetics total revenue for second-quarter 2010 increases 197% to $5.6 million

Response Genetics Inc., a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, today announced its consolidated financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

Upbeat Medicare solvency report quickly finds doubters

The new health law will buttress Medicare for a dozen more years than previously expected, according a report issued Thursday by the program's trustees, The Washington Post reports. But, "[t]he relatively bright picture of Medicare's future triggered immediate debate over whether the forecast by the trustees, all members of President Obama's Cabinet, is realistic.

7 Aug 2010

Health reform provisions on abortion, IRS reporting requirements stirring up Capitol Hill

The Hill reports that Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced legislation Thursday "designed to eliminate a controversial provision of the Democrats' new healthcare reform law that allows subsidized plans to offer abortion coverage if patients pay separately, and with their own money, for that portion of the coverage.

7 Aug 2010

From Florida to Oregon, Medicare Advantage's benefits – and cuts – vary

This Kaiser Health News story by David Gulliver, produced in partnership with Health News Florida, explores how the impact of changes to Medicare Advantage will differ from place to place across the country.

7 Aug 2010

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican who is running for governor, "faced new questions Thursday about joining fellow congressional Republicans in opposing legislation that would prop up state budgets as his Democratic opponent in the race for governor criticized him. Brownback said he is against a plan that includes extra Medicaid dollars for states because it wasn't drafted in a fiscally responsible way. Kansas' share is $131 million, and its current $13.7 billion budget won't balance without the money, which covers health care for the poor and disabled" (Hanna, 8/5).

7 Aug 2010

Today's OpEds: Reform battles, state challenges to law loom over elections

In its rush to blunt public opposition to the newly enacted health reform law, the Obama administration is on a collision course with Republicans as the November midterm elections loom. On behalf of his reform agenda, President Barack Obama in recent weeks bypassed the Senate to make a "recess" appointment of a new Medicare and Medicaid administrator, Donald Berwick, while Congress was adjourned for the Independence Day holiday.

7 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 6, 2010

In today's health policy headlines, news reports about the Senate's passage of a state aid package that includes an extension of Medicaid enhanced funding, and the latest report from the Medicare Trustees.

6 Aug 2010

Knapp Medical Center improves hospital's clinical performance with QualityConnect's QualityAdvisor program

Knapp Medical Center of Weslaco, Texas, saved $2.8 million in one year using the Premier healthcare alliance's QualityConnect™ performance improvement program.

6 Aug 2010

Death rates of patients who have heart bypass surgery drop: AHRQ

The proportion of patients who died in the hospital after having heart bypass surgery fell from 42 deaths per 1,000 admissions for the procedure to 24 per 1,000 - a rate of 43 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Aug 2010

Medicare News and Research

Obama: Health reform law boosts future of Medicare

Affordable Care Act improves strength of Medicare, Social Security: Report

Myths and realities of Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment

Health Net Federal Services to sponsor AMVETS Symposium

Omnicare second-quarter earnings per diluted share decrease to 18 cents

NeurogesX net loss for second-quarter 2010 increases to $10.2 million

Will health savings trickle from your paycheck to social security?

Forum sets goal for achieving widespread adoption, meaningful use of EHRs by 2014

Driving for Quality Care petition tour for securing stable Medicaid, Medicare funding

Health reform law update: State lawsuits, implementation efforts attract attention

Ongoing diabetes education continues to deliver better health results: Study

Response Genetics total revenue for second-quarter 2010 increases 197% to $5.6 million

Upbeat Medicare solvency report quickly finds doubters

Health reform provisions on abortion, IRS reporting requirements stirring up Capitol Hill

From Florida to Oregon, Medicare Advantage's benefits – and cuts – vary

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Today's OpEds: Reform battles, state challenges to law loom over elections

First Edition: August 6, 2010

Knapp Medical Center improves hospital's clinical performance with QualityConnect's QualityAdvisor program

Death rates of patients who have heart bypass surgery drop: AHRQ

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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