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Today's Opinions: CBO numbers undercut health law promises; Concerns about Berwick nomination; The recission myth

The Democrats' reform is barely out of the gate and the Congressional Budget Office already says its previous cost estimate was too low. Either the bill's supporters lied or they're profoundly ignorant. Either way, they are not fit to serve the country, much less rule it, which many of them seem to believe is their divine right. As noted on these pages and elsewhere, government programs always cost far more than their original projections (5/12).

14 May 2010

Home health care stocks fall with Senate Finance Committee inquiry

Shares of four home health care providers tumbled Thursday after the Senate Finance Committee raised questions about how the companies bill Medicare for home health therapy visits, The Associated Press/ABC News reports.

14 May 2010

Medco announces new $3 billion share repurchase program

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a new $3 billion share repurchase program.

13 May 2010

First Edition: May 13, 2010

Among today's headlines are reports that some Republican senators are taking aim at President Obama's pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

13 May 2010

Current residency programs do not have capacity to address growing shortage of general surgeons

Current residency programs do not have the capacity to address the growing shortage of general surgeons, according to survey research presented today at the Sixth Annual Association of American Medical Colleges Physician Workforce Research Conference in Alexandria, Va.

13 May 2010

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

When Republican lawmakers created the Florida Health Choices program in 2008, they billed it as a way to deregulate the health-care market for small businesses. Two years later, Florida Health Choices has still not started offering coverage, and its leaders and lawmakers face a philosophical choice that could determine whether the program survives.

13 May 2010

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Drug costs could prevent some people from filling their prescriptions, which can interfere with optimal health care. A new study of Medicare beneficiaries finds that cost concerns are more likely keep Hispanics away from the pharmacy counter than non-Hispanics.

13 May 2010

Atherotech to showcase VAP Cholesterol Test at NLA Scientific Sessions 2010

Atherotech Inc. will exhibit its VAP® Cholesterol Test in booth #102 at the National Lipid Association (NLA) Scientific Sessions 2010. The meeting takes place May 13-16 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Chicago.

13 May 2010

Proposed cuts in Medicare payments impact access to healthcare: Poll

An independent poll recently conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) shows that an alarming number of physicians will stop seeing Medicare beneficiaries if current payment policies are not reformed.

13 May 2010

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially serious side effects from mistakenly swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel, an over-the-counter (OTC) product that should only be used on the skin.

13 May 2010

BSX receives CE Mark approval for TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced it has received CE Mark approval for its TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, the Company's third-generation drug-eluting stent technology. This approval includes a specific indication for the treatment of diabetic patients.

13 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

The Commonwealth's 2006 health care reform was supposed to help address rising health insurance costs for small businesses. It hasn't — and small businesses are paying the price (Jim Stergios and Amy Lischko, 5/12).

13 May 2010

Medical fraud: 'Unless you're very, very aggressive, you're going to lose a lot of money'

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas reports that "every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services loses an estimated $65 billion to criminals who defraud the health care system, according to Lou Saccoccio, executive director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

12 May 2010

Liberator Medical Holdings reports net revenues of $9.65M for second fiscal quarter 2010

Liberator Medical Holdings, Inc. announced today net revenues of $9.65 million for its second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010. Net income for the three months ended March 31, 2010, increased by $161,000, or 169%, to $256,000, compared with net income of $95,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2009.

12 May 2010

First Edition: May 12, 2010

Today's headlines include reports about new congressional budget office projections that increase the 10-year costs of the health overhaul law.

12 May 2010

R.I. overhauls Medicaid payments for elderly, disabled; Medicaid delays reported in Kansas

Rhode Island received a waiver from the Bush administration to revamp its Medicaid program for the elderly and disabled, despite concerns from "community health activists [who] feared that it would push some of the neediest onto waiting lists or worse — throw some poor people off the Medicaid rolls altogether.

12 May 2010

Sebelius heralds early successes of health law

"In a letter to leaders of Congress, the secretary of health and human services, Kathleen Sebelius, reported on Monday that the Obama administration is moving quickly to carry out the expansive new health care law, particularly provisions that she referred to as 'early insurance market reforms,'" The New York Times reports.

12 May 2010

Medicare News and Research

Today's Opinions: CBO numbers undercut health law promises; Concerns about Berwick nomination; The recission myth

Home health care stocks fall with Senate Finance Committee inquiry

Medco announces new $3 billion share repurchase program

First Edition: May 13, 2010

Current residency programs do not have capacity to address growing shortage of general surgeons

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Atherotech to showcase VAP Cholesterol Test at NLA Scientific Sessions 2010

Proposed cuts in Medicare payments impact access to healthcare: Poll

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

BSX receives CE Mark approval for TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

Medical fraud: 'Unless you're very, very aggressive, you're going to lose a lot of money'

Liberator Medical Holdings reports net revenues of $9.65M for second fiscal quarter 2010

First Edition: May 12, 2010

R.I. overhauls Medicaid payments for elderly, disabled; Medicaid delays reported in Kansas

Sebelius heralds early successes of health law

CMS will keep a close eye on 'innovation' funding

Nurses lobby for more protections; Med school enrollment misses target

NeuroMetrix first-quarter total revenues decrease to $3.7 million

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

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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