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As voters weigh presidential candidates, Romney seeks support from intra-party rivals

Although President Barack Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney offer voters "a distinct choice," Romney is still courting conservatives within his party who have been concerned about his past positions on things such as abortion and health reform.

2 May 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's argument that health law would kill free enterprise; FDA's delay in cutting use of antibiotics in animals

In my column on Sunday, I quoted Mitt Romney's warning last week that President Obama's health reform law could doom the free-enterprise system in the United States. "With Obamacare fully installed," Romney said, "government will come to control half the economy, and we will have effectively ceased to be a free-enterprise society." Could that be true? Would "Obamacare," which relies mostly on free-enterprise health insurance companies, really turn America into a socialist state?

2 May 2012

Some parts of health law expected to take hold regardless of court decision

Many experts believe state-level health exchanges are here to stay. However, Politico reports that some state officials worry that if the individual mandate is struck down, healthy people could avoid buying policies and premiums for everyone else could skyrocket, putting them in a bind.

30 Apr 2012

Viewpoints on health law: Concerns about 'Lake Wobegon-ization' of Medicare Advantage; Romney's efforts to raise fears

One of the significant reforms in the health-care law was to put private Medicare plans on a more equal footing with the traditional government program. ... But the immediate sting of the cuts was significantly lessened by the Obama administration's move to expand and speed up a program to pay bonuses to high-performing programs.

30 Apr 2012

House passes student loan plan that siphons health law's prevention trust fund

The student loan issue has become a politically charged showdown with the health law in the middle of the controversy.

30 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 30, 2012

In today's headlines, a variety of health policy headlines ranging from reports about state-level health law implementation progress to marketplace news.

30 Apr 2012

Texas consumers top the medical-loss ratio rebate list -- receiving an estimated $186 million in insurer refunds

Media outlets from Texas, Minnesota, Florida, Connecticut and Georgia offer insights into what these rebates will mean on a more local level.

27 Apr 2012

Report: Rebates for those who bought their own insurance expected to average $127 per person

Millions of consumers and small businesses will receive an estimated $1.3 billion in rebates from their health plans this summer under a provision of the health care law that requires insurance companies to pay refunds if they don't spend a high enough percentage of premium dollars on health care costs, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

27 Apr 2012

Public health prevention fund at center of partisan clash on student loans

House Republicans are eyeing the fund as a means to offset the costs of extending the current interest rates for student loans, but Democrats have other plans.

27 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Minn. missteps with Medicaid are object lesson; 'Defensive' medicine: Red herring or key to health costs?

It was painful to watch Minnesota's stellar health care reputation and its Human Services commissioner, Lucinda Jesson, get pummeled on Wednesday at a congressional hearing on Medicaid oversight.

27 Apr 2012

House GOP eyes prevention trust fund as means to pay for student loan plan

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has scheduled a Friday vote on the proposal, which some news outlets describe as a "bitter pill" for Democrats.

27 Apr 2012

Shutdown looms as committees, lawmakers spar over budget, spending cuts

The House Energy and Commerce Commitee, as well as other House panels, worked yesterday on various spending cuts and policy items with an eye on budget reconciliation. The GOP-led effort, which has very little chance of being taken up by the Senate, will likely lead to "a long summer of political skirmishing."

27 Apr 2012

Nonprofit hospitals will likely face higher costs if mandate is overturned

Striking the mandate but leaving other parts of the law would put many hospitals in a bind, according to Moody's Investors Service. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that a majority of hospital executives expect the overhaul to shrink revenues.

26 Apr 2012

Iowa House approves mental health reforms

The bill would replace the county-by-county system in Iowa. Also in state legislative news, N.H. gubernatorial candidate opposes health care compact proposal and California lawmaker seeks cap on consumers' prescription drug expenses.

26 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Fund Commission unveils community-based health plan

Noting the "unprecedented opportunity" provided under the Affordable Care Act, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and other recently enacted federal laws, the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System today unveiled a community-based plan to enhance health and reduce spending by improving care for chronically ill patients and targeting quality improvement efforts to conditions that can yield the greatest benefit in a relatively short time.

26 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: 'Callous' House Republicans; Supreme Court's 'core constitutional role'

For months, House Republicans have been trying to wriggle out of the agreement they made in August that will force deep cuts in military spending. Now we know how they propose to do it: They will take tens of billions out of programs for the poorest Americans, particularly food stamps, along with health care for the middle class.

25 Apr 2012

Politics and policy: Exploring the GOP's health law alternatives

The Los Angeles Times reports that the health reform plan embraced by Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney may be "more revolutionary" than the current health law. Also, Reuters examines some of the policies congressional Republicans are considering if the Supreme Court overturns the law.

24 Apr 2012

Large majorities of older Americans experience gaps in their primary care

Large majorities of older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in their primary care, according to a new national survey, "How Does It Feel? The Older Adult Health Care Experience," released today by the John A. Hartford Foundation.

24 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Myths about women voters; Stopping fake drugs; Medicaid innovation not easy; The war over women

Women vote based on "women's issues," such as abortion rights and contraception. A recent poll of voters in swing states showed that women's top priorities are health care, gas prices, unemployment and the deficit -- in that order -- with "government policies toward contraception" coming in last

24 Apr 2012

Health law uncertainty sets up 'moment-of-truth' situations

This circumstance is particularly acute regarding states' decisions about setting up health exchanges.

23 Apr 2012

Health Reform News and Research

As voters weigh presidential candidates, Romney seeks support from intra-party rivals

Viewpoints: Romney's argument that health law would kill free enterprise; FDA's delay in cutting use of antibiotics in animals

Some parts of health law expected to take hold regardless of court decision

Viewpoints on health law: Concerns about 'Lake Wobegon-ization' of Medicare Advantage; Romney's efforts to raise fears

House passes student loan plan that siphons health law's prevention trust fund

First Edition: April 30, 2012

Texas consumers top the medical-loss ratio rebate list -- receiving an estimated $186 million in insurer refunds

Report: Rebates for those who bought their own insurance expected to average $127 per person

Public health prevention fund at center of partisan clash on student loans

Viewpoints: Minn. missteps with Medicaid are object lesson; 'Defensive' medicine: Red herring or key to health costs?

House GOP eyes prevention trust fund as means to pay for student loan plan

Shutdown looms as committees, lawmakers spar over budget, spending cuts

Nonprofit hospitals will likely face higher costs if mandate is overturned

Iowa House approves mental health reforms

Commonwealth Fund Commission unveils community-based health plan

Viewpoints: 'Callous' House Republicans; Supreme Court's 'core constitutional role'

Politics and policy: Exploring the GOP's health law alternatives

Large majorities of older Americans experience gaps in their primary care

Viewpoints: Myths about women voters; Stopping fake drugs; Medicaid innovation not easy; The war over women

Health law uncertainty sets up 'moment-of-truth' situations

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