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Reform effort could expand drug coverage, affordability

One impact of health insurance exchanges, proposed by Democrats as part of the health care overhaul, could be better prescription drug coverage for some consumers, the Los Angeles Times explains. The exchanges would require drug coverage as part of a minimum benefits package. The flip side is that some people may be forced to buy drug coverage they don't want.

6 Oct 2009

Uninsured by choice: A 'calculated risk'

As part as the ongoing series, "Are You Covered?" by NPR and Kaiser Health News, Lyn Robinson is profiled because she part of the group known as "voluntarily uninsured." She "estimates that health insurance would cost her about $500 a month. That's a lot of money for a policy that might not even cover the kind of preventive care she values".

6 Oct 2009

Senate Democratic leaders prepare for floor action on health bills; public plan still the flashpoint

Democrats are preparing for floor action, with much of the attention centered on the Senate Finance Committee's final vote and merging two Senate reform bills.

6 Oct 2009

IBM scientists to build nanoscale DNA sequencer to read human DNA

In an effort to build a nanoscale DNA sequencer, IBM scientists are drilling nano-sized holes in computer-like chips and passing DNA strands through them in order to read the information contained within their genetic code.

6 Oct 2009

President Obama speaks to doctors to promote health overhaul

President Obama told dozens of doctors gathered in the White House Rose Garden this morning that all arguments have been heard in the completed committees' work on health care reform and reiterated that reform will get done this year.

6 Oct 2009

Obama discretely lobbying for public option in Senate health bill

"Despite months of outward ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to get divided Senate Democrats to take up some version of the idea for a final vote in the coming weeks," The Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Oct 2009

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

The Baltimore Sun reports that congressional efforts to reform the health care system could lead to improvements in care for the nation's mentally ill.

5 Oct 2009

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

"A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. "Greenspan told the ABC program 'This Week' that the federal debt was already getting too big, so reforming health care must do more than achieve what politicians call revenue neutrality — bringing in as much money as it costs."

5 Oct 2009

ZYNEX obtains accreditation as a Medicare DMEPOS supplier

Zynex, Inc. a provider of pain management systems and electrotherapy products for medical patients with functional disability, announces it has obtained accreditation as a Medicare DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) supplier, as required to maintain its status as provider to Medicare and several private health insurance companies.

5 Oct 2009

Millennium Administrators named to the Philadelphia 100 for helping employers to control healthcare costs

Millennium Administrators, a healthcare consulting firm specializing in administering employee healthcare benefits, has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies the Greater Philadelphia Region. Millennium was named to the Philadelphia 100 for the second time in the past three years.

5 Oct 2009

First edition: October 5, 2009

The continuing efforts to make progress on the nation's health overhaul are reflected in today's headlines, which highlight both politics and policies.

5 Oct 2009

Jon O'Brien's statement on healthcare reform

"This Sunday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops holds its annual Respect Life Sunday. On this occasion, we would like to encourage the US bishops to also respect the truth. A recent publication by the USCCB, a brochure entitled Contraception: The Fine Print, and recent polls on healthcare reform prove that the bishops' desire to promote their own views on reproductive health leads them to play fast and loose with the truth.

5 Oct 2009

HHS Secretary pleased with Governors supporting health insurance reform, issues statement

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued the following statement today after 22 Governors sent a letter to Congressional leaders in support of health insurance reform.

5 Oct 2009

UnitedHealthcare launches 2010 portfolio of Medicare products

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, today introduced its 2010 portfolio of Medicare products that provide seniors an affordable way to manage their health care and prescription drug needs.

5 Oct 2009

'Final' Finance Committee's health bill may not be final word for Senate

Chairman Max Baucus released the full text of the Senate Finance Committee's health care overhaul bill late Friday and news outlets examined it and looked ahead.

5 Oct 2009

Health reform bill moving ahead, despite lingering questions

CongressDaily: "Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said his committee will convene again Tuesday. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the only committee Republican who might cross sides to vote for the health bill, remained on the fence late last week. 'Obviously, there's some things that require significant improvement, for example, on the individual mandate,' Snowe said.

5 Oct 2009

Obama: 'I will not accept partisan efforts' blocking health reform bills

President Obama returned to the topic of health care reform in his weekly Saturday radio and internet address, calling it "a critical step in rebuilding our economy."

5 Oct 2009

States grapple with budgets, quality and compliance; California offers cautionary tale for lawmakers

Though Massachusetts is the preferred health reform example of Democratic lawmakers, one report suggests they look to California, too. Meanwhile, states are grappling with quality, budgets and compliance issues.

3 Oct 2009

Study: Medicaid enrollment surges, threatening state budgets

"The recession is driving up enrollment in Medicaid at higher than expected rates, threatening gargantuan state budget gaps even as Congress and the White House seek to expand the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled," The New York Times reports.

3 Oct 2009

New regulations of HHS help protect individual's genetic information

Individuals’ genetic information will have greater protections through new regulations issued today by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury.

3 Oct 2009