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Senate Finance Committee proposes cuts for home medical equipment

This morning, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) issued his recommendations for healthcare reform in his long-awaited "Chairman's mark" version of the bill.

17 Sep 2009

Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights opposes cuts to Medicare

The doctor-led Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights (Coalition) urged caution to legislators and the public as they consider Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus’s healthcare reform proposal, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, which was released today.

17 Sep 2009

Weis Markets to hold low-cost flu shot program

Beginning this month, Weis Markets will hold more than 100 low-cost flu shot clinics in its Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia stores. In addition, as part of its WEISCARE Adult Immunization program, many Weis Markets' pharmacies will offer flu shots as an on-going service.

17 Sep 2009

Unemployed and uninsured to have easy access to free medicines from GSK

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) today announced that it is making free medicines easier to obtain for patients who are unemployed, uninsured or struggling to make ends meet.

17 Sep 2009

Health plans will continue working with members of Congress to enact bipartisan legislation: AHIP

"Senator Max Baucus has led an unprecedented and rigorous bipartisan process to enact health care reform this year and challenged all stakeholders to contribute to this process. The introduction of legislation in the Finance Committee is a very important step in the health care reform process.

17 Sep 2009

AF Stat Call to Action for Atrial Fibrillation document released

A diverse collaboration of healthcare leaders today released the AF Stat Call to Action for Atrial Fibrillation to serve as a roadmap for reducing the burden of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in the United States. The document outlines critical issues surrounding the management of AFib, and recommends priority actions in the areas of policy, management, education and quality.

17 Sep 2009

Insurers say seniors in Medicare Advantage spend less time in hospital

Insurers say seniors in Medicare Advantage spend less time in the hospital. CQ HealthBeat reports: "A new study issued Tuesday by the health insurance industry touts the benefits offered by Medicare Advantage, just as Congress contemplates slashing bonus payments to the managed-care program to help pay for the health care overhaul."

17 Sep 2009

HMS to provide third-party liability services to Medicaid agencies

HMS today announced that it had been awarded a contract by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide additional third-party liability services. With the addition of Minnesota, HMS now provides third party liability services to 39 state Medicaid agencies.

17 Sep 2009

Americans for Tax Reform assesses the Baucus healthcare plan

Employer Mandate Tax. $400 per employee if health coverage is not offered. Note: this is a huge incentive to drop coverage, as $400 is much less than the average plan cost of $11,000 for families or $5000 for singles (Source: AHIP)

17 Sep 2009

How-to guides: Help an elderly parent, find your own insurance

News organizations offer advice on how to care for an elderly parent without going broke and how to find health insurance before becoming eligible for Medicare.

17 Sep 2009

AAHSA commends Senate Finance Committee's work on health care reform

We commend the Senate Finance Committee for the work they have put into developing an equitable and affordable approach to making health care coverage accessible to the millions of Americans who do not now have it.

16 Sep 2009

Research study investigates survival rates of prostate cancer patients across time periods

New research to be published in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (Vol. 302, No. 11), by a team at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), shows that men diagnosed with prostate cancer beginning in the early 1990's had significantly improved survival outcomes compared with patients whose cancers were diagnosed in prior decades.

16 Sep 2009

Medicare Advantage's preventive health care strategy keeps seniors out of the hospital

Seniors in Medicare Advantage spent fewer days in a hospital, were subject to fewer hospital re-admissions, and were less likely to have "potentially avoidable" admissions, for common conditions ranging from uncontrolled diabetes to dehydration, according to a new analysis of publicly available AHRQ data released today by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

16 Sep 2009

Health care reform should include protections for retiree health care benefits

The executive director of a national retiree advocacy group has called proposals for nationalized health care (HR 3200) a "back-door bailout" that would enable companies to skip out on fiscal obligations to retirees and stick the taxpayers with the bill.

16 Sep 2009

Primary care shortage could worsen under reform

The shortage of primary care physicians could prove a major challenge to health reform. To make matters worse, some doctors are considering early retirement because of the high cost of practicing medicine.

16 Sep 2009

Breast cancer prevention drugs may negatively affect patients

Three drugs, including tamoxifen, reduce a woman's chance of getting breast cancer, but each drug carries distinct potential harms of its own, according to a new report from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Sep 2009

Kaiser Permanente launches new state-of-the-art hospital in Downey

Kaiser Permanente has opened a new state-of-the-art 352-bed hospital in Downey, which will provide high-quality, personal, and affordable healthcare in Southeast Los Angeles County for many years into the future.

16 Sep 2009

DaVita achieves target fistula usage rate in Virginia

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), has been recognized in the state of Virginia for reaching the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network's patient quality improvement goal.

16 Sep 2009

Wisconsin town offers low cost, quality care model

A Wisconsin clinic offers a better model that provides high-quality care and saves the federal government money. CQ HealthBeat reports on the Marshfield Clinic where nurses are readily available, doctors offer coordinated care to manage chronic conditions, and staff follows best practices based on convincing data.

16 Sep 2009