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Clinical effectiveness of coronary stents in the elderly

Heart disease patients 65 and older who receive stents coated with medicine to prevent blockages are more likely to survive and less likely to suffer a heart attack than people fitted with stents not coated with medication, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry.

29 Mar 2009

New York State to offer low-income, disabled residents prescription drug discount cards

New York state officials on Monday announced a statewide prescription drug discount card program for residents with disabilities, people who are too young to qualify for Medicare and those whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

25 Mar 2009

CMS orders end to 'referral fees' to sales agents for Medicare Advantage plans

CMS has ordered private insurers to payment of "'referral fees' to sales agents who steer a beneficiary to a company for enrollment," Florida Health News reports.

25 Mar 2009

Number of Alzheimer's cases growing annually, increasing costs, report finds

The number of U.S. residents with Alzheimer's disease is increasing annually, putting more pressure on the health care system, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the Alzheimer's Association, USA Today reports (Brophy Marcus, USA Today, 3/24).

25 Mar 2009

More physicians performing house calls

The Washington Post on Tuesday examined how a "small but growing tribe of doctors, nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners ... are reviving [the] once-common practice" of performing house calls.

25 Mar 2009

AHIP, BCBS say insurers willing to stop basing premiums on members' health status if all U.S. residents are required to obtain coverage

In a letter to leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees on Tuesday, America's Health Insurance Plans and the BlueCross BlueShield Association said that their memberships would be willing to end the practice of charging different premiums based on individuals' health status if all U.S. residents were required to obtain coverage, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 3/25).

25 Mar 2009

Sebelius, DeParle discuss health care reform with congressional lawmakers

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's nominee for HHS secretary, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, the director of the White House Office for Health Reform, each met with congressional lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss plans for health care overhaul, CQ Today reports. Sebelius said she met with nearly 40 senators who expressed "a lot of interest in health reform."

25 Mar 2009

Obama says balancing budget without addressing health care is 'impossible'

President Obama on Tuesday during a prime-time news conference linked issues within the U.S. budget in part to high health care costs, stating that "almost every single person" who has examined the nation's budget has concluded that the government must find a way to reduce health care costs, the Washington Post reports (Shear/Wilson, Washington Post, 3/25).

25 Mar 2009

Recession exacerbates financial problems at California community health clinics

California community health clinics are struggling to meet an increased demand from new patients who have lost their jobs and health insurance, the Los Angeles Times reports.

24 Mar 2009

Administration officials signal White House might accept cuts to proposed budget as long as health care reform, other priorities are preserved

Obama administration officials have indicated they might be willing to accept reductions to President Obama's budget proposal as long as his "signature initiatives," including health care reform, remain untouched, the Washington Post reports.

24 Mar 2009

Obama's proposed FY 2010 budget would require nearly $9.3 trilion in borrowing over 10 years, according to CBO report

President Obama's $3.6 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget proposal would require borrowing nearly $9.3 trillion over the next decade, or $2.3 trillion more than the White House projected, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released on Friday, the Washington Post reports (Montgomery, Washington Post, 3/21).

23 Mar 2009

President Obama's insurance for children - shouldn't we at least talk about it?"

Democrats are moving quickly to socialize American health care with the SCHIP expansion. Michael Tanner of the CATO Institute whined, "Shouldn't we at least talk about it?"

16 Mar 2009

Study finds that dying patients and families suffer from lack of continuity of physician care

In a study published in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers found that patients and families can suffer from feelings of abandonment when a physician who had been actively involved in care is no longer involved.

16 Mar 2009

Obama advisers suggest President might not oppose taxing some employer-sponsored health benefits

The Obama administration is "signaling to Congress" that President Obama "could support taxing some employee health benefits" to help offset the cost of health care reform, a move supported by "several influential lawmakers and many economists" but "opposed by union leaders and some businesses," the New York Times reports (Calmes/Pear, New York Times, 3/15).

16 Mar 2009

Lexington Herald-Leader examines funding issues in Kentucky HIV/AIDS clinic

The Lexington Herald-Leader on Thursday examined funding issues faced by the Bluegrass Care Clinic, a Kentucky-based HIV/AIDS clinic that has seen a twofold increase in the number of patients over the last eight years, despite receiving no federal funding increases.

16 Mar 2009

Dramatic growth in number of hospitalists over last two decades

One of the most striking changes in health care over the last two decades has been a dramatic increase in physicians categorized as "hospitalists" - doctors who practice almost exclusively in hospitals, rather than combining both outpatient and inpatient care.

11 Mar 2009

Medicare News and Research

Clinical effectiveness of coronary stents in the elderly

New York State to offer low-income, disabled residents prescription drug discount cards

CMS orders end to 'referral fees' to sales agents for Medicare Advantage plans

Number of Alzheimer's cases growing annually, increasing costs, report finds

More physicians performing house calls

AHIP, BCBS say insurers willing to stop basing premiums on members' health status if all U.S. residents are required to obtain coverage

Sebelius, DeParle discuss health care reform with congressional lawmakers

Obama says balancing budget without addressing health care is 'impossible'

Recession exacerbates financial problems at California community health clinics

Administration officials signal White House might accept cuts to proposed budget as long as health care reform, other priorities are preserved

Obama's proposed FY 2010 budget would require nearly $9.3 trilion in borrowing over 10 years, according to CBO report

President Obama's insurance for children - shouldn't we at least talk about it?"

Study finds that dying patients and families suffer from lack of continuity of physician care

Obama advisers suggest President might not oppose taxing some employer-sponsored health benefits

Lexington Herald-Leader examines funding issues in Kentucky HIV/AIDS clinic

Dramatic growth in number of hospitalists over last two decades

Studies investigate end-of-life healthcare

Extra medicare charges for the rich a slippery slope, expert says

Seattle report ranks local hospitals on access to care for minorities, low-income individuals

Dorgan, McCain, Snowe introduce bill to allow prescription drug reimportation

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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