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Federal appeals court in Cincinnati upholds health law

"A federal appeals court in Cincinnati on Wednesday upheld the health-care law passed by Congress last year, saying the law's requirement for most Americans to carry insurance or pay a penalty is constitutional. The vote was 2-1 on the three-judge panel on the key question of whether the insurance requirement exceeded Congress's powers under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority concluded that it did not".

30 Jun 2011

Obama health insurance plans upheld at the Appeals court

President Obama's healthcare make over plans sailed through its first hurdle at the federal appellate court, as the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati concluded that the law's insurance requirement is constitutional.

30 Jun 2011

One-third of immigrant children, many foreign-born adults in N.J. lack health coverage

One-third of immigrant children and more than 70 percent of foreign-born, nonelderly adults living in New Jersey five years or less lack health coverage, a Rutgers statewide survey finds.

30 Jun 2011

HHS: Half million seniors experiencing lower drug costs

As a result of health law changes to provide seniors with "doughnut hole" relief, Medicare recipients saved a combined $260 million on medicines as of the end of last month.

30 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Calif.'s budget, Supreme Court drug rulings, the Avastin debate

The budget is not realistic, counting on fantastical revenue projections as well as a redevelopment gambit that's likely to be blocked in court. It makes deep cuts in state programs that will have unwelcome repercussions in years to come. And if the revenue projections prove to be as overly optimistic as they seem, there will be more damaging cuts to education, child care and health services. Nevertheless, it's a more earnest effort to clean up the state's budget mess than Sacramento has seen in a decade or more.

30 Jun 2011

Video consultation initiative great opportunity for patients and GPs

With the new video consultation MBS items being available from 1 July 2011, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is committed to supporting the profession during the telehealth rollout and highlights the value of the GP in this healthcare model.

29 Jun 2011

NHS complaint system may need a ‘make over’

According to a committee of MPs, a “more open culture” is required to handle complaints about the health service in England. The committee has members from different political parties and said the system should be overhauled to ensure patients who complained were treated fairly. They also criticized the role of the Health Ombudsman and said it was not dealing with enough complaints.

29 Jun 2011

Doctors refuse to accept NHS reform bill

Labour warned that the health secretary, Andrew Lansley was still planning to create a “full-scale market” after Steve Field acknowledged that the government would leave hospitals vulnerable to European Union competition law due to the presence of private patients in NHS hospitals.

29 Jun 2011

Interest, uncertainty surround health exchanges, ACOs

In other news related to health law implementation, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., has co-sponsored legislation to allow states to opt out of the health law until legal challenges related to it are resolved.

29 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 29, 2011

In today's news, two senators offer a new plan for Medicare cuts -- which includes increasing the eligibility age -- but top Democrats lined up against it.

29 Jun 2011

ACO criticism continues; Health exchanges 'a new goldmine'

As health care providers consider structuring accountable care organizations, the nation's employer community wants to be sure they have a place in those discussions.

29 Jun 2011

Texas passes health program revamp; Oregon House acts to create better coordinated care

The Legislature approved and sent to the governor Monday a health care savings bill under which Texas could seek permission to redesign entirely the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and abortion-rights opponents scored several victories in the measure (Garrett, 6/27).

29 Jun 2011

Sebelius comes to IPAB's defense as others line up against it

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius penned an op-ed last week offering a strong defense of the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board. Meanwhile, however, the American Medical Association has taken an official position against the panel, and 270 other health care organizations sent a letter to members of Congress expressing their opposition too.

28 Jun 2011

Roll over Hippocrates: Medicine undergoing revolution of overturning traditional ethics

Everybody seems to think that doctors swear to the Oath of Hippocrates, and follow a long ethical tradition dating back to the 5th century before Christ. Not anymore. The new doctors seem to be making it up as they go along.

27 Jun 2011

BMA warns NHS reforms may undermine public trust

According to the British Medical Association (BMA) the Coalition government’s plans to reward GPs for enforcing budgetary controls could fundamentally damage trust with their patients.

27 Jun 2011

State roundup: Indiana's effort to privatize public assistance

(Louise) Cohoon's mother, now suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was one of thousands of Indiana residents who abruptly and erroneously lost their welfare, Medicaid or food stamp benefits after Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels privatized the state's public assistance program — the result of an efficiency plan that went awry from the very beginning, the state now admits.

27 Jun 2011

Policy leaders to identify targeted strategies for creating national breastfeeding agenda

One hundred invited health and policy leaders will meet again in Washington, D.C. on June 29-30 to identify targeted strategies for establishing a national breastfeeding agenda as part of our nation's Health Reform, building on the essential recommendations and positive outcomes of the Second Annual Summit held last June.

27 Jun 2011

State highlights: Calif. insurance regulatory system criticized

The two-headed beast that regulates health insurance in California is under fire. For the first time in a decade, healthcare leaders in Sacramento are publicly asking whether it's time to junk overlapping bureaucracies that police health insurers and HMOs (Helfand, 6/23).

24 Jun 2011

Health law implementation progress, issues continue to draw attention

For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure's health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow.

24 Jun 2011

Arguments held in NJ Appeals Court over health law challenge

A federal appeals court hearing arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of last year's U.S. health reform law focused primarily on whether plaintiffs need to demonstrate they are suffering economic harm now or will when the part of the law mandating that everyone have health coverage takes effect.

24 Jun 2011