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State Medicaid programs face cuts, backlog of applications

The Associated Press reports Minnesota Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that they hope to save health coverage for 35,000 low-income adults after state funding runs out in March. "Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration already plans to switch patients into another subsidized program, MinnesotaCare.

12 Dec 2009

UPMC Health Plan signs agreement to offer brain fitness software from Posit Science

UPMC Health Plan announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer award-winning brain fitness software from Posit Science®, at no cost, to all UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members.

12 Dec 2009

Health reform profiles: People working in the health industry and those struggling with coverage

News reports today include profiles of people who work in the health care industry and people struggling with their insurance coverage.

12 Dec 2009

Health policy study roundup

Relationship of Primary Care Physicians' Patient Caseload With Measurement of Quality and Cost Performance - To "determine whether primary care physicians in the same physician practice collectively see enough Medicare patients annually to detect meaningful differences between practices in ambulatory quality and cost measures," the authors of this study combed through a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries and a database identifying the practice affiliations of the physicians who delivered care to these patients.

12 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 11, 2009

Today's headlines track the fits and starts of the Senate's health bill debate, including moderates' concern regarding the recent Medicare expansion deal and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's positive reaction to it. Meanwhile, floor action appears snagged on a drug importation amendment.

11 Dec 2009

Pfizer extends its patient assistance program for unemployed and uninsured Americans

Pfizer today announced it will extend its MAINTAIN™ (Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need) patient assistance program for an additional year, through December 31, 2010. In addition to the more than 70 Pfizer primary care medicines currently available through MAINTAIN, Pfizer will extend the benefits of MAINTAIN to many legacy Wyeth medicines.

11 Dec 2009

Pelosi: Depending on Senate, House could work part of Christmas week

CQ Politics: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she wouldn't rule out keeping the House in session for part of Christmas week, if that could lead to final action this year on a health care overhaul. Right now, however, such a scenario appears unlikely." In the Senate, Democratic leaders are waiting for an updated Congressional Budget Office analysis -- a report not expected before next week -- that includes the most recent round of proposals to the bill they are considering.

10 Dec 2009

Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers penalized for lacking health insurance

The Boston Globe: "Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers were penalized for lacking required health insurance last year than were fined in 2007, the state said yesterday in a report reflecting the second year that residents had to report on their tax returns whether they were covered under the state's near-universal-coverage mandate.

10 Dec 2009

Key Democratic Senators aren't yet committing to health bill

Some of the key players in the health care debate are featured in news articles today.

10 Dec 2009

Medicare Advantage plans waste billions, report finds

Health insurance companies that offer private alternative Medicare plans, called Medicare Advantage, put billions of dollars toward profits and marketing rather than patient care, according to a report released Wednesday by House Democrats.

10 Dec 2009

Hospitals, insurers oppose health bill compromise on Medicare buy-in

Groups representing doctors and hospitals are coming out against the inclusion of a Medicare "buy-in" in the Senate health bill, The Washington Post reports. The groups joined Republicans in arguing "that a plan by liberal Democrats to allow uninsured individuals as young as 55 to buy into Medicare would be financially untenable and would jeopardize access to health-care services for millions of Americans."

10 Dec 2009

eHealth data identifies average premiums for non-group family health insurance plans in 46 states

eHealth, Inc., the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses, today released data from approximately 84,000 individually purchased, non-group, major medical family health insurance policies that were active in February of 2009.

10 Dec 2009

Medicare will be broke in eight years, says CCAGW

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today expressed disdain at last evening’s theatrical announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that five Democratic moderates and five Democratic liberals in the Senate had come to some sort of behind-closed-doors breakthrough moment on the $898 billion Senate healthcare bill.

10 Dec 2009

Tobacco prevention and cessation programs: States cut funding by more than 15%

The states are collecting record amounts of revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but have cut funding for programs to reduce tobacco use by more than 15 percent in the past year, according to a report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.

10 Dec 2009

NRF welcomes Sen. Landrieu’s health care amendment

The National Retail Federation today welcomed an amendment to Senate health care reform legislation offered by Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., that would remove onerous penalties on employers who require workers to wait more than 30 days to become eligible for health insurance coverage.

10 Dec 2009

Order Online Drugs announces the launch of OrderOnlineDrugs.com

Order Online Drugs Inc. is proud to announce the launch of OrderOnlineDrugs.com (www.orderonlinedrugs.com), a next generation online Canadian pharmacy that offers brand name prescription drugs at significantly lower prices compared to local drug stores.

10 Dec 2009

Small business owners unveil a package of amendments that will benefit small businesses

Democratic Senators Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Debbie Stabenow joined Terry Gardiner of the Small Business Majority and Mike Brey, small business owner from Maryland, at a press conference this afternoon to unveil a package of amendments to The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will benefit small businesses.

10 Dec 2009

Reid continues to court moderates for health bill support

Some news organizations are watching how certain key swing senators are reacting to the negotiations on a public option in the health care legislation.

9 Dec 2009

Polls show stable attitudes on public option, abortion

A Bloomberg poll conducted Dec. 3-7 found, on health care, "about half of poll respondents saying they disapprove of the plans in Congress to overhaul the system. Sixty-two percent of Americans say they are mostly pessimistic they would benefit from [a health-care bill Congress may pass.] The youngest Americans are more optimistic, with 47 percent of those under 35 saying they would benefit."

9 Dec 2009

Reid says 'broad agreement' on public option, senators await details

Coverage of the Senate's "broad agreement" to create a national health insurance plan continues, with Democratic leaders remaining mum on details while insisting the compromise leaves a "public" option in the bill. (See KHN's Tuesday night breaking news round-up).

9 Dec 2009