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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

Today's opinions and editorials

The language in our amendment is completely consistent with the Hyde Amendment, which in the 33 years since its passage has done nothing to inhibit private health insurers from offering abortion coverage. There is no reason to believe that a continuation of this policy would suddenly create undue hardship for the insurance industry — or for those who wish to use their private insurance to pay for an abortion (Rep. Bart Stupak, 12/8).

9 Dec 2009

Senate rejects abortion amendment, sparking new fight

The Hill: "The Senate voted against strengthening restrictions for federal funding of abortion Tuesday evening, a development that could imperil Democrats' efforts to pass an underlying healthcare reform bill. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who offered the amendment, had indicated that he could support a Republican filibuster of the healthcare reform bill if the abortion language were not added to it."

9 Dec 2009

Despite recession, some states boosting insurance coverage

"Despite the economic downturn that's busting state budgets from Sacramento to Tallahassee, 26 states this year made it easier for low-income children, parents or pregnant women to get health coverage, according to a report released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation," Kaiser Health News and The Miami Herald report (KHN is a program of the foundation).

9 Dec 2009

White House announces $600 million for community health centers, medical records

The White House announced Wednesday it would spend $600 million to build and enhance community health centers and medical records.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare to pay for HIV testing

Reuters: "Americans enrolled in the U.S. government-run Medicare health insurance program will now be covered for tests that screen for HIV, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the program for the elderly and disabled, said on Tuesday.

9 Dec 2009

National Health Partners to generate record revenue of between $1.5 and $2 million during the first-fiscal

National Health Partners, Inc., a leading provider of unique discount healthcare membership programs, announced today that it expects to generate record revenue and positive cash flow from operating activities during its fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010 due to the successful launch of several large-scale sales campaigns by its partners.

9 Dec 2009

BCBSNC to implement Callidus Software's Monaco Suite

Callidus Software Inc., the leader in Sales Performance Management (SPM), today announced that Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), has selected the Callidus Monaco Suite to manage sales performance and incentive compensation programs. Under the enterprise class SaaS agreement, signed in the third quarter of 2009, BCBSNC will use the Callidus Monaco Suite for its 4,000 brokers.

9 Dec 2009