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Top Republicans receive campaign contributions from UnitedHealth

Top Republicans, such as John Boehner and Eric Cantor, who are using Lewin Group findings to scare voters about a "government takeover" of health care, are recipients of campaign contributions from UnitedHealth, one of the largest U.S. providers of Medicare plans and the company that owns Lewin Group.

6 Oct 2009

Health plans launch initiative to make delivering and getting health care easier for patients and their physicians

Health plans today launched a landmark initiative to make delivering and getting health care easier for patients and their physicians by reducing the time, effort, and expense for the "paperwork" required for each patient office visit. The initiative, which will simplify information flow between health plans and doctors' offices, and later between health plans and hospitals, is comparable to what ATMs did for banks and consumers.

6 Oct 2009

Patients should ask questions to reduce health care costs

Medical bills can be very complicated and, in some cases, they can also be inaccurate or incomplete. California's Office of the Patient Advocate is encouraging all Californians to ask for clarification if they do not understand their medical bill.

6 Oct 2009

Patient and caregiver tools available in Spanish and French translations

Today, the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) released Spanish and French translations of patient/caregiver tools, Taking Care of MY Health Care and My Medicine List. The tools, originally developed in English, provide a resource which patients and their caregivers can use to improve outcomes and satisfaction with the health care they receive.

6 Oct 2009

Reform effort could expand drug coverage, affordability

One impact of health insurance exchanges, proposed by Democrats as part of the health care overhaul, could be better prescription drug coverage for some consumers, the Los Angeles Times explains. The exchanges would require drug coverage as part of a minimum benefits package. The flip side is that some people may be forced to buy drug coverage they don't want.

6 Oct 2009

Uninsured by choice: A 'calculated risk'

As part as the ongoing series, "Are You Covered?" by NPR and Kaiser Health News, Lyn Robinson is profiled because she part of the group known as "voluntarily uninsured." She "estimates that health insurance would cost her about $500 a month. That's a lot of money for a policy that might not even cover the kind of preventive care she values".

6 Oct 2009

Senate Democratic leaders prepare for floor action on health bills; public plan still the flashpoint

Democrats are preparing for floor action, with much of the attention centered on the Senate Finance Committee's final vote and merging two Senate reform bills.

6 Oct 2009

IBM scientists to build nanoscale DNA sequencer to read human DNA

In an effort to build a nanoscale DNA sequencer, IBM scientists are drilling nano-sized holes in computer-like chips and passing DNA strands through them in order to read the information contained within their genetic code.

6 Oct 2009

President Obama speaks to doctors to promote health overhaul

President Obama told dozens of doctors gathered in the White House Rose Garden this morning that all arguments have been heard in the completed committees' work on health care reform and reiterated that reform will get done this year.

6 Oct 2009

Obama discretely lobbying for public option in Senate health bill

"Despite months of outward ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to get divided Senate Democrats to take up some version of the idea for a final vote in the coming weeks," The Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Oct 2009

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

The Baltimore Sun reports that congressional efforts to reform the health care system could lead to improvements in care for the nation's mentally ill.

5 Oct 2009

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

"A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. "Greenspan told the ABC program 'This Week' that the federal debt was already getting too big, so reforming health care must do more than achieve what politicians call revenue neutrality — bringing in as much money as it costs."

5 Oct 2009

ZYNEX obtains accreditation as a Medicare DMEPOS supplier

Zynex, Inc. a provider of pain management systems and electrotherapy products for medical patients with functional disability, announces it has obtained accreditation as a Medicare DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) supplier, as required to maintain its status as provider to Medicare and several private health insurance companies.

5 Oct 2009

Millennium Administrators named to the Philadelphia 100 for helping employers to control healthcare costs

Millennium Administrators, a healthcare consulting firm specializing in administering employee healthcare benefits, has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies the Greater Philadelphia Region. Millennium was named to the Philadelphia 100 for the second time in the past three years.

5 Oct 2009

First edition: October 5, 2009

The continuing efforts to make progress on the nation's health overhaul are reflected in today's headlines, which highlight both politics and policies.

5 Oct 2009

Jon O'Brien's statement on healthcare reform

"This Sunday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops holds its annual Respect Life Sunday. On this occasion, we would like to encourage the US bishops to also respect the truth. A recent publication by the USCCB, a brochure entitled Contraception: The Fine Print, and recent polls on healthcare reform prove that the bishops' desire to promote their own views on reproductive health leads them to play fast and loose with the truth.

5 Oct 2009

HHS Secretary pleased with Governors supporting health insurance reform, issues statement

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued the following statement today after 22 Governors sent a letter to Congressional leaders in support of health insurance reform.

5 Oct 2009

UnitedHealthcare launches 2010 portfolio of Medicare products

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, today introduced its 2010 portfolio of Medicare products that provide seniors an affordable way to manage their health care and prescription drug needs.

5 Oct 2009

'Final' Finance Committee's health bill may not be final word for Senate

Chairman Max Baucus released the full text of the Senate Finance Committee's health care overhaul bill late Friday and news outlets examined it and looked ahead.

5 Oct 2009

Health reform bill moving ahead, despite lingering questions

CongressDaily: "Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said his committee will convene again Tuesday. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the only committee Republican who might cross sides to vote for the health bill, remained on the fence late last week. 'Obviously, there's some things that require significant improvement, for example, on the individual mandate,' Snowe said.

5 Oct 2009