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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

Obama: 'Time for bickering is over' on health care reform

"Obama said the changes he has in mind would cost about $900 billion over [a] decade, 'less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans' passed during the Bush administration."

11 Sep 2009

Analyses of Obama speech generally agree: He reframed the debate without specifics

President Obama used his speech to highlight the major themes of his push at health care reform, but in reframing the debate, he also left out the specifics of his preferences according to a number of news stories analyzing the event.

10 Sep 2009

Number of uninsured may jump to 50 million

"The number of people in the U.S. lacking health insurance may have grown as much as 9 percent to 50 million people last year, adding fuel to President Barack Obama's push for overhauling the system," Bloomberg reports. "The likely increase was driven by a jump in U.S. unemployment, said Ana Gupte, a Sanford Bernstein & Co. Inc. analyst in New York who follows UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint Inc., the top two U.S. health insurers.

10 Sep 2009

Baucus readies reform move, with or without Republicans

Sen. Max Baucus is readying his Senate Finance Committee to move a health care reform bill to the full Senate, with or without the support of Republicans negotiating their position.

10 Sep 2009

The Center for Justice & Democracy opposes President Obama's medical malpractice proposal

The Center for Justice & Democracy strongly opposes President Obama's plan to implement Bush Administration measures to limit the legal rights of severely injured patients, which has become part of the health care discussion apparently as a bargaining chip to reduce Republican opposition to much needed health care reform.

10 Sep 2009

NHSA and Together Rx Access collaborate to improve prescription access

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) and Together Rx Access announced today a collaboration to launch the Together Rx Access(R) FOR HEAD START Card to help eligible uninsured individuals and families associated with Head Start access immediate and meaningful savings on prescription medicines and products right at their neighborhood pharmacies.

10 Sep 2009

Obama's big speech: Advice and history

As President Obama prepares for his big health care speech tonight, major players from the last health care debate offer him advice. Obama also has earlier health care experiences of his own to draw from.

10 Sep 2009

Health care reforms opposed by majority of industrial distributors

By a four-to-one margin, industrial distributors are solidly against government being part of any health care reform package, according to a survey conducted by Industrial Distribution magazine (www.Inddist.com). The survey of 634 distributors also shows that 89 percent of the respondents are satisfied with their existing health care.

10 Sep 2009

Baucus aims for health agreement in advance of Obama speech tonight

Democrats are promising to send President Obama a health reform plan this year as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus continues to try to get key Republicans on board with a new proposal.

9 Sep 2009

An examination of Medicare cost and quality issues

Chronic conditions and readmission to the ER trigger significant costs to the hospital system and Medicare while efforts are underway to save Medicare money by preventing hospital infections and falls.

9 Sep 2009

With summer jobs, med students experience health system challenges first hand

A group of University of Washington medical students had an eye-opening experience with the health care system this summer, The New York Times reports. A record number of students from the university this year participated in a summer program that sends rising second-year medical students "across the Northwest to provide primary care in rural or underserved areas."

9 Sep 2009

Fourth-quarter and full year fiscal 2009 results announced by Rural/Metro

Rural/Metro Corporation (NASDAQ: RURL), a leading provider of ambulance and private fire protection services, announced results today for its fiscal 2009 fourth quarter and full year, highlighting strong cash-flow generation, growth in profitability, and further progress in reducing uncompensated care.

9 Sep 2009

Health Care REIT updates financial guidance for fiscal year 2009

Health Care REIT, Inc. (NYSE:HCN) today announced updated financial guidance for fiscal year 2009 as a result of its recent common stock public offering. On September 1, 2009, the company announced that it agreed to sell 8,000,000 shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering.

9 Sep 2009

Health reform proposals under consideration to benefit small business owners and employees most: Report

Small business owners and employees are among those who stand to benefit the most from provisions in some of the current health reform proposals under consideration by Congress according to a Commonwealth Fund report released today.

9 Sep 2009

Vangent forges alliance with MSM in Atlanta to provide job opportunities for MPH degree students

Vangent, Inc., a leading global provider of information management and strategic business process outsourcing solutions, announced it has partnered with the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in Atlanta, GA to provide job opportunities for some of Morehouse's second year graduate students pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree.

9 Sep 2009

Advocacy campaign to fight reimbursement cuts for POC urine drug screen devices

Millennium Laboratories, a leading provider of therapeutic drug monitoring and education to physicians and staff treating chronic pain patients, has announced the launch of an advocacy campaign to fight reimbursement cuts to point-of-care (POC) urine drug screen devices.

9 Sep 2009

Baucus sends $900 billion health care proposal to 'gang of six'

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has sent his "gang of six" colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee a health overhaul proposal that would cost under $900 billion.

9 Sep 2009

Misleading information in hospital report cards can impact patients’ health care

A key statistic that consumer groups and the media often use when compiling hospital report cards and national rankings can be misleading, researchers report in a new study.

9 Sep 2009

Newspapers across the country cover state health issues

Newspapers across the country report on health issues at the state level. Stories include the loss of health insurance for working parents in Arizona, a rise in the number of uninsured seeking help at nonprofit clinics in Kansas, the expansion of a program for children's insurance in Alabama, a decline in the number of uninsured in New York City, fears about a financial blow for health providers in Louisiana and union activism for the uninsured in Florida.

9 Sep 2009

Democrats are tightening the belt for health reform

KHN reports: "Over the weekend, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., proposed a health care overhaul "framework" for committee consideration that would cost under $900 billion over the next decade, according to a source close to the negotiations.

9 Sep 2009