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Centene Corporation third-quarter 2009 net earnings increases to $22.7

Centene Corporation today announced its net earnings from continuing operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 were $22.7 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, compared to $18.1 million, or $0.41 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2008. The results of operations for our New Jersey health plan, University Health Plans, are classified as discontinued operations.

27 Oct 2009

Mobile application launched to help consumers compare health care costs

Medica today became the first health plan to launch a mobile application to help consumers compare cost information for a variety of medical procedures. The app, based on the Web site MainStreetMedica.com, is available at the iPhone App Store.

27 Oct 2009

Health & Human Services awards Lockheed Martin new information technology contracts

Lockheed Martin has been awarded $170 million in new Health & Human Services (HHS) information technology contracts, all geared toward improving efficiency in our nation's health systems.

27 Oct 2009

Reid: Public option with 'opt-out' provision is the 'best way to move forward'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said this afternoon that he supports a public plan with a provision that would allow states to "opt-out." Reid's announcement represents a major reversal from his previous hesitation about this mechanism and ensures that some form of a public option will be included in health-care legislation headed to the Senate floor. Recent debate has focused on the best way to devise the approach and which lawmakers might support it.

27 Oct 2009

Small businesses face higher premiums, push for access to 'exchanges'

"As Congress nears votes on legislation that would overhaul the health care system, many small businesses say they are facing the steepest rise in insurance premiums they have seen in recent years," the New York Times reports.

27 Oct 2009

Humana Medicare Advantage plans for Senior Citizens Bureau members

Humana and The Senior Citizens Bureau (SCB) are collaborating to offer Humana Medicare Advantage plans to more than 500,000 SCB members.

27 Oct 2009

Senate health bill could come this week, 'compromise' public option now seems likely

Senate Democrats will need to move quickly if they want to pass some version of health overhaul legislation by the end of the year.

27 Oct 2009

Reid to announce his support for public plan

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to announce at a 3:15 press conference today his support for inclusion of a public option in health care reform legislation.

27 Oct 2009

President Obama declares H1N1 national emergency

President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 (swine) flu outbreak a national emergency, the Wall Street Journal reports. "The declaration, which Mr. Obama signed Friday, authorizes the administration to waive or modify certain federal requirements involving Medicare, Medicaid and health-privacy rules to speed treatment," the newspaper writes (McKay/Simpson/Whalen, 10/26).

26 Oct 2009

Medicare fraud: One of the most profitable crimes in U.S.

Medicare "provides a rich and steady income stream for criminals who are constantly finding new ways to steal a sizable chunk of the half trillion dollars that are paid out each year in Medicare benefits," 60 Minutes reports. "In fact, Medicare fraud - estimated now to total about $60 billion a year - has become one of, if not the most profitable, crimes in America." Medicare fraud leaves little evidence: an FBI agent in South Florida said "the only visible evidence of the crimes are the thousands of tiny clinics and pharmacies that dot the low-rent strip malls.

26 Oct 2009

Hospital gives Medicare patients cash back for surgery

In a story done by Kaiser Health News in collaboration with USA Today, KHN staff writer Phil Galewitz reports on a hospital in Tulsa, Okla. "An hour into knee replacement surgery — with U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For playing in the background — Dr. Yogesh Mittal smiles as he raises the left leg of his patient, 76-year-old Frank Morrow.

26 Oct 2009

Health care legislation benefits insurers, but annual profits are not so hot

The health insurance industry is likely to benefit from a health care overhaul, but industry profits are not as high as many seem to believe.

26 Oct 2009

House Democratic leaders huddle on public insurance option

House Democratic leaders faced an impasse late last week as it became clear that a liberal version of the public option did not have enough support in the caucus.

26 Oct 2009

Failure to fix Medicare doctor payments highlights perennial problem

NPR reports on Senate Democrats' failed attempt to fix Medicare's perennial problem of threatening to cut doctor pay. "Just about every year a formula glitch threatens to cut payments to doctors who treat seniors and the disabled," according to NPR. "And just about every year Congress cancels the cut. This year lawmakers are complaining about the bill because it's not paid for. But, despite what both Republicans and Democrats are claiming, that's nothing new."

26 Oct 2009

HealthSouth announces credit agreement amendment and extended maturity of a portion of its term loan

HealthSouth Corporation today announced it has amended its credit agreement and extended maturity of a portion of its term loan. A segment of the lenders under the term loan that has a current outstanding balance of approximately $750 million will extend the maturity for $300 million of that loan from March 2013 to September 2015, contingent on certain conditions.

26 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 26, 2009

Several Democratic senators voiced optimism on Sunday that Congress would pass a health care bill containing at least the germ of a government-run insurance program. Their expectations were grudgingly seconded by Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008 (The New York Times).

26 Oct 2009

AMERIGROUP issues new guidance for third quarter 2009

AMERIGROUP Corporation announced today that it expects to report earnings for the third quarter of 2009 in the range of $0.42 to $0.44 per diluted share. The new guidance for the third quarter primarily reflects elevated medical costs associated with the onset of a severe flu season due to the H1N1 virus.

26 Oct 2009

Thomson Reuters: The U.S. healthcare system wastes an estimated amount of $700 billion annually

The U.S. healthcare system wastes between $600 billion and $850 billion annually, according to a white paper published today by Thomson Reuters.

26 Oct 2009

Future physician workforce may be younger but fewer in number than previously projected

Compared with a source of data often used regarding physician workforce supply and projected changes, data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests that the future physician workforce may be younger but fewer in number than previously projected, according to a study in the October 21 issue of JAMA.

26 Oct 2009

Enrollment in medical schools continues to expand to meet nation's need for more doctors

Enrollment in both new and existing U.S. medical schools continues to expand to meet the nation's need for more doctors, according to data released today by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges).

26 Oct 2009