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Health plans' quality of care improved in some areas in 2007, NCQA report says

Health plans' quality of care improved in 2007 -- the ninth consecutive year of continued improvements -- according to a study released Thursday by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

5 Oct 2008

Vice Presidential debate includes references to health care

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) and Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Thursday during a debate at Washington University in St. Louis discussed health care and other proposals offered by Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Washington Post reports.

5 Oct 2008

Plastic surgeons call for shake-up of cosmetic surgery in Australia

The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has called for a ban on cosmetic surgery on teenagers.

30 Sep 2008

Senate passes bill to aid low-income seniors pay Medicare premiums

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill (S 3560) that would authorize an additional $45 million to assist low-income seniors with Medicare premiums and increase incentives for certain drug manufactures to produce antibiotics, CQ Today reports.

29 Sep 2008

Average monthly premium for stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage will increase by 24% in 2009 to $37, according to report

The average monthly premium for stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage will increase by 24% to $37 next year, according to an analysis of the plans by Avalere Health, the Wall Street Journal reports.

29 Sep 2008

National Journal examines advocates,' lawmakers' efforts to create domestic HIV/AIDS plan

The National Journal on Saturday examined the efforts of some lawmakers and advocates to call for "renewed attention" to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., including pushing for a national plan to address the epidemic.

24 Sep 2008

Obama releases new ad criticizing McCain on health insurance regulation

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on Monday released an advertisement that criticized Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) for his views on health care and an article in which he discusses regulation of the health insurance market, the Boston Globe's "Political Intelligence" reports (Rhee, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 9/22).

24 Sep 2008

Study finds Medicare's benefits are less generous than large-employer plans

Medicare on average provides less generous benefits to seniors than they would receive under a typical large-employer health plan or the most popular plan available to federal employees – even with the program’s new drug benefit, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

22 Sep 2008

U.S. citizens cutting back on health care

U.S. spending on health care services is "under pressure" as Americans are "cutting back on health care," an area of the economy "once thought to be invulnerable to recession," the Wall Street Journal reports.

22 Sep 2008

Medicare Part B premiums in 2009 will not increase for most beneficiaries

CMS on Friday announced that monthly outpatient care premiums for about 95% of Medicare recipients will remain at $96.40 in 2009, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/20).

22 Sep 2008

House, Senate Veterans Committee Chairs push to approve VA budget one year in advance

The chairs of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs committees are pushing for legislation that would allow Congress to approve funding for veterans' health care programs one year in advance, the New York Times reports.

22 Sep 2008

House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses options for health care reform amidst struggling economy

Lawmakers and witnesses on Thursday at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing discussed several proposals to reform the U.S. health care system, CQ HealthBeat reports. Subcommittee Democrats said that the current economic downturn increased the need for health care reform.

22 Sep 2008

Genetic screening effective for initial HIV treatment

A major study from a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that a recent change to HIV-treatment guidelines recommending genetic screening is cost-effective under certain conditions. The new recommendation suggests conducting a genetic screening test prior to prescribing the drug abacavir, one of the preferred first-line drugs for the treatment for HIV-infected adults.

17 Sep 2008

Advocates for SCHIP expansion look to next year as Democrats, Republicans disagree over ability to pass legislation this session

Advocates of reauthorizing and expanding SCHIP "are warily training their eyes on next year with a mix of anticipation and anxiety" as it seems unlikely that there will be another vote on the legislation during the current congressional session, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 9/15).

16 Sep 2008

CMS to suspend competitive acquisition program for medications covered under Medicare Part B

A CMS official last week said that the agency on Jan. 1 will suspend the Competitive Acquisition Program, launched in 2006 to supply certain medications to physician offices, because of "contractual issues" related to proprietary data, CQ HealthBeat reports.

16 Sep 2008

Senate Committee approves legislation that would invalidate mandatory banding arbitration provisions of nursing home admission contracts

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote a bill (S 2838) that would ban the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts, CQ Today reports.

15 Sep 2008

House Committee weighs options for permanent overhaul of Medicare physician payment system

Witnesses at a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing on Thursday discussed potential methods for overhauling the Medicare physician payment system, CQ HealthBeat reports.

15 Sep 2008

Lawmakers warn federal officials to fix problems with Medicare information phone line

CMS has improved 1-800-Medicare, a toll-free telephone line that beneficiaries can call for information on the prescription drug benefit, but the agency needs to address some serious problems that remain before the next annual enrollment period begins on Nov. 15, advocates for seniors and lawmakers said on Thursday during a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, CQ HealthBeat reports. CMS has five call centers nationwide for the telephone line, which served about 30 million callers in 2007.

15 Sep 2008

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Biden discusses health care proposal of GOP Presidential Nominee McCain

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) on Tuesday during a campaign event in Mehlville, Mo., said that Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as president would place employer-sponsored health insurance at risk, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

11 Sep 2008

Rep. Stark prepared to introduce legislation this week to spur nationwide adoption of electronic health records

House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) this week plans to introduce a bill intended to encourage nationwide adoption of electronic health record technology that will include a provision to impose penalties on health care providers who fail to do so, CQ Today reports.

11 Sep 2008

Medicare News and Research

Health plans' quality of care improved in some areas in 2007, NCQA report says

Vice Presidential debate includes references to health care

Plastic surgeons call for shake-up of cosmetic surgery in Australia

Senate passes bill to aid low-income seniors pay Medicare premiums

Average monthly premium for stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage will increase by 24% in 2009 to $37, according to report

National Journal examines advocates,' lawmakers' efforts to create domestic HIV/AIDS plan

Obama releases new ad criticizing McCain on health insurance regulation

Study finds Medicare's benefits are less generous than large-employer plans

U.S. citizens cutting back on health care

Medicare Part B premiums in 2009 will not increase for most beneficiaries

House, Senate Veterans Committee Chairs push to approve VA budget one year in advance

House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses options for health care reform amidst struggling economy

Genetic screening effective for initial HIV treatment

Advocates for SCHIP expansion look to next year as Democrats, Republicans disagree over ability to pass legislation this session

CMS to suspend competitive acquisition program for medications covered under Medicare Part B

Senate Committee approves legislation that would invalidate mandatory banding arbitration provisions of nursing home admission contracts

House Committee weighs options for permanent overhaul of Medicare physician payment system

Lawmakers warn federal officials to fix problems with Medicare information phone line

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Biden discusses health care proposal of GOP Presidential Nominee McCain

Rep. Stark prepared to introduce legislation this week to spur nationwide adoption of electronic health records

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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