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AARP asks U.S. Senator Coleman to stand up to big pharma

AARP State President Skip Humphrey stood with a group of red-shirted AARP members and representatives of the Minnesota Senior Federation and the Elder Care Rights Alliance to urge U.S. Senator Norm Coleman to support legislation to give Medicare the authority to negotiate with drug companies for lower prescription drug prices.

5 Apr 2007

Bayh calls for tripling of breast cancer research funds

U.S. Senator Evan Bayh called for a dramatic increase in breast cancer research funding at a reception for recipients of the Marvella Bayh Memorial Scholarship at Indiana University's Cancer Research Institute on IUPUI's campus today.

5 Apr 2007

People with physical disabilities endure substandard health care

Rachel steered her wheelchair into a Chicago area medical center for a series of upper gastrointestinal tests.

4 Apr 2007

Dingell introduces bill that would expand dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid, SCHIP

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) last week introduced a bill (HR 1781) that would help improve the delivery of dental services to low-income children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP, CQ HealthBeat reports.

3 Apr 2007

Shoulder arthroplasty to relieve pain has no greater risk of complications than replacement of other major joints

Contrary to widespread belief, total surgical replacement of arthritic shoulder joints carries no greater risk of complications than replacement of other major joints, a Johns Hopkins study suggests.

3 Apr 2007

Bush apologizes for Walter Reed Army Medical Center issues

President Bush on Friday during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center apologized for recently reported problems with outpatient living conditions and bureaucratic delays at the facility, the Washington Post reports.

2 Apr 2007

Lawmakers should not reduce funds for Medicare Advantage program

While Congress has some tough budget choices to make, lawmakers must realize that Medicare Advantage funding cuts would not only disrupt care for beneficiaries, but leave Medicare woefully unprepared to manage the care for millions of people with multiple chronic conditions," Scott Serota, president and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

2 Apr 2007

Stark introduces universal health insurance bill

House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) on Thursday introduced a bill that would seek to provide health insurance to all U.S. residents through Medicare and employer-sponsored coverage, the Oakland Tribune reports.

2 Apr 2007

Tommy Thompson enters Presidential race

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) on Sunday announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidency, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

2 Apr 2007

Patient safety incidents at the nation's hospitals rose three percent

Patient safety incidents at the nation's hospitals rose three percent over the years 2003 to 2005, but the nation's top-performing hospitals had a 40 percent lower rate of medical errors when compared with the poorest-performing hospitals, according to the largest annual study of patient-safety issued today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings company.

2 Apr 2007

Dingell says tobacco tax increase might not be good source of funding for SCHIP

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) on Thursday at a forum sponsored by the Center for American Progress said increasing the federal tobacco tax might not be a practical way to fund a reauthorization of SCHIP and indicated that a better funding source would be to reduce Medicare Advantage payments, CQ HealthBeat reports.

2 Apr 2007

AARP says, "give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices"

With the support of its 2.6 million members in New York, AARP is calling on the U.S. Senate to stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans and vote to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

2 Apr 2007

Health problems accumulate and take heavy toll on seniors

In the later years of life, chronic diseases and other health problems tend to accumulate and negatively affect an individual's health, according to reports published in the latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

2 Apr 2007

Drug-eluting stent use in heart patients determined more by insurance type

If you want the best technology available to relieve blocked blood flow to the heart, the choice is a drug-eluting stent.

31 Mar 2007

Gene expression profiling shows how transplanted heart is performing

New research suggests a genomic test may provide detailed information on how well a transplanted heart is performing.

30 Mar 2007

Massachusetts health insurance connector board votes to require prescription drug coverage as part of draft minimum coverage requirements

The Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority on Tuesday approved minimum coverage requirements for health insurance plans to comply with the state's universal coverage law, including requiring prescription drug coverage, the New York Times reports.

22 Mar 2007

CMS investigates allegations that Humana encouraged its highest-cost beneficiaries to join competing Medicare prescription drug plan

CMS officials are investigating whether Humana inappropriately advised the highest-cost beneficiaries in its Medicare prescription drug benefit plans to switch to plans provided by Sierra Health Services, The Hill reports.

11 Mar 2007

House subcommittees hold hearing on stopping Medicare fraud

The House Ways and Means Oversight and Health subcommittees on Thursday held a joint hearing on Medicare fraud, with lawmakers estimating that as much as 50% of the $10.8 billion in Medicare overpayments in 2006 were the result of fraud, CQ HealthBeat reports.

11 Mar 2007

House passes bill that would allow 'paired' kidney donations

The House on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation (HR 710) to specify that "paired" kidney donations do not violate laws prohibiting compensation for organ donations, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

11 Mar 2007

Prescription drug prices for U.S. residents ages 50 and older increased at about twice inflation rate

Manufacturers' prices for the 193 prescription drugs most commonly used by U.S. residents ages 50 and older increased at about twice the rate of inflation in 2006, according to an annual report released on Tuesday by AARP, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

8 Mar 2007