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Senators won't grow deficit without a cost-cutting commission

Congress may outsource its tough budgetary decisions, if moderate, deficit-anxious lawmakers their way. "Several U.S. senators said on Tuesday they probably could force Congress to cede some control to a bipartisan commission that would tackle the United States' looming budget crisis," Reuters reports.

13 Nov 2009

BMC and Clear One Health Plans team up to offer first Focused Patient Care Model

Bend Memorial Clinic (BMC), the largest provider of quality, comprehensive and convenient physician healthcare in Central Oregon, has joined with Clear One Health Plans to offer the region’s first Focused Patient Care Model, similar to a Medical Home Model, beginning January 1, 2010. BMC’s team of more than 100 physicians and other providers care for approximately 3,800 Clear One Medicare Advantage members all of whom will qualify for the program.

13 Nov 2009

Timeline, vote counting continue to be central To Senate health overhaul

The Associated Press reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering higher payroll taxes on "upper-income earners to help finance health care legislation.

13 Nov 2009

Food summit draft declaration omits hunger eradication deadline, aid commitment

"A declaration to be made at next week's world food summit in Rome will not mention a target to eradicate hunger by 2025 nor a commitment to spend $44 billion a year in agricultural aid, according to a final draft," Reuters reports (Aloisi, 11/12).

13 Nov 2009

Health minister calls for ramped up fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa

South African health minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Tuesday called for a reinvigorated effort in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, echoing comments recently made by South African President Jacob Zuma, Agence France-Presse reports. Motsoaledi said to reporters, "In 11 years - from 1997 to 2008 - the rate of death has doubled in South Africa" (11/10).

12 Nov 2009

SPIN program highlights the importance of human milk for preterm babies

UC San Diego Medical Center recently launched a website dedicated to offering families and the medical community valuable information about the best way to provide human milk to premature and underweight infants. The website was developed with a $10,000 grant from The March of DimesSan Diego chapter.

12 Nov 2009

Open EC Technologies, WOW GLOBAL sign Teaming Agreement

Open EC Technologies, Inc. ("Open EC" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:OCE) is pleased to report the signing of a Teaming Agreement with WOW GLOBAL, LLC ("WOW") for its subsidiary, SoftCare EC Solution Inc.("SoftCare") www.softcare.com.

12 Nov 2009

Details emerge for possible Medicare payroll tax in Senate health bill

Bloomberg: "White House Budget Director Peter Orszag said a proposal to apply Medicare taxes to capital gains earned by wealthy Americans as part of health-overhaul legislation is 'in play' in order to scale back a proposed levy on high-end insurance plans." Orszag made these comments while speaking at the Bloomberg Washington Summit today.

12 Nov 2009

CDC expected to revise H1N1 mortality figures

The New York Times: "About 4,000 Americans - rather than about 1,200 - have died of swine flu since the disease emerged in April, according to new figures being calculated by [CDC] epidemiologists" - an estimate that combines the number of "deaths from laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu and deaths that appear to be brought on by flu, even though the patient may have ultimately died of bacterial pneumonia, other infections or organ failure."

12 Nov 2009

Businesses at risk from health reform, or status quo, depending on source

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Employment Policies Institute and other friends of business have joined to launch a national television ad campaign, beginning Thursday, that will warn against the health care overhaul, The Boston Globe reports. The $10 million ad blitz "features June O'Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, arguing that the bill would deepen the national debt and hurt job creation."

12 Nov 2009

Pew report: Nine states face budget crises of Californian magnitude

A new Pew analysis, titled "Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril," warns that nine other states are also on the brink of economic catastrophe and urges state legislatures to act quickly, The Associated Press reports. While Michigan slashed health care spending, Arizona is in such a dire fiscal situation that officials have considered mortgaging state buildings to temporarily fend off disaster. The other states are Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

12 Nov 2009

KHN column: Don't overlook the other determinants of health

In a column for Kaiser Health News, Gail Wilensky writes that "after months of discussion and debate, the House has passed its version of health care reform. But as many observers, including me, have already noted, health care reform has primarily become health insurance reform over the course of the year."

12 Nov 2009

Humana CEO: No no regrets about sending warning letters to Medicare customers

Humana's CEO says he does not regret sending Medicare customers a letter warning that health care reform could hurt their benefits. The letters caused government officials to probe whether the insurer violated federal regulations in September.

12 Nov 2009

Florida officials say Medicaid reimbursement formula will drive deficit

Florida state legislators have written to their U.S. Senators to urge them address what they called a "serious flaw" in the formula that determines of how much money the state's Medicaid program receives from the federal government, Health News Florida reports.

12 Nov 2009

AARP leader provides powerful voice for seniors and health care

John Rother tries to dispel myths and quell fears that seniors may have about health care reform as a leader at the powerful lobby and senior group AARP.

12 Nov 2009

Congressional Democrats seeking to maintain health overhaul momentum

The Senate could begin debate next week on a health care reform bill while House Democratic leadership is telling members to prepare to work deep into December.

12 Nov 2009

Abortion rights groups unite in fight against coverage restrictions

Politico reports that abortion-rights "advocates are calling in the cavalry to help fight off an anti-abortion provision House Democratic leaders swallowed in order to win passage of their health care reform bill."

12 Nov 2009

Will the health bill bend costs?

One cause for health reform anxiety is that no one is sure whether the legislation would achieve one of its most critical goals: lowering health care costs.

12 Nov 2009

Making end-of-life wishes known is rare; more hospice care could save Medicare money

Because Medicare beneficiaries account "for the vast majority of U.S. deaths" the treatment people receive "in the last year of life accounts for roughly a quarter of Medicare's budget." Dr. Joel Policzer, a medical director for a hospice, says that often "a dying elderly patient may have wanted less invasive care. But it doesn't happen.

12 Nov 2009

Activists worry immigration arguments will hamper hispanic health care

The Washington Post reports that Hispanic lawmakers and groups are "scrambling to develop a strategy to counter what they see as efforts to shortchange immigrants in health bills on Capitol Hill."

12 Nov 2009