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Senior Medicare beneficiaries give their coverage higher ratings than do those with ESI

Elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health care, and experience fewer problems accessing and paying for care, than Americans with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), according to a study by Commonwealth Fund researchers published today on the Health Affairs Web site.

12 May 2009

South Carolina health coverage, cigarette tax bill stalls in state Senate

Legislation that would use an increase in the South Carolina cigarette tax to create a new health coverage program for low-income state residents has stalled in the state Senate Finance Committee, the AP/Myrtle Beach Sun News reports.

7 May 2009

Supporters, opponents of comparative effectiveness research 'gearing up' to clash over planned efforts, New York Times reports

The Obama administration is poised to enter the "same medical minefield" that 15 years ago resulted in unsuccessful federal efforts to develop guidelines for physicians in identifying cost-efficient and effective treatments for common medical conditions, the New York Times reports.

7 May 2009

Survey examines wait times for appointments with specialists in 15 U.S. cities

Atlanta residents seeking appointments with certain specialists wait an average of 11.2 days, which is the shortest wait time among 15 cities polled in a survey released on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reports.

7 May 2009

Two government reports show little progress in improving patient safety; reducing racial, ethnic health disparities

The U.S. has not made substantial improvement in narrowing health care disparities among racial and ethnic groups, nor has it improved quality of care, according to two Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports released on Wednesday by HHS, Politico reports (Allen, Politico, 5/6).

7 May 2009

Obama to propose $17 billion in budget cuts

President Obama on Thursday will propose a detailed fiscal year 2010 budget that reduces or eliminates 121 programs to save an additional $17 billion, the New York Times reports (Calmes, New York Times, 5/7).

7 May 2009

Senate HELP committee to hold confirmation hearing on FDA commissioner nominee

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday will hold a confirmation hearing for Margaret Hamburg, President Obama's nominee for FDA commissioner, the New York Times reports.

7 May 2009

Sen. Grassley says he is confident President Obama wants bipartisan agreement on health reform

Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Wednesday said that President Obama during a lunch meeting to discuss plans to proceed with health care reform legislation indicated that he favors a bipartisan solution, the Des Moines Register reports.

7 May 2009

Kaiser Permanente gives UCLA Hispanic physician recruitment program $2 million

Kaiser Permanente is giving the University of California-Los Angeles a $2 million grant to fund a program that recruits foreign-trained doctors to practice in U.S. Hispanic neighborhoods, United Press International reports.

6 May 2009

Georgia Governor signs bill to restructure state's health services

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) on Monday signed a bill (HB 228) that will split the state's Department of Human Resources into three separate entities: the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Health, and a refocused Department of Human Resources, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Perdue said he is dedicated to having the new agencies fully functional by July 1.

6 May 2009

WellCare agrees to pay $80 million to settle Florida Medicaid, CHIP fraud charges

WellCare Health Plans has agreed to pay $40 million in restitution and $40 million in civil penalties to avoid criminal charges in Florida over alleged fraudulent payment practices to the state's Medicaid and Healthy Kids programs, the Wall Street Journal reports (Fuhrmans, Wall Street Journal, 5/6).

6 May 2009

Tenet Healthcare reports first quarter profit, fewer hospital admissions

Tenet Healthcare lowered some expenses in the first quarter, but the company said that admissions and the number of patients with private insurance declined, the AP/Salon reports.

6 May 2009

President Obama discusses health reform prospects with House Democrats

President Obama on Tuesday met with Democrats from the House Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss a climate change bill and health care, the Washington Times reports.

6 May 2009

AHIP President, CEO says health insurance industry would accept stronger federal regulation, stop charging women higher premiums than men

During a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, America's Health Insurance Plans President and CEO Karen Ignagni said members would concede to greater government regulation, as the industry works to prevent the creation of a government health plan that could threaten their business, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.

6 May 2009

Australia's harm reduction strategies serve as model for other countries, UNAIDS official says

The Australian government's efforts to curb the spread of HIV by advocating harm-reduction initiatives, such as needle-exchange programs and drug substitution therapy, for injection drug users serve as a model for other countries throughout the region, UNAIDS Asia Pacific Director Prasada Rao said recently, the AAP/Sydney Morning Herald reports.

6 May 2009

Obama proposes $63 billion global health initiative over six years

President Obama has proposed a $63 billion, six-year global health initiative as part of his fiscal year 2010budget, Reuters reports (Bohan, Reuters, 5/5).

6 May 2009

United Auto Workers planning to sell Chrysler stock obtained from bankruptcy deal to fund VEBA

United Auto Workers will sell its 55% stake in the reorganized Chrysler as soon as possible to fund a trust that will cover retirees' health care costs, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said Monday, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

5 May 2009

High health care costs affecting insured U.S. residents

Across the country, 64 million people younger than age 65 are part of families spending more than 10% of their pretax income on health care, according to a Families USA study, the Boston Globe reports.

5 May 2009

Obama to release budget proposal details on Thursday, including plans for 'integrity' initiatives for Medicaid, Medicare

President Obama on Thursday is scheduled to release additional details of his fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, which will include $13.7 billion over five years for "program integrity" initiatives to increase oversight and eliminate fraud and errors in federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 May 2009

Congress not likely to pass permanent Medicare physician payment fix this year

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Monday said that comprehensive health reform legislation likely will not include a permanent solution to the Medicare physician payment system, CQ Today reports.

5 May 2009

Healthcare News

Senior Medicare beneficiaries give their coverage higher ratings than do those with ESI

South Carolina health coverage, cigarette tax bill stalls in state Senate

Supporters, opponents of comparative effectiveness research 'gearing up' to clash over planned efforts, New York Times reports

Survey examines wait times for appointments with specialists in 15 U.S. cities

Two government reports show little progress in improving patient safety; reducing racial, ethnic health disparities

Obama to propose $17 billion in budget cuts

Senate HELP committee to hold confirmation hearing on FDA commissioner nominee

Sen. Grassley says he is confident President Obama wants bipartisan agreement on health reform

Kaiser Permanente gives UCLA Hispanic physician recruitment program $2 million

Georgia Governor signs bill to restructure state's health services

WellCare agrees to pay $80 million to settle Florida Medicaid, CHIP fraud charges

Tenet Healthcare reports first quarter profit, fewer hospital admissions

President Obama discusses health reform prospects with House Democrats

AHIP President, CEO says health insurance industry would accept stronger federal regulation, stop charging women higher premiums than men

Australia's harm reduction strategies serve as model for other countries, UNAIDS official says

Obama proposes $63 billion global health initiative over six years

United Auto Workers planning to sell Chrysler stock obtained from bankruptcy deal to fund VEBA

High health care costs affecting insured U.S. residents

Obama to release budget proposal details on Thursday, including plans for 'integrity' initiatives for Medicaid, Medicare

Congress not likely to pass permanent Medicare physician payment fix this year

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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