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By KaiserHealthNews on February 23rd, 2010
Full Text: Obama’s health care proposal
Plan includes insurance mandate and a promise to “end discrimination” from pre-existing conditions.
Category: Medicare
By Howard Gleckman on February 18th, 2010
Why are fewer patients enrolling in hospice?
Some hospice executives say the poor economy may also be driving doctors to hold on to patients longer.
By Debbie Elliott - NPR News on February 10th, 2010
As Congress shifts its focus to jobs, the uninsured seek solutions
Fernando Arriola, a contractor in New Orleans, can’t get coverage so he’s now working to set up a clinic for the uninsured.
By Christopher Weaver on February 04th, 2010
Government health spending to top private sector by 2012
Nation’s health spending as a share of the economy jumped in 2009 by 1.1 points to 17.3 percent, largest leap yet.
By KaiserHealthNews on January 20th, 2010
Why public support for health care faltered
What choices did Democrats make that hurt the chances health reform will pass?
By KaiserHealthNews on January 04th, 2010
View: It’s time to coordinate care for the disabled and frail elderly
Organizing care is especially important for the frail elderly, who may have multiple chronic diseases.
By KaiserHealthNews on December 16th, 2009
Congress and Medicare: Letting go is hard to do
Can Congress bring itself to surrender power over a program as politically sensitive as Medicare?
By KaiserHealthNews on December 09th, 2009
Democrats’ ideas to expand Medicare raise hackles of doctors, hospitals, insurers
A Medicare buy-in is part of a tentative agreement between a group of 10 moderate and liberal Democrats
By KaiserHealthNews on December 01st, 2009
Seniors can often save hundreds of dollars a year by switching Medicare drug plans
Medicare’s easy-to-use “plan finder” allows seniors to plug in their medications and find the lowest cost plan.
By KaiserHealthNews on November 11th, 2009
Bipartisan support builds for commission to curb health costs
Commission would draft proposals to control the long-term costs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
By KaiserHealthNews on November 03rd, 2009
Medicare experiments to curb costs seldom implemented on a broad scale
Even if the experiments cut costs, odds are lessons won’t be applied.
By KaiserHealthNews on October 29th, 2009
In health debate, both sides vie for seniors’ support
“Seniors are incredibly important politically.”
By KaiserHealthNews on October 27th, 2009
Curbing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security spending to “Bend the Cost Curve”
Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security account for 40% of all federal spending, other than interest on the debt.
By KaiserHealthNews on October 20th, 2009
Advocates Urge Action Now To ‘Fix’ Medicare Doctor Payments
Bill that would eliminate a 12-year-old formula that reduces Medicare payments to doctors when their costs exceed targets stalls.
By KaiserHealthNews on October 20th, 2009
Congress wrestles with yearly Medicare fee cuts
The anticipated cut of more than 20% is so large that many doctors say they may have stop seeing Medicare patients altogether.
By KaiserHealthNews on October 03rd, 2009
Health Care Bill or No, Medicare Advantage Premiums Will Rise
The average enrollee can expect to pay an average premium of $39 a month.
By KaiserHealthNews on August 31st, 2009
Why Seniors are Health Reform Winners, Not Losers
Opinion: In truth, seniors are likely to be big winners if responsible health reform passes and prime victims if it fails, says columnist Howard Gleckman of the Urban Insitute.
By admin on August 27th, 2009
Health in the news
Bed bug summit in Seattle. New York Times reporters discuss possible impact of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s death on the health-care debate.
By admin on August 25th, 2009
Should the Homeless Be in Medicaid?
By Pam Fessler, NPR News
NPR is a Kaiser Health News partner
Most homeless people in America are too poor to buy their own health coverage, but many also don’t qualify for Medicaid, the government-run health program for the poor.
Walter Brooks, a 63-year-old homeless man, is seen by physician assistant Jean Prevas at the Health Care for [...]
By admin on August 14th, 2009
The Last Taboo
Howard Gleckman, Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute
August 14, 2009
We live in a time when seemingly no subject is taboo. People discuss, in excruciating detail, their weight, sex lives, and bank accounts on reality TV. Kids tweet about their dates—in real time. And we happily blog away on our latest medical diagnosis. It is apparently no [...]
By admin on August 14th, 2009
Health Stories in the News – Aug. 14
Allow Seattle Children’s to expand, says Seattle Times
The Seattle City Council should reverse ruling of a hearing examiner who has rejected Seattle Children’s expansion plans, says Seattle Times argues in an editorial today’s paper.
The hearing examiner found that hospital’s planned expansion, which would add 1.5 million square feet of space on its Lauralhurst campus, was inappropriate [...]
By admin on August 14th, 2009
Doctors Providing End of Life Counseling See Benefit in Current Controversy
By Jessica Marcy
August 14, 2009
Photo Credit: Kaiser Health News
The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.
The controversy, over proposed Medicare funding of end-of-life counseling, has come to epitomize some of people’s deepest fears about the government’s role in health [...]
By admin on August 13th, 2009
Video: President Obama’s “Health Insurance Reform Town Hall” in Portsmouth, NH
President Obama Holds a Health Reform Town Hall in New Hampshire from White House on Vimeo.
President Obama holds a town hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to address questions and concerns on health insurance reform. He talks about ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, and takes on some of the rumors about health reform. August 11, [...]
By admin on August 12th, 2009
Transcript of President Obama’s “Health Insurance Reform Town Hall”
The White House has released a transcript of President Barack Obama’s “Health Insurance Reform Town Hall” meeting held yesterday, August 11 at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
To read it click on “Read more…”.
Transcript released by the White House:
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Portsmouth! Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Everybody have a seat. [...]
By admin on August 11th, 2009
Health stories in the news
Teachers more likely to spank disabled children
More than 200,000 U.S. schoolchildren are spanked, paddled or subjected to some other form of corporal punishment each year with disabled children receiving a disproportionate share of such punishments, according to a report prepared by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
“At least 41,972 students with [...]
By admin on August 11th, 2009
For Major Health Industry Players, Reform’s Positives Outweigh Negatives
By Phil Galewitz
August 11, 2009
When Congress and the White House began talking about a health care overhaul, the industries that profit from the $2.5 trillion system were understandably nervous.
But as the legislation takes shape, it appears much of the anxiety was misplaced. Most of the major health care players, including hospitals, health insurers and pharmaceutical [...]
By admin on August 10th, 2009
White House creates “Reality Check” Website to counter “rumors” about healthcare reform plans
The White House has launched a “Reality Check” Website to counter what the administration considers to be lies and distortions being spread about health-care reform plans now being considered by Congress by opponents of the measures.
The site features videos of experts addressing concerns that have been raised about rationing, euthanasia, and the effects reform might [...]
By admin on August 10th, 2009
Bending the Curve Requires Health Care Reform, Not Just Sick Care Reform: A History Lesson
OPINION:
Joseph Califano, Chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University
As President Obama and Congress struggle to bend the rising cost curve in order to make health care available to all Americans, the history of the first great expansion of health care coverage when Lyndon Johnson drove Medicare and Medicaid through [...]
By admin on August 08th, 2009
Opponents spread “outlandish” rumors about health reform, Obama says in weekly address
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama promises that health-care reform legislation will be passed by the end of the year and he charges that opponents of reform are spreading “the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia, cut Medicaid, or bring about a government takeover of health care.”
“As we draw close to finalizing – [...]
By admin on July 25th, 2009
Hospitals Divided Over Proposal For Medicare Payment Czar
By Phil Galewitz
July 24, 2009
While a cornerstone of President Obama’s plan to trim medical costs – an independent commission to determine how much Medicare pays doctors and hospitals – has run into strong opposition from powerful industry groups, certain hospital systems are breaking ranks and supporting it.
Many are these are so-called “model” systems, such as the [...]
By admin on July 20th, 2009
FDA may require glucose monitors to be more accurate
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may soon require glucose monitors used by more than 11 million diabetics in the U.S. to be more accurate, Gardiner Harris reports in the New York Times.
Under current standards, these monitors can be off by as much as 20 percent putting [...]
By admin on July 18th, 2009
‘Model’ Health Systems: Include Medicare Fix In Reform
By Phil Galewitz – Kaiser Health News
July 17, 2009
When talking about his vision for the health care system, President Barack Obama praises places like the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Intermountain Healthcare in Utah for providing high-quality care at low cost.
“We need to identify the best practices across the country, learn from the success, and [...]
By admin on July 18th, 2009
What are Accountable Care Organizations?
By Phil Galewitz – Kaiser Health News
July 17, 2009
Imagine a health system that pays doctors and hospitals to keep you well, not just treat you when you’re sick. A system where doctors would have a financial incentive to limit unnecessary tests and prod patients to exercise more and eat better. A system where hospitals would [...]
By admin on July 08th, 2009
Obama Backs Helping Hand For Long-Term Care
By Joseph Shapiro
NPR – a Kaiser Health News partner
July 08, 2009
Until recently, it looked like long-term care was not going to be a serious part of any potential health care overhaul.
But that changed when the Obama administration this week endorsed a new government social insurance program that would help people put aside money [...]
By admin on July 08th, 2009
What’s behind hospitals’ $155 billion healthcare-reform deal with the Obama administration?
Hospitals, After Agreeing to Cuts, Push Ahead With a Full Agenda
By Eric Pianin and Phil Galewitz – Kaiser Health News
July 08, 2009
With the Obama administration’s help, hospitals are moving aggressively to resolve their biggest objections to legislative proposals to overhaul the health system.
The deal announced today by Vice-President Biden — an agreement with the White [...]
By admin on July 06th, 2009
Health stories in the news – July 6
Health reform is within reach says New York Times columnist
New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman cites the latest analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to back his claim that substantive health reform is within reach of Congress this summer.
“…last week the budget office scored the full proposed legislation from [...]
By admin on July 02nd, 2009
Test your knowledge of Medicaid: True or False?
Which is larger: Medicaid or Medicare?
In fact, Medicaid “dwarfs other insurance programs” writes Kaiser Health News reporter Phil Galewitz.
To learn more, take his Medicaid: True of False test below:
Medicaid: True or False?
By Phil Galewitz – Kaiser Health News
July 01, 2009
Because of its size and cost, Medicaid has been called the “workhorse” of the U.S. health [...]
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