Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Health Insurance / Medical Insurance News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/health_insurance/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171705.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171705.php HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of up to $10 million in grants to help reach American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children who qualify for, but are not yet enrolled, in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These new grants are part of a broader effort to find and enroll uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but not enrolled. Pediatrics / Children's Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171692.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171692.php Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement on the letter regarding health care costs: "We welcome the opportunity to address the issue of soaring health care costs. We look forward to providing information about how, where, and why costs are rising. "Premium increases track increases in underlying medical costs, and each state has a process for reviewing changes in premiums. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171691.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171691.php Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today on the release of proposed Senate legislation: "The promise of health care reform is that it will provide all Americans coverage, allow them to keep their coverage if they like it, and bends the cost curve to put the system on a sustainable path. These are the standards by which any reform bill should be judged, and the Senate bill falls short of meeting them. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171636.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171636.php "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a climactic debate in the Senate over health care by unveiling a 10-year, $848 billion bill that would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage," The Wall Street Journal reports. The proposed measure, which totals 2,074 pages in length, "is the Senate's answer to a bill that narrowly passed the House Nov. 7. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171639.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171639.php Wavering moderates, including Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., control the key votes needed to bring the health overhaul bill to the Senate floor, so securing their agreement to go forward has become a priority for the Democratic leadership. Before releasing the bill, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., "spent more than an hour yesterday giving three moderate Democrat fence-sitters a special closed-door briefing ... Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171643.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171643.php The Hill reports that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle helped Obama Administration officials strategize to win health care reform votes from Senators on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171646.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171646.php Reuters: "Congressional Democrats are seeking government investigations into recent price increases of brand-name prescription drugs, as Congress finalizes an overhaul of the healthcare system. Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171628.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171628.php Several newspapers recently published opinion pieces regarding an amendment sponsored by Reps. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) to the House health care reform bill (HR 3962) that would prohibit abortion coverage in private and public health plans that receive federal subsidies. Summaries appear below. Abortion Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171635.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171635.php Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with John Cole's "Heavy Reading." This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171638.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171638.php Roll Call reports: "Senators may keep slogging through debate on their health care overhaul until the day before Thanksgiving, according to an adjournment resolution the House approved Wednesday. That measure provided for the Senate to adjourn Friday - or next Wednesday. The House is set to break on Thursday or Friday of this week. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171642.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171642.php The New York Times reports that "the health care proposals from the House and the Senate are broadly similar but differ on some major issues." It reports on five issues - the public plan, employer contribution, abortion, illegal immigrants and financing - and puts differences in bold type (11/19). Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171648.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171648.php The Breast Brouhaha The New York TimesEveryone has been trying to come up with a good nickname for the 10 years we're concluding next month. Terror Era really sounds like too much of a downer. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171660.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171660.php Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced his health insurance reform bill that merges proposals that were adopted by the Senate Finance and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees. The bill will serve as the basis for Senate floor action over the next weeks. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171634.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171634.php Kaiser Health News staff writers Mary Agnes Carey and Phil Galewitz write about last night's big news. "In one of the most anticipated events in the health reform debate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tonight released the bill expected to go to the Senate floor. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171637.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171637.php The Washington Post reports: "Democratic leaders were jubilant that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that the Senate bill would cut federal deficits by $130 billion over the next decade. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171641.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171641.php Republicans quickly rebuked Senate Democrats' health overhaul bill after its release last night, Roll Call reports. They said it would result in higher insurance premiums, tax hikes, and Medicare cuts, and complained that it was drafted behind closed doors, and that they have not yet had a chance to read it. "It is my hope that Sen. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171622.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171622.php Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday unveiled the chamber's version of health care reform legislation, which he said would extend coverage to 31 million uninsured U.S. residents while reducing the federal deficit, the New York Times reports. Abortion Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171592.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171592.php PurinaCare® Pet Health Insurance, which is committed to help pet owners provide a lifetime of care for their dogs and cats, is alerting dog owners to the dangers of the H3N8 virus, more commonly referred to as the Dog Flu or canine influenza. Canine influenza is extremely contagious and while humans are not affected by this flu strain, they can unknowingly pass it from an infected dog to an unaffected dog. Veterinary Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171486.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171486.php The inclusion in the House health reform bill of an anti-abortion amendment sponsored by Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak is causing division and debate among Democrats. Abortion Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171490.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171490.php "House Republicans want the AARP to rescind its endorsement of comprehensive health reform legislation after a government report showed it could cause some providers to stop accepting Medicare patients," CongressDaily reports. The report, issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "warned some Medicare beneficiaries could lose access to providers if the House bill becomes law. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171500.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171500.php "Across the country, businesses already strapped by the economy to turn a profit are sacrificing or scaling back employee health insurance plans because of their escalating costs," The Associated Press reports. "The crunch has particularly socked smaller employers, who have become a centerpiece in the debate over how to overhaul the nation's health care system. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171481.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171481.php Several newspapers recently published opinion pieces regarding Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) amendment to the House health care reform bill (HR 3962). The amendment would prohibit abortion coverage in private and public health plans in the proposed health exchange that receive federal subsidies. Summaries appear below. Abortion Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171485.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171485.php Some provisions in the health bills are attracting a new wave of analyses and some criticism of the health reform bills. The "individual mandate" issue has taken on new life because of conservatives' "assertion that under the Democrats' plan, people who refuse to buy health insurance could spend five years in prison," The Wall Street Journal reports. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171488.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171488.php Public opinion remains divided on one of health reform's most controversial issues, the proposal to create a new government health insurance plan, according to poll this week by The Associated Press. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171492.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171492.php "On Thursday, the House is expected to pass a $210 billion measure - known as the 'doc fix' - that will adjust Medicare payment rates to avoid a 21 percent cut in January and continuing cuts in the years ahead," The New York Times reports, adding: "The House originally included the provision in its big health care bill. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP