Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/medicare-medicaid/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170077.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170077.php Doctors and lawyers are disputing the true costs of defensive medicine, while surgeons oppose provisions being considered by the Senate for health reform. The Seattle Times reports that "defensive medicine" is under scrutiny as part of the congressional consideration of health care reform. Primary Care / General Practice Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170084.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170084.php News outlets focus on alleged fraud in the drug and insurance industries. "A $112 million settlement involving alleged drug kickbacks that the Justice Dept. announced with the nation's largest nursing home pharmacy and a generic drug manufacturer on Nov. 3 is part of a wide-ranging investigation of suspected Medicaid fraud by the pharmaceutical industry," Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170090.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170090.php The President Should Be Opposed To The House Bill Kaiser Health News When Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled the revised House Democratic health care bill last week, the Obama White House hailed it as a "critical milestone" in the process. No doubt senior administration officials were relieved to see signs of "momentum" toward passage of something. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170076.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170076.php AARP, the influential retirees' lobby, is expected to endorse House Democrats' plan to overhaul the health system today, the Associated Press reports, citing unnamed officials. "Backing the 10-year, $1.2 trillion House bill is a tricky move for AARP. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170088.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170088.php One category of medical mysteries that stumps expert doctors and policymakers alike falls under the heading: What works? News reports on two new studies - and one that was never completed - offer insight into that issue. It turns out that "one of the first things you do at a doctor's visit" may not do much to improve your health, the Chicago Tribune reports. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169906.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169906.php House Republicans unveiled their health reform proposal Tuesday night. Their alternative health care bill "would reward states for reducing the number of uninsured, limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance exempt from most state regulation," The New York Times reports. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169918.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169918.php News outlets report on a variety of health care issues at the state level including the cost of health care reform in Florida, widespread budget cuts in Nebraska, a hand-washing initiative in Maryland as well as some hospital and VA-related developments. The Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169919.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169919.php Damage From Bill Will Be Irreversible Des Moines Register This plan will decrease the quality of our health care, cost American jobs and raise our taxes to pay for more Washington spending (Rep. Steve King, 11/4). Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169909.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169909.php "Democrats in Congress are embracing the spirit of President Obama's call to slow the runaway rise of health-care costs but are shying away from some of the most aggressive techniques for achieving that," The Washington Post reports. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169894.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169894.php House Democrats late Tuesday night released a manager's amendment with final changes to the chamber's health care reform bill (HR 3962), starting a 72-hour review period before the lawmakers can bring the bill to a floor vote, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 11/4). Abortion Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169903.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169903.php Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau examines a new ad by a conservative advocacy group that warns that the health care bills now before Congress would hurt Medicare. He finds that the ad uses older Americans to exaggerate the impact of proposed Medicare cuts and ignores some improvements (11/4). This information was reprinted from Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169828.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169828.php The Academy has released a summary of key provisions of interest to managed care pharmacists in H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care Act for America." These include provisions on Medicare Part D drug price negotiations, the Medicare Part D coverage gap, PBM disclosure, follow-on biologics and comparative effectiveness research. On Oct. 29, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released H.R. 3962, which is the consolidation of the H.R. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169794.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169794.php Democrats are, by many accounts, a long way from agreement among their own members on a health care reform bill. Politico reports that "Democrats have blown so many deadlines for getting health reform done this year that insiders are increasingly skeptical they can finish by year's end - and some even suggest the effort might slip to a new deadline, before the State of the Union address. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169804.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169804.php Newspapers report on health issues at the state level, including Louisiana's struggles with a Medicaid shortfall and the Texas governor's criticism of congressional health care reform efforts. The Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169789.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169789.php Kaiser Health News staff writers Christopher Weaver and Kate Steadman report on the history of pilot projects in the context of current reform proposals. "The Democratic health reform legislation comes studded with cautious plans to test proposals reining in Medicare costs. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169706.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169706.php Medical imaging cuts contained in the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will restrict life-saving imaging care to large hospitals, produce longer commutes and wait times to receive care, and cause life threatening delays in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169693.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169693.php The American College of Physicians (ACP) has sent a letter to House leaders voicing the College's support for key policies in the Affordable Health Care for America Act. "We are pleased that H.R. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169671.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169671.php A vast majority of leaders in health care and health policy believe Medicare has been successful in providing access to care and stable coverage to the elderly and disabled individuals; however only a small percentage think the program has realized its potential to achieve other important goals, like using its leverage as the country's largest purchaser of services to control costs and promote a high performance health system. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169612.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169612.php Dr. Peter Boling provides house calls for some of Richmond's oldest and sickest patients as a geriatrician and head of general medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. Primary Care / General Practice Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169617.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169617.php California cut program budgets aimed at providing care for the poor while in Wyoming, the programs themselves are forced to close their doors because of a funding shortfall. In Kansas, lawmakers are examining - ahead of final consideration of health care reform in Congress - how they can shield themselves from health care mandates to carry insurance. The Modesto (Calif. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169605.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169605.php The New York Times: "More and more, the Great Health Care Debate of 2009 is a numbers game. And the longer the debate goes on, the squishier the numbers seem to get. For months, many leading Democrats, including President Obama, have pushed for the creation of a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169610.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169610.php "Heart and cancer doctors will get a smaller fee cut next year from Medicare, the U.S. government program for the elderly, than the Obama administration first sought in a move to shift money to family physicians," Bloomberg reports. Earlier this year, Medicare officials said they would cut 10 percent of payments for the two specialties. Now, they plan on making the reductions over four years, instead. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169600.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169600.php Kaiser Health News staff writers Eric Pianin, Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Appleby combine efforts to provide this analysis of the reach of the public option in terms of its potential impact on the health care system. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169602.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169602.php Speaker Nancy Pelosi could hold a vote on the final House of Representatives health care reform legislation this week. The Hill: The likely day for a vote is Thursday, because this would allow Pelosi to keep her pledge to allow members three days to study the final legislation. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169545.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169545.php The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced final changes to policies and payment rates for services to be furnished during calendar year (CY 2010) by over 1 million physicians and nonphysician practitioners who are paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The MPFS sets payment rates for more than 7,000 types of services in physician offices, hospitals, and other settings. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP