Friday, 30. July 2010
On July 30, 2010, we celebrate 45 years of the Medicare program. In 1964, a year before Medicare was established, almost half of older Americans did not have health insurance, and only a quarter were estimated to have adequate hospital insurance coverage. Now, in 2010, Medicare provides health coverage to over 47 million older Americans and people with disabilities…
Posted in Senior Health News by Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News From Medical News Today -
Friday, 30. July 2010
Several Senate Republican leaders are now pushing a new, partial health-overhaul repeal bill that targets a Medicare cost-cutting panel, The Hill reports. The panel, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, would make cost-cutting recommendations whenever spending exceeds set benchmarks. Congress would have to adopt them, or come up with its own plan. “The Republican critics – Sens…
Posted in Senior Health News by Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today -
Thursday, 29. July 2010
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO Mark Merritt issued the following statement today on a provision in the U.S…
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Thursday, 29. July 2010
News outlets report on state budget gaps and lobbying for extra Medicaid funds from the federal government. Bloomberg: “U.S. state governments project revenue will climb in the current fiscal year after they raised taxes and cut spending to close budget gaps of $84 billion, a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures found…
Posted in Senior Health News by Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today -
Thursday, 29. July 2010
CongressDaily: The Senate Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee approved a draft funding bill Tuesday for HHS, “moving a bill that would provide $170 billion in discretionary spending to related federal agencies, nearly $1 billion under the president’s request…
Posted in Senior Health News by Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today -
Thursday, 29. July 2010
AARP on Tuesday “threw its influence” behind a number of plans to reduce Medicare fraud, including the bipartisan Medicare Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act, which would increase penalties on nabbed fraudsters and supply more claims data to enforcers, The Hill reports…
Posted in Senior Health News by Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today -
Thursday, 29. July 2010
On Tuesday, the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee approved by voice vote its draft fiscal year 2011 funding bill, CongressDaily reports. The $732 billion bill would give HHS $306 million more than requested by the White House, which is similar to the funding boost included in the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee’s bill…
Posted in Senior Health News by Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News From Medical News Today -
Wednesday, 28. July 2010
Maryland could spend $829 million less than expected on health care between next year and 2020 because of the federal health overhaul law, according to an analysis by a state-convened committee, The Associated Press/Washington Post reports…
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Wednesday, 28. July 2010
The Wall Street Journal: “State governments expect tax collections to grow for the first time in two years as tax increases and a recovering economy lead to higher collections…
Posted in Senior Health News by Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News From Medical News Today -
Wednesday, 28. July 2010
Dr. Donald M. Berwick, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, faces continued hostility in the Senate, The New York Times reports. “[T]wo weeks after taking office, Dr. Berwick is still struggling to tamp down a furor over past statements in which he discussed the rationing of health care and expressed affection for the British health care system…
Posted in Senior Health News by Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News From Medical News Today -