MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'coverage'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:55:06 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139672&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fimplementing-health-reform-informing-consumers%2F One of the most important innovations of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that it dramatically increases and improves the information that consumers have available about health insurance and health care.  HHS has already implemented provisions of the ACA requiring insurers to disclose information regarding their medical loss ratios and to publicly justify unreasonable rate [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139672 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:49:06 +0100 5139672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118708&cid=t_112141_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Fannouncing-the-psych-central-drug-discount-card%2F I’m proud to tell you about a new, free benefit offered to Psych Central members and readers — a drug discount card. The Psych Central drug discount card can save you up to 80% or more off the cost of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and pet prescription drugs. The Psych Central Drug Discount Card is accepted at over 60,000 pharmacies, including major chains such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and at regional chains and local stores. It is offered in partnership with NeedyMeds. The card may be used by those without insurance and by those who decide not to use their insurance — for example if the drug is not covered under their plan, the copay or deductible is high, the cap has been reached, or if they are in the donut hole. There are no income, insu... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118708 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:11:01 +0100 5118708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118710&cid=t_112141_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fretractions-of-scientific-research-papers-going-up%2F Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot reports on the media coverage of a new study published by the Journal of Medical Ethics which shows a disturbing trend — more and more journals are retracting journal articles they previously published. Worse yet, nearly 32 percent of the retracted papers are not noted as retracted. “Retracted” in scientific language means that the paper has been withdrawn and should be ignored — as though it never existed in the scientific literature. Retractions generally occur because of sloppy research and errors in the data calculations, collection or statistics, or because of fraud. Is this a trend pointing to lower quality research and sloppier methods being employed? Or perhaps that because more people than ever can read the scientific research... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118710 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:11:31 +0100 5118710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096194&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ama-assn.org%2Fama1%2Fpub%2Fupload%2Fmm%2F399%2Fmedicare-survey-results-0510.pdf By Mary Grealy. I wonder how long it will take before people who should know better stop implying, or even saying outright, that payment cuts to Medicare providers don’t affect beneficiaries. This weekend, I was among those following the cable news shows to see if Congress would finally reach agreement on a debt ceiling package.  It appears now that, even though it may be a “sugar-coated Satan sandwich” to some, a legislative approach has been crafted that will raise the debt ceiling and establish a process for achieving approximately $2.5 trillion in budget cuts over 10 years.  In this process, a congressional super-committee will be charged with identifying $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions by Thanksgiving.  If they fail to do so, automatic cuts will occur and fall most heavil... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096194 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:24:24 +0100 5096194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077642&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F28%2Fu-s-health-spending-projected-to-grow-5-8-percent-annually%2F All health care spending in the United States is projected to grow at an annual average rate of 5.8 percent for the period 2010 through 2020, 1.1 percentage points faster than expected growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By 2020, health care spending is projected to be 19.8 percent of GDP, nearly one-fifth of economic [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077642 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:48:45 +0100 5077642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051199&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2Fthe_public_perception_of_chemistry.php I wanted to call attention to another blog roundtable, on several subjects related to how nonchemists see us and our business. The first post (at ScienceGeist) is on chemical safety (industrial chemicals = bad?). Day 2, at ChemJobber, is on whether the general public has any good idea of not only what chemists do (we work with chemicals, right?) but why and how we do it. Day 3, at ChemBark, takes things to a practical level, showing how lack of understanding can confuse people about energy policy (does growing corn to make ethanol make any sense?) And Day 4, at The Bunsen Boerner, is on a topic I've been known to go off on myself, the use (and mostly the misuse) of the word "organic". (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051199 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:28:17 +0100 5051199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050500&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2Fthe-womens-preventive-services-report-and-the-role-of-evidence%2F Section 1001 of the Affordable Care Act establishes women’s preventive health benefits as a new mandatory coverage class for all insurance products sold in the individual and group markets, self insured employer-sponsored health plans, and benchmark plans enrolling newly eligible Medicaid beneficiaries.  In implementing the Act in accordance with the tight deadlines established under the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050500 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:59:57 +0100 5050500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008142&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6usEuUaq3lA%2F By Michael F. CannonColumbia Business School economist Ray Fisman has a piece at Slate.com discussing the first-year results of the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment.  In brief, when Oregon transferred an average of $3,000 from taxpayers to poor people in the form of Medicaid coverage, it did those poor people some good. Fisman’s interpretation of the results is different from mine in mainly two respects.  First, I describe the one-year benefits of Medicaid coverage as modest; he says they’re “enormous.” A more fundamental difference concerns whether expanding Medicaid was a cost-effective use of the taxpayers’ money.  Fisman writes: Given the added expense, did the Medicaid expansion prove to be cost-effective? That is, did the treatment group actually... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008142 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:18:54 +0100 5008142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008145&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjXYSHkY0CKg%2F By Michael F. CannonThe Oregon Health Insurance Experiment is the first experiment since the dawn of time that randomly assigns some households to receive health insurance (Medicaid) for purposes of comparing their medical consumption, health outcomes, and financial security to similar households that do not receive Medicaid coverage.  Some of the nation’s top health economists have released the first batch of results from the OHIE. At National Review (Online), I summarize the OHIE’s first-year results and offer the following analysis: Supporters of President Obama’s health-care law may tout these benefits, but the OHIE does not provide the vindication they seek. First, despite being eligible for Medicaid, 13 percent of the control group had private health insurance — s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008145 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:46:38 +0100 5008145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984678&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Ffor_responsible_stem_cell_reporting_.php . . .you either have to go to the specialty press, or (sometimes) to the last couple of paragraphs of a mainstream article. For several years now, it's been hard to think of any medical field that's been more relentlessly overhyped than stem cell therapy (a worst-case example was its appearance in the 2004 elections, courtesy of the ever-reliable John Edwards?). FiercePharma has a good short look at an article in Time that is much more well-balanced than most, but still has some of the usual problems. And don't get me wrong - I think that stem cells are an exciting area of research, an excellent thing to be investigating, and could quite possibly lead to some wonderful results. But not next week. And not without a few billion dollars, most likely. Anyone who tells you otherwise is, to my ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984678 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:11:49 +0100 4984678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975858&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Fjh8J4gTydSo%2F Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Related posts:Who will be most disruptive in 2009? Poll: The Next President’s Top Priority (Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care) Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975858 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:20:02 +0100 4975858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975813&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-new-directions-in-systems-innovation%2F On July 7, 2011, Health Affairs will unveil its July 2011 issue, “New Directions In Systems Innovations.” The issue explores ongoing innovations in health care organization, delivery and financing across a broad front – from Vermont’s recent passage of single payer legislation, to new responsibilities for hospital boards of trustees as a consequence of the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975813 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:36:16 +0100 4975813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968887&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F24%2Ftelling_everyone_what_its_like.php Here's a op-ed from Josh Bloom (ex-Wyeth) in the New York Post that will resonate with a lot of people out there. A sample: The folks at Scientific American have launched "1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days" -- a program to bring together scientists, teachers and students to improve America's "dismal" showing among wealthy countries (27th out of 29) in graduating college students with degrees in science or engineering. I'm sure they mean well -- but, at least as it applies to the field of chemistry, "1,000 Unemployed Scientists Living With Their Parents at Age 35 While Working at the Gap" would be a better name. He goes on to tell the readership what it's been like in drug discovery over the last few years, and it'll probably be news to many of them. I'm glad that people are getting the word... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968887 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:34:19 +0100 4968887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945134&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F15%2Fthe_failure_of_modern_medicine.php I was going to take a shot at this article myself, a piece in The Atlantic called "The Triumph of New Age Medicine". But Matthew Herper at Forbes has done the job for me. The original article advances the thesis that modern medicine isn't doing much for chronic diseases, which is why people are turning to acupuncture, et al. Says Herper: . . .that’s all horse microbiome. Let’s take those one by one. Saying we’re not making strides against heart disease and cancer is just, well, wrong. Look at the below chart of mortality from both, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notice something? They’re both going down. . .Yes, the battle against heart disease and cancer is slow, grinding trench warfare, but that’s because these our diseases written by evolution int... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945134 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:17:03 +0100 4945134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893368&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fpost-on-health-reform-and-medicare-tops-mays-ha-blog-most-read-list%2F Thomas Saving’s and John Goodman’s post on the implications of the Affordable Care Act for Medicare leads the list of most-read Health Affairs Blog posts for May. On the list as well are posts on the hazards of ignoring the lessons of the Clinton years; the opportunities offered by clinical registries; and the implications of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893368 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:40:41 +0100 4893368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4842026&cid=t_112141_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2Fs4OxGwrIO7g%2Freverse-tubal-ligation-is-it-possible.html Reversing a tubal ligation and natural pregnancy are very possible. The reversal specialists of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center specialize in an affordable outpatient tubal reversal surgery which will have most patients pregnant within a year of having reversal surgery. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4842026 Tue, 17 May 2011 13:34:23 +0100 4842026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828888&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealth-insurance-coverage-and-leaving-the-hospital-against-medical-advice%2F2011.05.15 There is a huge myth being unknowingly  perpetrated against the general public when it comes to their rights and responsibilities as a patient.  It’s a myth that I can remember hearing as far back as my first few weeks of clinicals during medical school.  It was a constant presence during my residency training and even now, as a private practice hospitalist I hear misinformation being handed down day after day, month after month. This myth is perpetrated by doctors, nurses, and therapists of all kinds.  What is this myth?  That their health insurance company will not pay for the care provided if they want to leave against the medical advice of their physician. Will my insurance company pay if I leave against medical advice (AMA)? Yes.  They will pay.  Medicare and Medicaid pa... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828888 Sun, 15 May 2011 19:00:00 +0100 4828888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803563&cid=t_112141_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2F1GeYsSUMLGw%2Fadvice-on-picking-a-tubal-reversal-doctor.html Personal advice on how to pick the best tubal reversal doctor and the best tubal reversal center is provide by an experienced tubal reversal surgeon. Hard questions to ask potential reversal doctors are offered for readers so they can make the best decision possible about where and with whom to have tubal reversal surgery. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803563 Tue, 10 May 2011 12:55:14 +0100 4803563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803025&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F09%2Fpublic-coverage-programs-solving-the-enrollment-dilemma%2F Editor’s Note: In addition to Alain Enthoven and Leonard Schaeffer (photos and bios above), this post is coauthored by David Helwig and Phil Lebherz. Helwig retired as President and CEO West Region for WellPoint, Inc., and he also served as chief executive officer and president of Blue Cross of California. Lebherz is Chairman of LISI, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803025 Mon, 09 May 2011 15:33:55 +0100 4803025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794833&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fnew-answers-on-macular-degeneration-important-questions-for-comparative-effectiveness-research%2F On April 28th, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study that compared two drugs head-to-head for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in the United States.  The two drugs, Ranibizumab (Lucentis) and Bevacizumab (Avastin), are very similar molecules and are both meant to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794833 Fri, 06 May 2011 15:45:32 +0100 4794833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734087&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FSmas1Bps-RU%2F This post was co-authored by Disruptive Woman Archelle Georgiou and Emma Dougherty, Senior Analyst at TripleTree and originally published on the firms blog site, Uncommon Clarity. It was also posted on Archelle on Health. 9 million. That’s how many web hits are returned during a Google search for “Accountable Care Organization,” and reflects the countless articles, white papers and opinions that have been published regarding the potential successes and more likely pitfalls of the proposed ACO mandate. As highlighted in TripleTree’s recent post, our team is continuously evaluating the business development opportunities being fueled by the demands and requirements of these new provider organizations.  Last week, the members of our Healthcare Executive Roundtable recently discuss... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734087 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:33:32 +0100 4734087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696959&cid=t_112141_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FuA9yORq3fi8%2F I have written about the sleazy actions of health insurer Humana.  Today I filed a formal complaint with the Wisconsin Commisioner of Insurance regarding their practices.  I’ll copy my letter below, rather than take the time to write everything over again.  If there is an attorney willing to work the case on contingency, please contact me.  Likewise, if other patients or physicians are having similar problems with Humana, send me an e-mail through my website at www.fdlpsych.com. The complaint: My patient, XXXXXX, has been treated for opioid dependence for two years, using maintenance treatment with Suboxone.  He has maintained sobriety from opioids.  He also suffers from panic attacks and takes Effexor daily.  He uses lorazepam, a sedative, several times per month, and takes a... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696959 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 01:00:18 +0100 4696959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676746&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F04%2Flook-carefully-medicares-provenge-national-coverage-decision%2F Editor’s Note: The authors of the post below, Dan Mendelson and Tanisha Carino, also wrote an earlier post on the initial decision of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to undertake a national coverage review of the cancer drug Provenge. In one of its most anticipated national coverage decisions (NCD), issued on March 30, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676746 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:48:13 +0100 4676746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664176&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbureaucrats-propose-to-discontinue-home-glucose-monitoring-coverage%2F2011.04.01 The larger the bureaucracy the more inefficient a system becomes. Several things can happen in the decision making process. 1. The decision making process can become opaque rather than transparent. 2. Decisions are made by a committee by consensus. 3. Consensus committee decisions might not sharply define the original goals. 4. Blame for errors gets dissipated. 5. Decisions are only as good as the information that is gathered. 6. Changing a wrong decision can be difficult and costly. President Obama’s healthcare reform law is creating 256 new agencies to gather information and recommend decisions for other agencies to write regulations. The following decision is being made by an agency in Washington state. It is not only the wrong decision, but is a decision that will set back the care o... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664176 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:24 +0100 4664176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626827&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FTrEXv67U4VI%2F A year after President Obama signed health reform into law, the public remains deeply divided over the landmark legislation, with a year of political debate over its merits and the beginning stages of its implementation doing little to alter Americans’ opinions about the law. In March, one year after enactment, 42 percent of Americans hold favorable views of the law while 46 percent view it unfavorably, a basic division that has changed little during the last 12 months. (In April 2010, 46 percent had favorable views and 40 percent unfavorable ones, but both figures have ticked up and down over the last year.) Opinion of the law continues to break sharply along partisan lines, with 71 percent of Democrats backing the law and 82 percent of Republicans opposing it. About half (51%) of Ame... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626827 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:45:14 +0100 4626827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580873&cid=t_112141_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fnafcillin-enterococcus%2F Despite the fact that nafcillin generally has good coverage against gram positive organisms, nafcillin is not effective against enterococcus and should not be used to treat this infection. Using nafcillin against enterococcus is a not uncommon junior resident mistake, most typically done in an ICU setting. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580873 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:39:49 +0100 4580873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560273&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fibuprofen-parkinsons-study-few-news-organizations-report-on-it-accurately%2F2011.03.08 We’re delighted to see that USA Today, Reuters, and WebMD were among the news organizations that included what an editorial writer said about an observational study linking ibuprofen use with fewer cases of Parkinson’s disease. All three news organizations used some version of what editorial writer Dr. James Bower of the Mayo Clinic wrote or said: “Whenever in epidemiology you find an association, that does not mean causation.” “An association does not prove causation.” “There could be other explanations for the ibuprofen-Parkinson’s connection.” Kudos to those news organizations. And some praise goes to the journal Neurology for publishing Dr. Bower’s editorial to accompany the study. His piece is entitled, “Is the answer... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560273 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:00:43 +0100 4560273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4544941&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJp-y5EGiAqk%2F By Michael F. CannonThe latest from Jeffrey H. Anderson, which I'll file under I-Wish-I'd-Said-That: In a newly released report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that, in fiscal year 2010, $48 billion in taxpayer money was squandered on fraudulent or improper Medicare claims. Meanwhile, the nation’s ten largest health insurance companies made combined profits of $12.7 billion in 2010 (according to Fortune 500). In other words, for every $1 made by the nation’s ten largest insurers, Medicare lost nearly $4... Actually, it may have been even worse than that: The GAO writes that this $48 billion in taxpayer money that went down the drain doesn’t even represent Medicare’s full tally of lost revenue, since it “did not include improper payments in its Part D pre... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4544941 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:41:22 +0100 4544941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532212&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-headlines-bash-doctors%2F2011.02.28 While I know it grabs the eye, it really didn’t matter what the article was about. The headline says it all: Doctors are the problem, not the system, right? -WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist. *This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532212 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4532212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478135&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F15%2Fnoted_through_massive_selfrestraint_with_almost_no_comment_whatsoever.php From the Financial Times: GlaxoSmithKline aims to sign up 10 academic “superstars” this year for long-term partnerships to help develop medicines more effectively and cheaply. . . The move comes as the UK pharma group cuts back on costly but unproductive early-stage in-house research and attempts to shift from investment in fixed assets towards more flexible partnerships with external developers. GSK has recently finalised its first such contract with Professor Mark Pepys, head of medicine at the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, designed to develop a treatment for a rare form of amyloidosis. (Glaxo senior VP Patrick) Vallance said he planned to sign 10 such deals this year. . . “It’s a wonderful idea,” said Prof Pepys. “We all agree that big pharm... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478135 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:14:07 +0100 4478135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459932&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Fimplementing-health-reform-student-health-plans%2F Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of posts by Timothy Jost on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  Earlier posts have analyzed some important guidances, as well as provisions governing premium review, medical loss ratios, insurance exchanges, coverage for pre-existing conditions, appeals of coverage denials, coverage for preventive services, a patient bill of rights, grandfathered [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459932 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:18:08 +0100 4459932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455264&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-a-world-class-medical-institution-saves-you-yet-fails-you%2F2011.02.09 Let me start by saying I really like MD Anderson Cancer Center. There is a lot to like. Take their tag line for example: “Making care history.” If anyone finds a cure for this cancer or that cancer, MD Anderson will have a hand in it, I’m sure. Hospitals could also learn a thing or two about the meaning of comprehensive care, clinical integration, and customer service from MD Anderson is well. I have another reason why I like MD Anderson so well: They saved my wife’s life. You see, she was diagnosed back in November of 2004 with stage four non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As anyone familiar with lung care knows, lung cancer is a very tough adversary. It’s an even tougher adversary when your insurance company insists that your local community hospital and oncologists are �... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455264 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:00:04 +0100 4455264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455243&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2F09%2Fand-then-the-dessert-arrived-global-health-dichotomies%2F The story was tragic. A Tuberculosis patient from India who died because the system which was expected to provide for his treatment failed to deliver… and then the dessert arrived.  The setting? The official dinner of the First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research organized at the Montreux Casino. A photo of the dying TB [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455243 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:13:45 +0100 4455243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445797&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FeIsknPHxr8M%2F By Glenna Crooks. This is the week many of us will consider – or finally make – Valentine’s Day purchases. Some of us will consider chocolate. Maybe more of us should. I wondered about that as I saw some disparate bits of data over the weekend. An article on Valentine’s Day spending was informative: couples will spend just under $70 on each other and we’ll spend, on average, $5 on pets, $6 on friends, $5 on teachers and $3.50 on co-workers. What will we be buying? In all, about $12.B in treats for the day: $3.5B on jewelry, $1.6B on clothing, $3.4B on dinner, $1.7B on flowers, $1.5B on candy (of which $285M will be on chocolate) and $1.1B on greeting cards. I get interested in items like this when I hear that we ‘can’t afford health care.’ I’ve noticed over the years how ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445797 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:48:38 +0100 4445797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424210&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2F01%2Fanalyzing-judge-vinsons-opinion-invalidating-the-aca%2F Federal District Court Judge Roger Vinson’s 78-page opinion in State of Florida v. United States Department of Health and Human Services is a remarkable piece of work.  This decision, concluding a case brought by twenty-six state governors or attorneys general (in addition to two private parties and a business association, the National Federation of Independent [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424210 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:57:59 +0100 4424210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424219&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUEK_Vp45QKM%2F By Michael F. CannonAccording to the Denver Business Journal: A spokeswoman for Aetna confirmed Monday that the insurer will no longer sell new individual-market health insurance policies in Colorado and will terminate current policies held by state residents no later than July 31, 2012. Aetna had already announced that it will no longer sell child-only coverage or small-group coverage in the state.   Colorado is one of 34 states where insurers fled the market for child-only coverage as a result of ObamaCare.  Colorado took steps to try to stabilize its child-only market, and is considering requiring insurers to sell child-only coverage as a condition of selling coverage directly to adults. Aetna isn’t commenting on whether ObamaCare played a role in its decision.   Aetna customer... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424219 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:43:59 +0100 4424219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419111&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0fpYN8orlOk%2F By Michael F. CannonAn article at HealthPolicySolutions.org (“a project of the Buechner Institute for Governance at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver”), about how ObamaCare is causing Colorado’s child-only health insurance market to implode, contains this startling admission by the top lobbyist for Colorado’s health insurance companies: “Requiring all the carriers to sell this sort of plan creates a level playing field,’’ said Ben Price, executive director of the Colorado Association of Health Plans. “This is one of those unusual situations where we’re asking for more competition. If everyone else is in the market, the risk is spread across the entire market. Each company can afford to take on more risk.” Catch that?  A ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419111 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:40:09 +0100 4419111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419098&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2F31%2Fhealth-policy-brief-medicaid-chip-enrollment%2F A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes recent efforts by the US Department of Health and Human Services HHS to identify and enroll approximately 5 million uninsured children in the United States who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This process also [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419098 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:10:13 +0100 4419098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411730&cid=t_112141_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuboxonetalkzone.com%2Fbupe.pain.pdf Humana Health Insurance recently revised their guidelines to ultimately reduce the number of scripts for Suboxone that they will cover.  I am in the process of writing the Humana Grievance Department a letter to regain coverage for a patient who was doing very well on the medication.  To provide context, last week I learned of a former patient who had stopped buprenorphine for his own reasons, who passed away a few months later from on overdose of heroin.  And then this morning a patient told me about her nephew, who at the age of 16 is in a coma after an overdose yesterday. Buprenorphine has the power to prevent these and other deaths from opioid dependence.  But patients must have access to the medication.  Many barriers exist;  doctors are reluctant to prescribe, afraid of their p... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411730 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:35:23 +0100 4411730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405747&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2F26%2Fhealth-care-and-the-state-of-the-union%2F Below, Kavita Patel, former director of policy for the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, discusses President Obama’s State of the Union address and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Republican response. See other posts on this topic by Len Nichols and Joseph Antos.  The Constitution mandates that the President “from time to time [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405747 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:05:12 +0100 4405747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399488&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2F26%2Fstate-of-the-union-lets-be-honest-for-a-change%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Len Nichols, Professor of Health Policy and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University, discusses President Obama’s State of the Union address and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Republican response. Watch Health Affairs Blog for other posts on this topic.  In last night’s State of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399488 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:51:35 +0100 4399488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399527&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdiscussing-immunization-the-injustice-of-interviewing-dr-wakefield%2F2011.01.25 When Dr. Andrew Wakefield was interviewed on ABC’s “Good Morning America” [recently], an injustice occurred. For children, I mean. And it occurred inadvertently, I suspect. But I believe this injustice happens all the time when it comes to children’s health and wellness. What the media covers really changes how we think and feel about protecting and parenting our children. The media’s effort to inform and educate — just like that of physicians and nurses, social workers and ancillary staff, researchers, and students — can get lost and misconstrued. ABC worked hard to inform us of the accusations against Dr. Wakefield with a two-minute introduction by Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and medical editor/correspondent. Yet when the interview was over, ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399527 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:00:46 +0100 4399527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361328&cid=t_112141_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FhkuARpQHJDo%2Fbest-tubal-reversal-doctors.html This article will help readers answer the question on where is the best place to have a tubal ligation reversal. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361328 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:29:03 +0100 4361328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302857&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-pr-puffery-a-year-end-review%2F2011.01.01 Healthcare journalists are buried under a mountain of public relations material sent to them every day of every week of every month. I don’t even work in a traditional news setting, yet I’ve made it onto the distribution lists of countless PR people. The picture on the left shows a pile of video news releases sent to one TV health news reporter over a relatively short time span. Here’s my year end look at just some of what was sent to me this year. Imagine what the New York Times, USA Today, the TV networks, and others receive. I get countless emails from PR people offering interviews with their experts on: • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — including an offer of an interview with a “celebrity trainer” who claims to have trained Julia Roberts, Cindy... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302857 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 23:00:41 +0100 4302857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272293&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F11-healthcare-predictions-for-2011%2F2010.12.18 Here are 11 things that are absolutely going to happen* in 2011 (they’re in no particular order….or are they?): 1.  There will be no big compromise between President Obama and the Republicans on healthcare reform. Why? Because the law is such a massive collection of, well, stuff, that it is pretty much impossible to find pieces of it that you could cut a deal on, even if you wanted to. And no, the federal district court decision on the individual mandate doesn’t change my mind…and in fact may breathe new life into other parts of the law). State governments, insurance companies, and private businesses have made all kinds of important and hard to reverse choices based on the law as is. There’s not much of an appetite outside of people trying to score political points for m... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272293 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:00:44 +0100 4272293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4258826&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F14%2Fexamining-judge-hudsons-decision-on-the-individual-mandate%2F On December 12, 2010, Judge Henry Hudson of the Eastern District of Virginia became the first federal judge to hold a provision of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.  The lawsuit was filed by the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia immediately after the reform statute was signed into law in March.  It challenges the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4258826 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:47:55 +0100 4258826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253135&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Femployee-health-the-first-benefits-package-blog-carnival%2F2010.12.13 Welcome to The Benefits Package — the very first employee benefits blog carnival. After healthcare reform, employee benefits move to center stage as one of the most important issues facing Americans. So what are employers, insurers, and the government really doing to rein in healthcare costs, get their employees to live healthier lives, and improve healthcare quality? The Benefits Package is the first-ever blog carnival dedicated to these issues. With benefits executives starting to make the leap into the blogosphere, The Benefits Package will highlight the best insights and opinions on this important subject. You will discover new blogs, learn new things, and hopefully think about issues a little differently. I’ll host the first couple of Benefits Packages, and then others will ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253135 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:00:58 +0100 4253135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253136&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Frationed-care-denied-treatment-and-%25e2%2580%259cdeath-panels%2F2010.12.13 One of the canards slung at the Affordable Care Act is that it creates “death panels” that would allow the government to deny patients lifesaving treatments, even though two independent and non-partisan fact-checking organizations found it would do no such thing. I don’t bring this up now to rehash the debate, but because the New York Times had a recent story on Arizona’s decision to deny certain transplants to Medicaid enrollees — “death by budget cuts” in the words of reporter Marc Lacey. His story profiles several patients who died when they were unable to raise money on their own to fund a transplant. Lacey quotes a physician expert on transplants who flatly states: “There’s no doubt that people aren’t going to make it because of this decision.” Arizona Medic... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253136 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:00:00 +0100 4253136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233146&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F06%2Fhow-did-the-recession-impact-health-insurance-coverage%2F Between 2007 and 2009, with increasing unemployment and declining incomes, the number of uninsured nonelderly Americans increased from forty-five million to fifty million. This finding is contained in a Health Affairs Web First article released today and authored by John Holahan, the director of the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center. The Urban Institute study was prepared in partnership with the Kaiser [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233146 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:56:09 +0100 4233146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225251&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpregnancy-as-a-pre-existing-condition%2F2010.12.03 Women who own individual healthcare policies, please take note. Should you become pregnant in the future, your individual healthcare policy might not cover your pregnancy. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times by Michelle Andrews was revealing. Andrews described the plight of a North Carolina biology teacher who subsequently left teaching after the birth of her twins. She became a small business owner and was covered under individual health insurance policies. However, when she became pregnant again, she had a rude awakening. Despite paying an insurance premium of $400 per month, her pregnancy wasn’t covered unless she had paid for a special rider, prior to becoming pregnant. Since half of all pregnancies are “unplanned” how can you pay for coverage six months in advance of an u... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225251 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:00:20 +0100 4225251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214061&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F29%2Fhealth-policy-brief-early-retiree-coverage%2F The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes a new program to shore up health insurance coverage for early retirees—individuals 55 and older who have left employment and are not yet eligible for Medicare. The number of employers offering medical coverage for this group has declined during the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214061 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:17:07 +0100 4214061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214114&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-reform-law-is-gaining-public-support%2F2010.11.29 GOP hardliners soon to be in control of the House have made repeal of the detested healthcare reform law a cornerstone of their agenda, despite the impossibility of actually being able to repeal it, politically, at least until an election or two has passed, and despite the fact that their ascent to power had more to do with the terrible economy and high unemployment than any mandate to repeal the law. It seems that, finally, there may be movement towards increased public support for the law. A new McClatchy poll shows a majority of Americans now in favor of the law: A majority of Americans want the Congress to keep the new health care law or actually expand it, despite Republican claims that they have a mandate from the people to kill it, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll. The post... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214114 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:00:00 +0100 4214114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4200548&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F24%2Fthoughtful-purchasing-at-cms%2F Recent press reports on Medicare’s decision to evaluate coverage policy for the new cancer therapy Provenge were highly critical of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its role in examining the evidence behind FDA-approved products.  Let’s take a step back. In fact, this is exactly what CMS should be doing – carefully [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4200548 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:21:49 +0100 4200548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197057&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F_y2xm7AwxKA%2F By Casey Quinlan. I will admit to a bias on the subject of health insurance, and healthcare reform: I’m one of the millions of America’s uninsured. I’m female, over 50 (I told you, now I’ll have to kill you), and I was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2007. The first of those facts – being female – is the biggest dinger of the three when it comes to health insurance premiums. The reasoning there: women use more health services, starting in their teens and 20s and continuing through menopause. The second – my age – could signal a better rate, since women typically tail off in their use of healthcare in their mid-50s. However, the third fact – cancer within the last 10 years – gets me insurance coverage quotes of $2,000 per month, with a deductible between at $3,000 t... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197057 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:21:49 +0100 4197057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190150&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-rationing-of-healthcare%2F2010.11.22 Do you recall the severe rationing of food and water the Chilean miners had to endure to survive? The rationing was done to stretch their limited resources. I would argue the state of Arizona’s new policy to not cover organ transplants for patients on Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) or their version of Medicaid is a similar form of rationing. AHCCCS, as many Medicaid programs, is underfunded. They are trying to operate on a limited budget. Something has to give. Sadly in this case, many (NPR reports 98) had already been granted approval for organ transplants which they may not receive. Francisco Felix, 32, who due to hepatitis-C needs a liver transplant, is reported to have made it to the operating room, prepped and ready for his life-saving liver transplant when d... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190150 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:00:00 +0100 4190150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183272&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F19%2Fimplementing-health-reform-emerging-guidance-on-insurance-exchanges%2F Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of posts by Timothy Jost on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  Earlier posts by Jost provide analyses of regulations implementing provisions of the Act governing coverage for pre-existing conditions, appeals of coverage denials, coverage for preventive services, a patient bill of rights, grandfathered plans, tax exempt hospitals, the small employer tax [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183272 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:29:55 +0100 4183272 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167942&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fp-KvZOVwRUU%2F By Michael F. CannonThe new prostate-cancer vaccine Provenge (manufacturer: Dendreon) appears to extend life by an average of four months at the relatively high cost of $93,000 per patient.  This week, Medicare bureaucrats will conduct a national coverage analysis before deciding whether Medicare will cover the vaccine.  This “unusual“ step has sparked charges that government bureaucrats are rationing medical care to save money. Today’s Washington Post includes letters from two cancer survivors that neatly illustrate why the government should not be in the business of providing health insurance or purchasing medical care at all.  Cancer Survivor #1 argues that Medicare should cover Provenge: “Expensive” treatments have given me many extra years with my... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167942 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:58:59 +0100 4167942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159195&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F12%2Fhow-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-health-reform-has-singapore-got-it-right%2F Editor’s Note: This week, senior health policy experts and emerging health care leaders from around the world have gathered in Salzburg, Austria, where the Salzburg Global Seminar, in association with the Nuffield Trust, has convened a health care series titled, “Reforming Health Care: Maintaining Social Solidarity and Quality in the Face of Economic, Health and Social Challenges.” Health Affairs Deputy [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159195 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:02:01 +0100 4159195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152226&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F08%2Fengaging_the_public.php I noticed this editorial in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, on getting scientific results out to the public. It's worth reading, but not in the way that they think. It starts out reasonably well: As members of the research community, we know we can't rely on the popular media to correct the misperceptions the public might harbor about science-related issues. According to a 2009 Pew Research Center survey of Americans, carried out in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 76% of scientists feel the media do not adequately distinguish between substantial findings and those that are unfounded. Although it would be easy to say that the public “just doesn't get it,” the burden of passing along the understanding and implications of contempo... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152226 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:06:10 +0100 4152226 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133834&cid=t_112141_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F02%2Fthomas-bornemann-ed-d-on-the-26th-annual-carter-symposium-on-mental-health-policy%2F Psych Central will again be partnering with The Carter Center to bring you media coverage of the 26th Annual Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy. This year’s symposium focuses on the unique challenges for mental health care and community reintegration faced by National Guard and reserve veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The event will also be webcast live on The Carter Center’s website. Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down with Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D., the Director of the Carter Center Mental Health Program to talk to him about this year’s symposium agenda. John M. Grohol, Psy.D.:  So talk to me a little bit about the theme of this year’s symposium. I understand it has to do with policy surrounding helping vets gets access to mental health c... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133834 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:03:05 +0100 4133834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118854&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F29%2Fwhat-is-an-essential-benefit%2F A central feature of health reform is the state exchanges, through which a variety of plans will be offered. Each of those plans will be required to offer a package of “essential benefits” as defined in the Affordable Care Act.  When most people think of benefits, they think of monthly premiums, annual deductibles and co-pays for [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118854 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:21:14 +0100 4118854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082062&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0L1HfBXgumw%2F By Michael F. CannonObamaCare has touched off a battle between Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. From the commissioner’s press release: Kreidler orders Regence BlueShield to cover children OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler ordered Regence BlueShield this morning to stop illegally denying insurance to children, effective immediately. “Regence is in clear violation of state law that prohibits insurers from denying insurance to people on the basis of age,” said Kreidler. “I was shocked and deeply disappointed when Regence announced its decision last week to stop selling insurance to kids.” The Affordable Care Act requires all health plans to cover kids with pre-existing conditions&#8230... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082062 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:11:59 +0100 4082062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074062&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fun-insurance-reform%2F2010.10.15 Who doesn’t need insurance reform? Why, the insurers like Aetna, Cigna, and BCS Insurance, that’s who! From Emergency Physicians Monthly: By threatening to raise health care premiums by 200 percent or threatening to drop coverage altogether, the companies got the Department of Health and Human Services to cave. Now the companies have our government’s blessing to continue offering “insurance” to their employees that is capped at a few thousand dollars per year instead of the $750,000 required in the health care law. Perhaps GruntDoc said it best: “I am not an Obamacare fan, and would like it repealed, with smaller, more focused Bipartisan fixes, but if the government is going to pass something then roll over this easily to special interests… it’s already worse th... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074062 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0100 4074062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074010&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F15%2Fhealth-reform-what-is-the-future-for-undocumented-aliens%2F Editor’s Note: Today on Health Affairs Blog, Courtney Burke and Erica Martin of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York in Albany examine two related issues that will be important to monitor and address as health reform is implemented. Below, the two researchers discuss access to care for undocumented immigrants [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074010 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:27:52 +0100 4074010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060562&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F12%2Fnew-uninsured-numbers-lead-septembers-ha-blog-most-read-list%2F A post on the spike in the ranks of the uninsured reported by the Census Bureau was the most-read Health Affairs Blog post for September. Next on the list was a discussion of Health Affairs‘ September issue on medical liablity and emergency department use, followed by a report on Don Berwick’s first public address as Administrator of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060562 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:44:23 +0100 4060562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053289&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-to-pick-good-health-insurance%2F2010.10.10 Unless your doctor is a policy expert, in healthcare administration, a researcher, an author or blogger, I seriously doubt he will be reviewing an important report card that helps you pick the best health insurance plan that keeps you healthy. Published annually by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), this year’s report card ranks 227 health plans across the country on their ability to keep you healthy and well, treat you quickly, and how patients feel about their insurance coverage. Because unlike banking or airlines where there is not much difference in ATM machines or planes, there is a big difference in whether a health insurance plan helps in keeping its enrollees healthy. Do children get their vaccinations? Do healthy mothers get screened for breast cancer or ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053289 Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +0100 4053289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045064&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F08%2Fa-victory-for-health-reform-and-good-law%2F Editor’s Note: Yesterday, a federal District Court judge in Michigan rejected a constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. Below, Timothy Jost of the Washington and Lee University School of Law discusses the court’s decision. In the June issue of Health Affairs, Jost and Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute offered “pro and con” perspectives on the constitutionality [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045064 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:47:54 +0100 4045064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040559&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FnNYdAVoYOwc%2F Do you find yourself a little confused about what happens when with the health care reform law? To help clear up the confusion the Kaiser Family Foundation wrote and produced a short animated video that explains the problems with the current health care system, the changes that are happening now, and the big changes coming in 2014. The video is narrated by Cokie Roberts, a news commentator for ABC News and NPR and a member of Kaiser’s Board of Trustees. View the video. In addition to this video, the Kaiser Family Foundation has great resources/basic information to help you understand the new law. To access this information, click here. Related posts:Health Reform Resources The NHMA Forum on Health Care Reform offers an opportunity to impact health reform legislation Transition and ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040559 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:43:47 +0100 4040559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4022900&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqCYT1eaGZXs%2F By Michael F. CannonFirst, a dozen insurers said they would stop writing child-only health insurance policies.  Now, according to the Wall Street Journal: By forcing the exit of Principal Financial Group — which ran a profitable, $1.6 billion health insurance business — ObamaCare has now left 840,000 Americans to find another source of coverage. According to The New York Times, other insurers may soon follow: More insurers are likely to follow Principal’s lead, especially as they try to meet the new rules that require plans to spend at least 80 cents of every dollar they collect in premiums on the welfare of their customers… “It’s just going to drive the little guys out,” said Robert Laszewski, a health policy consultant in Alexandria, Va. Smaller players like ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4022900 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:09:44 +0100 4022900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998954&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdfSHez0bTmw%2F By Michael F. CannonThat’s the headline of an article posted this week in Politico: Rarely have so many political strategists been so wrong about something so big. But when it comes to the health care bill, everyone from former President Bill Clinton on down whiffed on some of the more significant predictions. Democrats would run aggressively on the legislation? Nope. Voters would forget about the sausage-making aspects of the legislative process? Doesn’t seem that way, as the process contributed to the sense that the bill was deeply flawed. And Clinton’s own promise to jittery Democrats that their poll numbers would skyrocket after the bill finally passed also didn’t pan out, as the party is fighting for its life in the midterms. What can explain the miscalculation? ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998954 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:17:19 +0100 3998954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993884&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaPLQbHBbzV8%2F By Michael F. CannonThis is what happens when government price controls limit insurance companies’ ability to set premiums according to risk: Note that this adverse-selection death spiral happened before ObamaCare‘s price controls on child-only coverage even took effect.  (Of course, President Obama never calls them price controls.  He calls them “consumer protections.”  Some protection.) ObamaCare supporters are in full-blown denial: “We’re just days away from a new era when insurance companies must stop denying coverage to kids just because they are sick, and now some of the biggest changed their minds,” Ethan Rome, executive director of Health Care for America Now, an advocacy group, said in a statement. “[It] is immoral, and to blame ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993884 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:09:40 +0100 3993884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976479&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2F16%2Fthe-number-of-americans-with-health-coverage-declined-in-2009%2F The number of people with health insurance decreased to 253.6 million in 2009 from 255.1 million in 2008, the Census Bureau reported today. This is the first time that the number of people with health insurance has decreased since 1987, the first year that comparable health insurance data were collected. The ranks of those with [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976479 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:00:58 +0100 3976479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965408&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F_8iLuMv1C-o%2F This report did not make the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Lest you think I am making the case for government run health care, I would observe that the private sector could control all of health care. In particular, we might want to find ways to preserve our Catholic and church owned hospitals. Perhaps they have value positions that influence their choices…hmmmm. My argument is that health care should not be a for-profit enterprise. If you have read thus far, I congratulate you. In our current befuddled state as a nation, we are not even having this discussion. It is assumed that health care for profit is the wave of the future. Heaven help our grandchildren! Related posts:Solutions To Scale: Proven Health Care Models for Primetime Health Care as a Right Health Reform: Patient... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965408 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:15:32 +0100 3965408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3938323&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FF88z0wtMIlI%2F By Stephanie Cohen. This month’s health insurance issue: Linda is having surgery in the morning, but at 4 p.m. the afternoon before, she gets a call from her HMO requiring her to post a $400 advance deposit — or the surgery is off. What should she do? The situation: Our client Linda was scheduled to have surgery using a surgical group that had negotiated fees with her HMO carrier. Besides being told to post $400 in advance, she was told she needed to sign a form stating she would pay whatever fees the carrier would not pay to the doctor. This came despite the fact that the surgeon was in her HMO network and Linda had gotten the proper referral and authorization from the carrier. In fact, her policy dictates that when a provider has signed a contract with an insurance carrier, the patie... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3938323 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:03 +0100 3938323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3933060&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2F03%2Fwhich-children-are-uninsured-and-how-can-we-insure-them%2F At the beginning of this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched an initiative called Connecting Kids to Coverage, designed to identify (and subsequently enroll) the nearly five million uninsured children thought to be eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In the past it had been difficult [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3933060 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:47:53 +0100 3933060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3925113&cid=t_112141_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FvhLE96gkwaA%2Ftubal-ligation-reversal-dr-berger-leads-the-field.html Dr. Berger has been a innovator in creating sterilization reversal surgery as a safe, effective and affordable alternative to the more costly treatment of in-vitro fertilization. His success and the contributions of his staff at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center are the focus of a recent featured article in The Triangle Physician magazine. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3925113 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:23:30 +0100 3925113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907777&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F25%2Fwhere_are_the_cures.php Emily Yoffe at Slate has a very accurate piece up on just how hard it is to make progress against things like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The contrast with the hopes of patients - and the hype often surrounding the initial discoveries - is painful. And we're back to that optimism/realism tightrope. On the one hand, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be able - eventually - to stop such conditions in their tracks, or to keep them from starting in the first place. (Reversing the damage once it's done, though, is much more of a stretch, to me). But on the other hand - sheesh, we really, really have a lot to learn about these things. The likelihood of any one discovery being the key breakthrough is small - nonzero, but small. So in the long term, I'm an... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907777 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:37:50 +0100 3907777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899386&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FUVQc0xWYg74%2F By Trisha Torrey. Once upon a time when we experienced strange symptoms, we went to the doctor, the doctor listened and asked questions, we got the medical tests we needed, were correctly diagnosed and successfully treated, and we could afford all that great care. I say “once upon a time” because today, that scenario is mostly a fantasy.  And sadly, today’s story doesn’t always end with happily-ever-after – for anyone. Providers went to medical school to learn to heal and help. Instead they carry excessive patient loads amidst decreasing reimbursements, spend a small fortune on malpractice insurance, and reject some patients who don’t have the right kinds of payers, or who take up too much time with difficult diseases or comorbidities. They are frustrated with their inability ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899386 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:40:49 +0100 3899386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854492&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2F10%2Fhealth-policy-brief-pre-existing-condition-coverage%2F The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) explores challenges facing the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a program designed to help those with illnesses who have had difficulty obtaining affordable health insurance. The brief reviews decisions that may need to be made by the administration and Congress [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854492 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:00:29 +0100 3854492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845100&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fretraction-watch-a-new-niche-blog-to-follow%2F2010.08.08 Ivan Oransky, M.D., executive editor of Reuters Health, somehow found time a few months ago to launch his first blog, Embargo Watch — with the tagline: “Keeping an eye on how scientific information embargoes affect news coverage.” Now, as evidence he either doesn’t sleep or has roots in Transylvania, Oransky the Impaler launches a new blog, Retraction Watch along with partner Adam Marcus. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845100 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:00:37 +0100 3845100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805791&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F30%2Fimplementing-health-reform-pre-existing-condition-coverage%2F Editor’s Note: Earlier posts by Timothy Jost provide analyses of regulations implementing provisions of the new health reform legislation governing appeals of coverage denials, coverage for preventive services, a patient bill of rights, grandfathered plans, tax exempt hospitals, the small employer tax credit, the Web portal, reinsurance for early retirees, and young adult coverage. As of January 1, 2014, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805791 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:07:36 +0100 3805791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805792&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F30%2Fchanging-the-name-but-not-the-political-game%2F Editor’s Note: Yesterday, the Obama administration announced interim final regulations governing the temporary Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Below, Thomas Miller and James Capretta criticize this portion of the Act and the design of the temporary health insurance pools for high-risk individuals that it creates. For more on [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805792 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:59:21 +0100 3805792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3786981&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F25%2Fimplementing-health-reform-the-appeals-process%2F Editor’s Note: Earlier posts by Timothy Jost provide analyses of regulations implementing provisions of the new health reform legislation governing coverage for preventive services, a patient bill of rights, grandfathered plans, tax exempt hospitals, the small employer tax credit, the Web portal, reinsurance for early retirees, and young adult coverage.  On July 22, 2010, the Departments of Health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3786981 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:12:39 +0100 3786981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3780323&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F22%2Fwho-stands-to-gain-from-health-reform%2F As the United States begins implementing health reform, many aspects of the new law will be experienced differently depending on an individual’s current health insurance status. Joseph Newhouse, an internationally renowned Harvard economist, assessed health reform from the perspective of four different groups. He reports in a Health Affairs Web First article that the new law [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3780323 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:10:25 +0100 3780323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776342&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F21%2Fcalculating-caring%2F The small waiting room was packed with young mothers holding teary-eyed toddlers, older folks with resting tremors and oxygen tanks, and an obese man just stepping in from a smoke. I’m a family physician about to share my afternoon with each of them, in a working-class western Pennsylvania town. Walking quickly through the room on [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776342 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:07:07 +0100 3776342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776375&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FGenspaPxPc8%2F By Stephanie Mensh. During the next week or so, various Federal, state, and local government agencies as well as consumer organizations will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the landmark legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990.  My husband suffered a stroke that resulted in speech and mobility impairments around the time that the ADA became law.  The ADA continues to help my husband and family by increasing awareness and accessibility for people with disabilities to fully participate in our community, to go to school, work, shop, movie theaters, restaurants, and hotels, to use public transportation, to access hospitals and health care, and to have a place to call “home.” The ADA rights also extend to caregivers of people with dis... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776375 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:36:27 +0100 3776375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757828&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F15%2Fimplementing-health-reform-preventive-services%2F Editor’s Note: Earlier posts by Timothy Jost provide analyses of regulations implementing provisions of the new health reform legislation governing a patient bill of rights, grandfathered plans, tax exempt hospitals, the small employer tax credit, the Web portal, reinsurance for early retirees, and young adult coverage.  On July 14, 2010, the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757828 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:48:36 +0100 3757828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757852&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsaYXyH9Fags%2F By Michael F. CannonChristopher Weaver of Kaiser Health News has an excellent article in today’s Washington Post on the various government agencies that will now be deciding what health insurance coverage you must purchase, and how many of those decisions will ultimately fall to lobbyists and politicians: For years, an obscure federal task force sifted through medical literature on colonoscopies, prostate-cancer screening and fluoride treatments, ferreting out the best evidence for doctors to use in caring for their patients. But now its recommendations have financial implications, raising the stakes for patients, doctors and others in the health-care industry. Under the new health-care overhaul law, health insurers will be required to pay fully for services that get an A or B recomm... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757852 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:32:20 +0100 3757852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753823&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftoo-much-journalistic-enthusiasm-again-for-the-artificial-heart%2F2010.07.14 Here we go again. And believe me, as one who’s covered the artificial heart experiments of the 1980s, I feel like I’ve been through this countless times before — but so have health news readers. Another entrepeneurial team announces hopes for its artificial heart device and some news coverage trumpets the company’s announcement:                         But this was in The New York Times! Now, granted — it’s in a “Global Business” section. But we don’t see why that removes the need for more scrutiny, for independent perspective, and for a better discussion of evidence. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753823 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:00:27 +0100 3753823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753804&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZthdcmVWQls%2F By Michael F. CannonBack in May, I suggested: Senate Judiciary Committee members should be sure to ask Solicitor General and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, during her upcoming confirmation hearings, whether she or her office played any part in crafting ObamaCare or the administration’s defense to the lawsuits challenging that law. If Kagan helped to craft either, that would present a conflict of interest: when those lawsuits reach the Supreme Court, she would be sitting in judgment over a case in which she had already taken sides… If Kagan played a role in drafting ObamaCare or formulating the administration’s legal defense, and is confirmed by the Senate, propriety would dictate that she recuse herself from any challenges to that law that reach the high court. Committee memb... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753804 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:10:31 +0100 3753804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3737017&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F08%2Fjuly-health-affairs-the-impact-of-health-reform%2F The new health reform law charges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with testing new payment and delivery models intended to improve health outcomes and restrain costs. But as the July issue of Health Affairs, published yesterday, points out, implementing all of these activities will require a combination of flexibility, leadership, coordination, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3737017 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:54:20 +0100 3737017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714442&cid=t_112141_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FkbaEvFLNUu4%2F Nothing like an after-hours plunge in a stock. Dendreon shares fell as much as 23 percent this evening after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it is reviewing the prostate cancer vaccine to determine whether national coverage is “reasonable and necessary,” but a final decision won’t be made for an entire year. The stock later regained some of its losses to close at $26.69, but remains well below its 52-week high of $57.67 on May 3. The agency will take public comments through July 30 “on the evidence regarding the effects of this treatment on health outcomes in patients with prostate cancer,” according to a statement, adding that it is “particularly interested in clinical studies and other scientific information relevant to the ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714442 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:24:51 +0100 3714442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710558&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-male-menopause-story-journalists-all-over-the-map%2F2010.06.29 An article on the Knight Science Journalism Tracker comments on German media coverage of the “Is there male menopause?” question. An excerpt: One study, but very different types of headlines: “‘Male Menopause’ discovered” and “Men have no Menopause.” Both types of headlines are based on one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which analyzed 3219 European males between 40 and 79. Blood samples provided testosterone levels and questionnaires (!) asked about the “general, sexual, physical, and psychological health.” What the scientists found was nothing more and nothing less than a correlation between a low testosterone level and three clinical symptoms (”decreased frequency of morning erection, decreased fr... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710558 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:01:05 +0100 3710558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3699486&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36941&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mazecordblood.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D525 Chances are most of us have sorted this out; but there are always potholes that pop up (down?) and throw us off, particularly in this economic environment.  So, here’s a brief write up on health insurance companies and what they can and cannot do regarding the expected – or unexpected – pregnancy. (Source: Cord Blood News) Cord Blood News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3699486 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:08:15 +0100 3699486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695561&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FYNl6kCYgWcM%2F By Joy Burwell You’re Invited to “Solutions To Scale: Proven Health Care Models for Primetime”  Wednesday, June 30, 2010  9:00 – 11:30 am Breakfast will be served at 8:30 am   Kaiser Family Foundation Barbara Jordan Conference Center 1330 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20004  Raise the Voice, a program of the American Academy of Nursing supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, showcases the work of “Edge Runners” – nurse researchers and experts who have developed proven care models and interventions that demonstrate significantly improved clinical outcomes and cost savings.  The Edge Runners will share their experiences to highlight what does and does not work for consideration by federal and state agencies during health care implementation. Welcome: ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695561 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:04:04 +0100 3695561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695527&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2F24%2Fsame-sex-couples-face-inequities-in-access-to-health-coverage%2F Partnered gay men in California are only 42 percent as likely as married heterosexual men to get employer-sponsored dependent health insurance. Partnered lesbians in the state have an even smaller chance (28 percent) of getting that same coverage, compared to married heterosexual women. Those findings are contained in a Web First article released online today by Health Affairs; the study will also appear in the journal’s August issue. The work by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund in Los Angeles is the first to quantify 1) the gap between dependent coverage received by heterosexual employees and coverage received by lesbian and gay employees, and 2) the greater extent to which the dependent partners of l... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695527 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:39:21 +0100 3695527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687083&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4bBx9_gb1Ug%2F By Michael F. CannonIn the upside-down world of ObamaCare, politicians can force health-insurance companies to spend more yet blame them when premiums increase. Today, President Obama extolled new “protections” included in the sweeping legislation he signed into law on March 23. One category of “protections” requires consumers to purchase coverage for more and more expensive medical services (e.g., limitless coverage, requiring insurers to recognize ob-gyns as primary care physicians, coverage for “children” up to age 26).  If consumers valued such “protections,” they would have already bought them — and if they’re not in a position to select their own coverage, Congress should have fixed that problem.  Instead, Congress and Pre... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687083 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:07:24 +0100 3687083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683605&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvkmITx0TgXo%2F By Michael F. CannonLast week, The New York Times published an article subtitled, “In Desperately Poor Rwanda, Most Have Health Insurance.”  The main theme was the contrast between Rwanda’s compulsory health insurance system and the as-yet-non-compulsory U.S. health insurance market: Rwanda has had national health insurance for 11 years now; 92 percent of the nation is covered, and the premiums are $2 a year. Sunny Ntayomba, an editorial writer for The New Times, a newspaper based in the capital, Kigali, is aware of the paradox: his nation, one of the world’s poorest, insures more of its citizens than the world’s richest does. He met an American college student passing through last year, and found it “absurd, ridiculous, that I have health insurance and she didn’... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683605 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:44:49 +0100 3683605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3655758&cid=t_112141_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmedical-bills-mean-bittersweet-victory-over-breast-cancer%2F The most heartbreaking stories I hear are from those who found a lump or have been diagnosed with breast cancer and don’t have insurance. Fear grips us the moment we notice a lump in our breasts; fear can overwhelm us when we are told it is breast cancer. There are no words, however, to describe the horror of realizing that you can’t afford treatment. I had good insurance when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, but I shared in previous entries the horror of finding we were without health insurance when my husband’s employment changed and his company didn’t offer us COBRA right away. The battle with breast cancer was bad enough, but knowing we had to pay over 1,100 dollars a month to continue coverage once we were given COBRA was like fighting the enemy on two fronts. Add in th... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3655758 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:17:50 +0100 3655758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648481&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4ZCAYfHGVlc%2F By Tim LynchJohn Lee still has his life and four children still have a father because Mr. Lee  had a handgun when three criminals tried to kill him and take his money. When John Q. Citizen takes out a gun and the criminals flee, reporters don’t consider the incident “news” (at least when there are no injuries)–so guns are typically on the evening news when they are used by criminals.  As a result of that skewed coverage, it is no wonder that many people have a negative view about firearms. On June 17, Cato will be hosting a forum about guns, crime, and self-defense.  Speakers include John Lott, Jeff Snyder, and Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign. For related Cato scholarship, go here. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648481 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:37:17 +0100 3648481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641307&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F06%2F08%2Fanyone_from_gsk_interested.php A reporter from a major newspaper has contacted me while working on a story about GlaxoSmithKline's new R&D structure. They've noticed a lot of comments to posts here, and wonder if anyone would like to provide their opinions as to how things are going. If anyone's interested, drop me an e-mail, and I'll provide contact information. At that point, I'll drop out of the process entirely. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641307 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:56:19 +0100 3641307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3603574&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfDM9_O3USl4%2F By Christopher PrebleEarlier today, I attended a lecture at CSIS by John Brennan, a leading counterterrorism and homeland security adviser to President Obama. His speech highlighted some of the key elements of the administration’s counterterrorism strategy, in advance of tomorrow’s release of the National Security Strategy (NSS). I hope that many people will take the opportunity to read (.pdf) or listen to/watch Brennan’s speech, as opposed to merely reading what other people said that he said. Echoing key themes that Brennan put forward last year, also at CSIS, today’s talk reflected a level of sophistication that is required when addressing the difficult but eminently manageable problem of terrorism. Brennan was most eloquent in talking about the nature of t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3603574 Wed, 26 May 2010 20:52:26 +0100 3603574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595588&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Femergency-cares-ambiguity-in-the-affordable-care-act%2F2010.05.24 There’s just so much hidden and buried in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that it’s like trying the find all the goodies in an Easter egg hunt. ACEP News pointed out one hidden goodie, nicely illustrated in this article from Kaiser Health News: Under the new health law, insurance companies must extend several new protections to patients who receive emergency care. One of the biggest guarantees: Patients who need emergency treatment will have their costs covered at the same rate, regardless of whether they are treated at “in-network” or “out-of-network” hospitals. The law also bars health plans from requiring prior authorization for emergency services. And it mandates that plans follow the “prudent layperson” rule. For example, if a person goes ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595588 Mon, 24 May 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3595588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592210&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwill-large-employers-dump-healthcare-coverage%2F2010.05.24 Fortune magazine has made some news recently about the impact of healthcare reform on large employers: Internal documents recently reviewed by Fortune, originally requested by Congress, show what the bill’s critics predicted, and what its champions dreaded: many large companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumping the healthcare coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government. The only trouble? There’s no way these employers are seriously thinking about doing this. I can understand why the employers would do the math. According to healthcare reform law, penalties for failing to provide health coverage are a small fraction of the cost of that coverage. But as with most everything else in healthcare, there’s muc... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592210 Mon, 24 May 2010 12:00:30 +0100 3592210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552246&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffaith-in-healthcare-is-falling%2F2010.05.10 A newly-created index of consumer healthcare confidence has fallen steadily this year, reports The Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index. Consumers report declining confidence in their ability to access, use, and pay for healthcare. The index, set at a baseline of 100 in December 2009, is now at 97. More consumers reported difficulty paying for services and insurance, or reported a reduction or cancellation of their insurance. More delayed or failed to fill a prescription in the past three months or canceled a diagnostic test (such as blood work, X-ray or mammogram). Further, consumers expect the situation to worsen in the next three months, including putting off elective surgery. Thomson will report figures monthly and has published their methodology online. *This bl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552246 Mon, 10 May 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3552246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3549552&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F10%2Fmalcolm_gladwell_on_synta_and_oncology.php The folks at the New Yorker sent along this link to a new article by Malcolm Gladwell about Synta and their attempts to get elesclomol (STA-4783) to work as a melanoma therapy. (If you don't know how this one turns out, you might want to read the article before clicking on that second link). Update: didn't realize that the full article was subscriber-only at the New Yorker site. Not sure if there's anything to be done about that, but I've dropped them a line. . . Gladwell (an occasional reader of this blog) often takes some hits from experts in the fields he writes about, but after reading the article this morning, I think he's done a fine job of showing what drug discovery is like. His division between screening and rational drug design is a bit too sharply defined, to my eyes, but he g... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3549552 Mon, 10 May 2010 12:22:40 +0100 3549552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529781&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F-E9F5R-sVuw%2F By Glenna Crooks. Full disclosure – I’ve practiced yoga fairly consistently for decades. It’s been good for me. In grad school it helped me stay focused – and calmer – through killer statistics classes. Later, it was a way to unwind at the end of a workday. Still later, it saved me from surgery to correct fairly severe scoliosis. It’s not cured the deformity but I’m virtually pain free most of the time – no small feat for one who spends 18-24 hours on flights and 8 hours standing to facilitate meetings. More disclosure – I am certified to teach, though I don’t. The same erratic travel schedule that prevents attending classes on a regular basis precludes committing to teaching them. I trained to be able to practice on the road. It was a good investment of my time and fun... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529781 Tue, 04 May 2010 13:45:13 +0100 3529781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529789&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthblawg.typepad.com%2Ffiles%2Fgeorge-pantos-hpm-institute-healthblawg-interview-with-david-harlow-042110.mp3 Healthcare costs are a perennial issue for employers and employees. There are a variety of approaches out there designed to improve health status and health outcomes and reduce costs at the same time. Proponents of a variety of approaches have been featured here on HealthBlawg in the past.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with George Pantos, of the Healthcare Performance Management Institute, a brand-new organization on the scene, founded by a group of folks who have developed tools for managing these costs. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529789 Mon, 03 May 2010 17:00:33 +0100 3529789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3499267&cid=t_112141_133_f&fid=35128&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthiswayoflife.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D457 Well, that’s one of the current quack theories about vaccines and autism. While it is clear that vaccines have absolutely nothing to do with autism (other than the known causation through the Rubella virus in, obviously, people who were un-vaccinated), that doesn’t stop people from believing in vaccine causation. Well, a new group of people has joined this fight. Rather than being autistic-adults, parents of autistics, or researchers, this group has little personal contact with actual autistic people. Instead, it is one group of pro-life people wanting to use autism as proof of why abortion should be outlawed – never mind that it has no basis in fact! Don’t believe me? See this article, Study Confirms Link Between Autism and Use of Cells From Abortions in Vaccines. ... NTs Are Weird blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3499267 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:06:37 +0100 3499267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3483102&cid=t_112141_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F18%2Fce_news_a_few_questions.php I'll be traveling Monday, so no new posts during the day. But I'm traveling to something that's of interest to many of the readers here, so I wanted to throw the floor open to questions. I've been invited to be on the editorial advisory board of Chemical and Engineering News, and I'll be meeting with the staff there later this week. So I wanted to ask the chemists in the crowd: what do you think that C&E News does well, and what do you think it does poorly? Are there topics that you think are covered too much, or some that you think aren't being addressed? Please feel free to add comments - I'll collate them and pass them on to the staff there. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3483102 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:15:09 +0100 3483102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3467839&cid=t_112141_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FcvHo0cow9go%2F GUEST POST BY ANDREW WOLFE, LMP, MMs “Medical Massage Therapy and Insurance Coverage.”  By Andrew Wolfe, LMP, MMs. Medical massage therapy is recognized as a health care provision under rehabilitation outpatient coverage under most major medical plans.  Specific plan coverage’s vary according to the benefit package your plan and/or employer offer.  Medical massage therapy definition is the ability to heal, restore and improve function which was otherwise compromised due to illness, injury, disease or surgery.  It must be a part of a treatment plan your primary care provider recommends as medically necessary to restore lost function. Provisions are also given towards motor vehicle accident (PIP) and worker’s compensation-labor and industry (L&I), job injury reco... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3467839 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:28:37 +0100 3467839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3467738&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fw1mT8tFucSU%2F By Michael D. TannerOver the course of the health care debate, the media often reported and editorialized — and sometimes it was impossible to tell the difference — quite favorably on the Democratic proposals running through Congress. While some upheld their journalistic responsibility to scrutinize and offer objective analysis of the legislation, many did not. It was not surprising to read stories almost daily about how Obamacare would lift millions of poor, elderly, sick, and generally down-trodden Americans out of financial and medical crisis, and even go so far as to singlehandedly save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans over the course of the next decade. (It would even provide one free turkey for Thanksgiving to every family living 400 percent below the pover... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3467738 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:06:33 +0100 3467738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3432875&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Ft8RF0ckq3_A%2F By Santi Bhagat, MD, MPH. Health Care Reform is off to a good start.  A couple of days ago, I blogged on the debate between the insurance industry and the administration about the interpretation of this new law.  Hats off to insurers for making the right choice, right away, to heed regulations that are forthcoming from Health and Human Services.   I first heard this through the grapevine at the Disruptive Women Breakfast Series this week from Stephanie Cohen, the expert panelist representing the insurance industry. The law is intended to require insurers to issue policies that provide a full range of benefits for all children with pre-existing conditions starting in September 2010.  That means insurers can no longer refuse to cover children with pre-existing conditions under their par... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3432875 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:07:29 +0100 3432875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420451&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FsWwQK21VocY%2F Hygeia Note:  On March 30th, Disruptive Women in Health Care launches the first of its monthly in-person breakfasts.  Among our speakers will be Stephanie Cohen.  Her post appears below. By Stephanie Cohen.  This month’s health insurance nightmare: Dad is still paying for his daughter’s insurance — and no one is happy. The situation: I received a call last week from a client whose daughter recently told him she hates her insurance “because it does not cover anything.” He phoned me to see if she had a real gripe, and if I could help him find another policy with better coverage for her. The problem: It turned out that her policy had a $5000 deductible, which did not include coverage for dental or vision doctor visits. Since she has an entry-level position and not a ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420451 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:21:39 +0100 3420451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408373&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kff.org%2Fhealthreform%2Fupload%2F8060.pdf With the enactment of comprehensive health reform, the Kaiser Family Foundation has prepared a timeline detailing when specific provisions of the legislation are scheduled to take effect.  The implementation timeline reflects the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed on March 23, 2010, as well as provisions in the Health Care & Education Reconciliation Act passed by the House and Senate.  It includes more than a dozen key provisions scheduled to take effect in 2010, including the creation of a national high-risk pool for people with pre-existing conditions that can’t buy insurance on their own, tax credits for small businesses that obtain health coverage for their workers and assistance for Medicare beneficiaries with high drug c... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408373 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:37:29 +0100 3408373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403844&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2FZCDfBbsuRbw%2Fbioethicists-weigh-in-on-healthcare_22.html As the readers of this blog know, both myself and several of our bloggers have posted about universal health care coverage many, many times as an ethical and moral imperative. In the last year, my hopes (along with many other bioethicists, I'm sure ) of attaining universal coverage have gone up, down and sideways, like a roller-coaster ride, exhilarating and frightening, with emotions ranging from inspiration to resignation.   Now that the US House of Representative has finally passed a health reform bill, I've requested several bioethicists (and friends of the WBP) to share their thoughts on the ethical implications of the passage of this bill: Art Caplan of UPenn:  "The passage of this bill, flaws and all, represents the elimination of the single greatest failure in Americ... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403844 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:13:03 +0100 3403844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403846&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F24%2Fhow-would-health-reform-affect-the-uninsured%2F In an appearance on the PBS NewsHour last night, Health Affairs Editor in Chief Susan Dentzer broke down the composition of America’s uninsured population and discussed how health reform is expected to extend coverage to 32 million uninsured people. Dentzer described the planned expansion of Medicaid and the creation of state-based exchanges for individuals and small businesses that would feature income-based subsidies. Note: Yesterday’s post about Dentzer’s earlier appearance on the NewsHour misstated her remarks concerning the timeline for implementing bans on coverage restrictions for preexisting conditions. The current corrected version of the post contains the correct timeline. Copyright © 2010 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403846 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:06:03 +0100 3403846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3395086&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2FZCDfBbsuRbw%2Fbioethicists-weigh-in-on-healthcare_22.html As the readers of this blog know, both myself and several of our bloggers have posted about universal health care coverage many, many times as an ethical and moral imperative. In the last year, my hopes (along with many other bioethicists, I'm sure ) of attaining universal coverage have gone up, down and sideways, like a roller-coaster ride, exhilarating and frightening, with emotions ranging from inspiration to resignation.   Now that the US House of Representative has finally passed a health reform bill, I've requested several bioethicists (and friends of the WBP) to share their thoughts on the ethical implications of the passage of this bill: Art Caplan of UPenn:  "The passage of this bill, flaws and all, represents the elimination of the single greatest failure in Americ... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3395086 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:50:59 +0100 3395086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3386875&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F19%2Fthe-health-care-reform-reconciliation-bill%2F **An update added the afternoon of March 20 at the end of this post provides a brief summation of the manager’s amendment to the health reform reconciliation bill being considered by the House.** The House began its last step in the health reform legislative process early in the afternoon of Thursday, March 18, when it released HR 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. As this year’s health reform legislation has gone, this is a slender bill, weighing in at 153 pages, of which 35 are dedicated to student loans and 32 to revenue enhancements. Nonetheless, the reconciliation bill makes significant changes in the Senate bill, moving it closer to the House’s earlier legislation. First, a quick recap for anyone who happens to have slept through t... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3386875 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:11:47 +0100 3386875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385328&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F19%2Fthe-health-care-reform-reconciliation-bill%2F The House began its last step in the health reform legislative process early in the afternoon of Thursday, March 18, when it released HR 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. As this year’s health reform legislation has gone, this is a slender bill, weighing in at 153 pages, of which 35 are dedicated to student loans and 32 to revenue enhancements. Nonetheless, the reconciliation bill makes significant changes in the Senate bill, moving it closer to the House’s earlier legislation. First, a quick recap for anyone who happens to have slept through the past few months. On November 7, the House passed its health reform bill, HR 3962, by a vote of 220 to 215. After more than a month of deliberation, the Senate finally cut off a filibuster and passed ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385328 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:11:47 +0100 3385328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378449&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FD8FXSTYtAVk%2F By Michael F. CannonHouse Democrats claim that a not-yet-released Congressional Budget Office report puts the cost of their revised health care overhaul at $940 billion over the next 10 years. Though I have yet to see the CBO score, I’ll bet anyone a fancy lunch that it does not claim the legislation would cost the federal government just $940 billion from 2010 through 2019. As former Congressional Budget Office director Donald Marron has explained over and over, the figure that Democrats consistently cite for the cost of their bills is only the CBO’s estimate of the cost of federal spending related to the expansion of health insurance coverage.  It is not the full cost to the federal government, because each bill also spends taxpayer dollars on other items. Marron examined th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378449 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:26:23 +0100 3378449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374106&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUA3h7xM7mE4%2F By Michael F. CannonThe Associated Press reports: Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print… The [Congressional Budget Office] concluded that premiums for people buying their own coverage would go up by an average of 10 percent to 13 percent, compared with the levels they’d reach without the legislation… “People are likely to not buy the same low-value policies they are buying now,” said health economist Len Nichols of George Mason University. “If they did buy the same value plans … the premium would be lower than it is now. This makes the White House statement true. But is it possibly misleading for some people? Sure.” Nichols’ comments are also m... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374106 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:51:05 +0100 3374106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354301&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNhKpCeZLjag%2F By Michael F. CannonNoting that premium increases, such as Anthem’s proposed 39-percent hike in California, have caused individuals and employers to purchase less coverage, Kaiser Family Foundation president Drew Altman writes: Rising health care costs and insurance company practices are leading not just to more expensive premiums, but to skimpier, less comprehensive coverage as well; slowly redefining what we have known as health insurance. To be sure, some economists argue that this is precisely what should happen…But this is not likely how regular people see it. Appropriate cost sharing is one thing, but we may be reaching the point in the individual market where the policies many people have simply cannot be considered meaningful coverage. Of course, this is the whole idea ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354301 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:57:34 +0100 3354301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3338202&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F05%2Fdeath-of-a-sales-job-a-three-act-ploy%2F With apologies to Arthur Miller … President Obama went back before the cameras again Wednesday, providing yet another recycling of fading rationales for his health reform product that more voters would rather leave on the Capitol Hill store shelves than purchase.   But “attention must be paid” whenever the president speaks.  He tried to claim that “we have now incorporated most of the ‘serious’ ideas from across the spectrum about how to contain the rising cost of health care.”  Perhaps that includes compromising on the implementation date for taxing the extra amount of premiums in the most expensive and comprehensive private insurance plans (just short of waiting either “in perpetuity” or “forever;” whichever comes sooner and still meets the approval of org... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3338202 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:15:16 +0100 3338202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311640&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F25%2Fhealth-care-summit-the-conclusion%2F Editor’s Note: This is the second of 2 posts on the health care summit from Tim Jost. Part 1 looks at insurance reforms, premium rates and more. Most of the last three hours of the summit was devoted to the effects of proposed legislation on the federal budget deficit (primarily on Medicare and Medicaid) and on expanding coverage.  It seemed to me that the Democrats were stronger in the second half than in the first, less focused on telling stories (although there were still a lot of them) and more on substance.  The Republicans kept to their talking points, but were at a disadvantage because their bills do not really address Medicare or coverage expansions. Insurance Reform: Risk Pools and Mandates Before turning to the deficit issue, several Congressmen who were not able to tal... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311640 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:06:28 +0100 3311640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3287760&cid=t_112141_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fif-you-read-only-one-article-on-health.html ...then you've probably read it already, or you're never going to at all. But in case you haven't found that one article, hie yourself to The New Republic. There Harold Pollack has some clarity on the relationship between universal coverage and improved mortalitywould universal coverage make people tangibly healthier? You betcha. but says something else even more important:there are other ways to save thousands of lives that are much more cost-effective than expanding health insurance coverage. We systematically neglect these other opportunities. (Source: Zackary Sholem Berger) Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3287760 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:52:00 +0100 3287760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283521&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqQZ4Mo5s4Ow%2F By Michael F. CannonStill doubt that the Church of Universal Coverage is a bona fide religion?  Consider: The American people have been solidly against the Democrats’ universal-coverage plan since July 2009. Roughly 60 percent of the public wants Congress to scrap that legislation and start over. President Obama will nevertheless use that legislation as the starting point for negotiations with Republicans at next week’s health care summit. Mmmm, that’s good fervor. Republican summiteers shouldn’t spend too much time discussing their own ideas — which aren’t going anywhere, and really aren’t that great anyway — lest they unwittingly aid Democrats in changing the below-illustrated narrative.  They should instead focus like a laser beam on t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283521 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:43:57 +0100 3283521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269675&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F12%2Fan-alternative-path-on-health-reform-a-reply-to-tim-jost%2F Tim Jost’s thoughtful analysis of the state of health reform concluded that the only practical means of accomplishing health reform is to find a short parliamentary path to some melded version of the two bills that passed the respective Houses. In a comment in response to Jost’s Post, I argued that even if the bills were reconcilable politically, they are structurally flawed, fiscally reckless and have irrevocably lost public support.   So Jost rightly asks: What is the alternative? The options are constrained not only by political circumstances, but fiscal circumstances as well. The recession has seriously diminished the fiscal capacity of the federal government and has damaged the corporate cash flow on which an employer mandate depends.   The true cost of universal coverage... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269675 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:42:16 +0100 3269675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3235809&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F02%2Fgetting-health-reform-done%2F Although President Obama’s State of the Union address made it clear that he has a long list of  urgent priorities for the coming year, the President certainly did not signal retreat on the signature initiative of his first year—health care reform.  His words were “do not walk away from reform, not now, not when we are so close,” “finish the job” and “let’s get it done.”  Indeed, he repeated “let’s get it done” twice. So how do we “get it done?” The smartest approach procedurally would be for the House and Senate to pass a reconciliation bill—a budget bill that requires only a simple majority to pass—that makes the requisite fixes to the Senate bill agreed upon by House and Senate leaders in their informal conference last month.  With this, the House shou... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3235809 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:48:28 +0100 3235809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231461&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FN3IPr6YMUV0%2F By Michael F. CannonThis is big. The federal tax code creates a large tax preference for employer-sponsored health insurance.  As a result, 61 percent of non-elderly Americans obtain health insurance through an employer.  That tax preference creates all sorts of problems.  It encourages more comprehensive health insurance and wasteful health care spending.  It deprives many workers of their health coverage at the moment they need it most: when they get sick and can no longer work.  And it denies workers the benefits of being able to choose their health plan.  Eighty percent of those who work for an employer that offers health benefits have at most two health-plan choices, which are typically both run by the same insurer. To date, no one had really quantified the damage done by denyin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231461 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:14:16 +0100 3231461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208364&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedocket.access.gpo.gov%2F2009%2Fpdf%2FE9-26502.pdf Every January, new billing rules and rates go into place for physicians’ services as part of the annual update to Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule. Dominating DC health policy concerns in this arena are the medical community’s efforts with Congress to address Medicare’s cost-of-living adjuster, known as the “sustainable growth rate” (SGR), which would have lowered 2010 fees across-the-board by 21 percent, if not for a last-minute temporary stay through the end of February. Negotiations with Congress are on-going to provide a long term or multi-year solution—a costly “fix” that I believe is well worth the price to keep physicians in the Medicare program, and seems to have widespread support. Getting much less attention is a unilateral policy pronouncement made by the Cent... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208364 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:00:43 +0100 3208364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197594&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F21%2Frepresentative-camp-where-does-health-reform-stand-now%2F Speaking at a Health Affairs media breakfast this morning, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) did not offer much hope for the prospect of moving toward universal coverage, either now or in the foreseeable future. Camp, the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, offered a little heartburn for the insurance industry as well: He endorsed requiring insurers to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions but opposed an “individual mandate” requiring all Americans to have coverage. Audio and pictures from the breakfast will be available soon on the Health Affairs Web site. For more on the breakfast, see Merrill Goozner’s post in Gooznews on Health. Camp said Democratic health reform legislation was ”dead” after voters in Massachusetts elected Republica... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197594 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:31:34 +0100 3197594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197609&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFuq8gN2Wdcw%2F By Chris MoodyYesterday, Cato released a new study, “The Massachusetts Health Plan: Much Pain, Little Gain,” which showed that official estimates overstate the gains in health insurance coverage resulting from a 2006 Massachusetts law by at least 45 percent.  The study also finds: supporters understate the law’s cost by nearly 60 percent; government programs are crowding out private insurance; self-reported health improved for some but fell for others; and young adults are responding to the law by avoiding Massachusetts. Given that the Massachusetts health plan bears a “remarkable resemblance” to the Obama plan, the study should serve as a warning sign to members of Congress, says Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies. The study has received coverage in Investor&#821... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197609 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:52:45 +0100 3197609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182169&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FleTUXXseucI%2F By Michael F. CannonEven if Democrat Martha Coakley wins 50 percent of the vote in the race to fill the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (ahem) term, there are other numbers emanating from Massachusetts that present a problem for President Obama’s health plan. On Wednesday, the Cato Institute will release “The Massachusetts Health Plan: Much Pain, Little Gain,” authored by Cato adjunct scholar Aaron Yelowitz and yours truly. Our study evaluates Massachusetts’ 2006 health law, which bears a “remarkable resemblance” to the president’s plan. We use the same methodology as previous work by the Urban Institute, but ours is the first study to evaluate the effects of the Massachusetts law using Current Population Survey data for 2008 (i.e., from the 2009 March suppl... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182169 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:12:07 +0100 3182169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3175869&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FbMPuYqPwMdA%2F Healthcare (insurance) reform has passed in the Senate and final negotiations are happening before it moves on to the President’s desk for signature. While the legislation is not perfect – in fact some would say far from perfect – it is a piece of legislation that is very much in keeping with our American philosophy, our constant pursuit of progress and change. As the late Senator Kennedy’s career on Capitol Hill demonstrated, change is usually incremental, usually negotiated and usually compromised. But at the end of the day, change usually amounts to progress. I see tremendous progress, too, as I look back on a decade’s worth of work to promote access to affordable quality health care using nurse practitioners in the role as primary care providers, thereby a... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3175869 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:22:10 +0100 3175869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3171866&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F13%2Fabortion-coverage-and-health-reform-bringing-evidence-to-bear%2F Discussion:  As stated above, the median cost of first-trimester abortion care ($430) is almost twice the typical out-of-pocket health care expenses paid by young, uninsured individuals, and the median cost of second-trimester abortions ($1,260) is about four times typical out-of-pocket expenses. The cost of a first-trimester abortion represents 4 percent of income for uninsured females ages 25-34. Females and individuals who have difficulties obtaining needed health care have relatively higher out-of-pocket expenses and thus will be more affected by a lack of abortion coverage. This is particularly true for women who need second-trimester abortion because of health risks or fetal impairments or who are already paying a large portion of their income on health care. Furthermore, unins... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3171866 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:59:36 +0100 3171866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3171889&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqfHgYHyCgPg%2F By Michael F. CannonIn a new study titled, “Obama’s Prescription for Low-Wage Workers: High Implicit Taxes, Higher Premiums,” I show that the House and Senate health care bills would impose implicit tax rates on low-wage workers that exceed 100 percent.  Here’s the executive summary: House and Senate Democrats have produced health care legislation whose mandates, subsidies, tax penalties, and health insurance regulations would penalize work and reward Americans who refuse to purchase health insurance. As a result, the legislation could trap many Americans in low-wage jobs and cause even higher health-insurance premiums, government spending, and taxes than are envisioned in the legislation. Those mandates and subsidies would impose effective marginal tax rates on lo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3171889 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:31:52 +0100 3171889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149017&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F07%2Fhealth-care-reform-state-winners-and-losers%2F Back in October, as health care financing options were being hotly debated and proposals changing on an almost daily basis, one of us noticed an editorial on health care reform in West Virginia’s Martinsburg Journal. We were struck by the extent of opposition to financing the reform package through a tax on high earners. West Virginia is not heavily populated with high earners—it is one of the three states with the smallest percentage of residents with incomes of $500,000 or more—and it therefore wouldn’t be greatly burdened by a tax on high earners. So it was somewhat surprising that a West Virginia newspaper would be so strongly opposed to this financing approach. This led us to think more generally about the redistributive implications of reform vis-à-vis the states. This is an... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149017 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:49:37 +0100 3149017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3142541&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F4pI2tBvkZXE%2F       Healthy New Year everyone! Like many people I’m starting the year with healthy – and preventive care – intentions. How about you? That put a few items on my holiday ‘to do’ list: Get a pap smear,   Find H1N1 vaccine,   Wrestle the results of a recent bone density scan (Dexa) out of the hands of the medical center and into the hands of my physician, and   Confirm with Morris White, my trainer, that I’d continue workouts. The pap smear was easy – this time. I’d not been able to get one during my late-summer vacation visit to the doctor because the appointment was two weeks prior to the annual date of the prior test. That required another trip. Holiday downtime was a good time to do that. Check that off the list. In doing so, I finally found an H1N1 vaccine do... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3142541 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:00:22 +0100 3142541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126603&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FITYnQRZXMvU%2F Think you have maternity coverage? Think again. Welcome to the first entry of the book I’ll be publishing in 2010 entitled: You gotta laugh: Life in the trenches of the health insurance business. Because I think Disruptive Women readers will find it useful, each month I’ll post an example of a health insurance problem that is so maddening and frustrating that we just gotta laugh at its absurdity. My goal, however, is to find a way to improve health insurance for beneficiaries and I have some suggestions at the end of this post.                                                                                           This month’s question: What do you do when you have it in writing from your in... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126603 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:33:12 +0100 3126603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3106719&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F19%2Frevised-health-reform-bill-moves-forward-in-senate%2F The 384-page Senate Manager’s Amendment to the upper chamber’s health reform bill arrived on Saturday morning, December 19, apparently backed up by the 60 votes necessary to get the amended legislation out of the Senate.  Democratic senators braved a record blizzard to pass the defense spending bill, the last impediment to clearing the floor for the final hours of debate on the health reform bill, and the clock has been set for adoption Christmas Eve.  It is likely that the drama is not yet over, particularly as progressives continue to grumble about the bill, but Senator Reid’s Christmas wish now seems possible. Amendments to title I, the health insurance reform provisions of the bill, take up about a quarter of the Manager’s Amendment.  This post will discuss these provisions... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3106719 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:46:14 +0100 3106719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089261&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fd6Sn7DlE3js%2F By Michael F. CannonBlogger Matthew Yglesias has a response to my post on Ezra Klein’s slander that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is okay with the mass murder (or the mass negligent homicide) of hundreds of thousands of uninsured Americans. Yglesias claims that only one of the three studies I cited speaks to what he claims is the central point: the Institute of Medicine’s estimate of how many Americans die each year because they lack health insurance.  Yglesias is incorrect.  The central point/threshold question is whether giving the uninsured health insurance will save lives.  All three studies speak to that point, and all three all cast doubt on the intuitively appealing idea that giving uninsured people health insurance ipso facto saves lives. To rebut the one study that Ygle... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089261 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:19:39 +0100 3089261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071132&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDr-VY5JMWbQ%2F By Michael D. TannerSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has announced that he has reached a super secret compromise on how to deal with the so-called public option for health reform.  While Reid said the agreement was too important to actually tell anyone what is in it, most of the details have been leaked to the press. Rather than set-up a completely government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurance, Congress would establish a program similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP), which currently covers government workers, including Members of Congress.  The FEHBP offers a variety of private insurance plans under a program managed by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM).  Each year OPM uses the Federal procurement process to solicit bids from... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071132 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:58:14 +0100 3071132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056601&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F03%2Fdo-cadillac-plans-equal-cadillac-benefits%2F Editor’s Note: For more on the controversy over taxing high-cost health plans, see a “Cadillacs Or Ambulances? The Senate Tax On ‘Excessive Benefits, a Health Affairs Blog post by Joseph White and Timothy Jost published today. The Senate Democratic health plan includes a provision, backed by the Obama administration, that would tax some “Cadillac” health plans to pay for health care reform.  One widely held assumption is that high-cost plans are expensive because they offer superior benefits. However, in a Health Affairs Web First article released today, Jon Gabel of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and coauthors report that other factors – regional differences in health care delivery cost and the industry sector offering the coverage – were... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056601 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:57:29 +0100 3056601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056602&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F03%2Fcadillacs-or-ambulances-the-senate-tax-on-excessive-benefits%2F Editor’s Note: For more on the controversy over taxing high-cost health plans, see “Taxing Cadillac Health Plans May Produce Chevy Results,” a Health Affairs Web First article by Jon Gabel and coauthors published today. The Senate “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” draft legislation includes a steep excise tax on high-cost, so-called Cadillac insurance plans.  This provision is strongly supported by many economists and policy commentators, who believe that the tax could make the financing of U.S. health care more equitable and its provision more efficient.  Yet both propositions are highly questionable. Mistaking Cadillac Prices for Cadillac Plans The intent of the bill is to limit ability to pay for health insurance with pre-tax dollars.  The tax covers ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056602 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:50:19 +0100 3056602 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056699&cid=t_112141_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F12%2F03%2Fmental-health-parity-loopholes%2F While the national mental health parity law takes effect on January 1, 2010, it does not trump existing state laws that mandate that mental disorder diagnoses are treated and covered equally as their physical health brethren. If you are covered by health insurance, come January 1, your mental health treatment cannot be any more limited than your physical health coverage. California is one such state that has had such a mental health parity law on the books since 2000, so we have nine years of lessons from that state. Recently, a study was released that examined how the law affected people who sought out mental health treatment. Shari Roan with the Los Angeles Times has the coverage. The study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admin... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056699 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:45:38 +0100 3056699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052113&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F02%2Forszag-on-health-reform-at-health-affairs-breakfast%2F At a Health Affairs reporters breakfast this morning, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag defended the ability of the health reform bill being debated in the Senate to “bend the cost curve” of health care costs. “The bill that is currently on the Senate floor contains more cost-containment and delivery system reforms, in its current form, than any bill that’s ever been considered on the Senate floor, period,” he said. Orszag said the Senate bill meets the four pillars of cost control laid out in a recent letter to President Obama by 23 noted economists: no increases in federal government deficits; an excise tax on high-cost health plans; a Medicare commission to ensure continuing flexibility and reform; and delivery system reforms such as inc... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052113 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:28:32 +0100 3052113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039784&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FQNfh6N-gAw4%2F In the face of acute primary care physician shortages and steady reductions in the number of physicians who are willing to accept Medicaid and Medicare, it is unclear whether our existing primary care system will be able to meet the needs of a universally-insured nation, as President Obama has expressed as a priority for his Administration. Health care delivery is strained under tremendous pressure from the demands of chronic health issues, downward trends in third party payments, and while insurance coverage will address some of these issues, many of these problems may persist even if universal insurance coverage is achieved in the United States. So what else needs to happen to make healthcare reform a success? In recent years, a series of “disruptive innovations” in the health care s... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039784 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:35:11 +0100 3039784 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012350&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F11%2F19%2Fthe-senate-health-reform-bill-a-first-look%2F As readers of Health Affairs are undoubtedly already aware, the Senate Democratic leadership has released HR 3590, the 2,074-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The bill combines the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee bill marked up this summer and the Senate Finance Committee bill marked up earlier this fall.  On the whole, the combined bill resembles the Finance bill more closely than the HELP bill, but it does include important elements from the HELP bill, the most prominent of which is provision for the community health insurance (public) option.  As has been widely reported, the CBO has scored the gross cost of the coverage provisions of the Senate bill at $848 billion over 10 years, less than the cost of the House bill, and as reducing the... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012350 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:12:37 +0100 3012350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008071&cid=t_112141_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FApisT5K9bx8%2F Great news – for a change!  A Mississippi court has ordered a new trial for Cory Maye. When Cato author Radley Balko was preparing his report on violent, no-knock, drug raids, he discovered the case of Cory Maye, who was then on death row for murdering a police officer.  On closer inspection, Radley thought the shooting looked like self-defense, not murder.  At Maye’s initial trial, he had lousy legal representation.  Thanks to Radley’s writings about the case, Maye secured top notch lawyers for his appeal.  With a new trial, Maye now stands a very good chance of getting out of prison altogether.  Congratulations to Radley Balko! Previous coverage here. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008071 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:27:47 +0100 3008071