Health plans profit despite recession
(American Medical News © 02/22/2010)
VIEW INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC Most of the country's largest health insurance companies managed to hand investors a profit in 2009, but not without some reorganization, cost-cutting and unexpected growth in some business lines that they might not be able to rely on long term. Few of the seven largest companies reported fourth-quarter and full-year earnings for 2009 without a literal or figurative ...
Calif. doctors sue to ensure nurse anesthetists are supervised
(American Medical News © 02/22/2010)
Patient safety remains at risk unless a new California regulation allowing nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia to hospital Medicare patients without physician supervision is withdrawn, according to a lawsuit initiated by two state physician organizations. The suit, filed Feb. 1 by the California Medical Assn. and California Society of Anesthesiologists, seeks to block Gov. Arnold Schwarz...
GOP warns don't go it alone as White House preps health plans
(Austin American-Statesman © 02/22/2010)
The health care proposal that will appear on the White House Web site today will be a broad "starting point" for discussion at this week's televised health care summit, not a detailed piece of legislation, a top administration official said Sunday. Senior aides to President Barack Obama said the document will propose changes to the health care legislation that passed in the Senate late last year,...
Obama plan would curb health insurers on rate hikes
(Chicago Tribune © 02/22/2010)
Reporting from Washington President Obama's new healthcare overhaul plan would give the federal government greater authority to stop rate increases imposed by health insurers, an administration official said late Sunday. The proposal, to be posted on the White House website Monday, would give the Health and Human Services secretary power to block premium...
Obama helped bring on the healthcare backlash
(Chicago Tribune © 02/22/2010)
Reporting from Washington As President Obama seeks to revive his moribund healthcare initiative -- and arrest the precipitous drop in his political fortunes -- he is struggling with the consequences of one of his most important early decisions: letting Congress take the lead in designing his signature policy proposal. Leaving it to Congress put an unusua...
McConnell: Republicans 'may well' support jobs bill; backs more costly measure
(Chicago Tribune © 02/22/2010)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican in the Senate said Sunday that GOP lawmakers "may well" vote for a jobs bill, though it's not clear whether they will allow a Democratic measure to advance right away. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., prefers a costlier version drafted with GOP input and he didn't commit his support to advance the legislation on Monday to a final vote this comi...
State smoking ban has cost $2 million
(Columbus Dispatch © 02/22/2010)
Ohio taxpayers have paid more than $2 million to rid bars, restaurants and workplaces of tobacco smoke since the statewide smoking ban took effect in 2007, a sum that opponents say could be better used elsewhere. The state has spent $3.2 million so far to identify businesses that are violating the smoking ban, to look for infractions and to process them through the court system, according to inf...
Oversight of health premiums in plan
(Columbus Dispatch © 02/22/2010)
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s new health-care overhaul plan would give the federal government greater authority to stop rate increases imposed by health insurers, an administration official said late yesterday. The proposal, to be posted today on the White House Web site, would give the Health and Human Services secretary power to block premium increases that were deemed excessive. It ...
Obama has insurers in sight as he sets health plan
(Dallas KERA (PBS) 13 © 02/22/2010)
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will pitch his bid to revamp the U.S. healthcare system as a way to control big insurance company rate increases when he releases his healthcare plan on Monday, the White House said. The Democratic president will propose giving the U.S. government new power to block health insurers from attempting excessive premium hikes in the p...
Gov. Rick Perry skips White House dinner (and National Governors Association meeting, as usual)
(Dallas Morning News © 02/22/2010)
AP photo/Obama and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn. Tonight, most of the nation's governors were at the White House for a black-tie Governors' Ball in the State Dining Room, where crooner Harry Connick Jr. provided the entertainment. Texas Gov. Rick Perry was not among them, though lots of GOP bigwigs were. Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty got to sit next to the First Lady, and if he was measuring the drapes...
How the G.O.P. Can Fix Health Care
(El Paso Inc © 02/22/2010)
In a bid to reopen the debate over health care reform, President Obama has arranged a televised bipartisan meeting this Thursday. Republican leaders in Congress have been invited to bring their best ideas for slowing the growth of health care expenditures and expanding the number of insured Americans. The Op-Ed editors asked five conservative thinkers to outline what they believe those ideas shoul...
Texas agencies, universities propose cuts to deal with projected $10 billion budget gap
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/22/2010)
By DAVE MONTGOMERY and ANNA M. TINSLEYdmontgomery@star-telegram.com, atinsley@star-telegram.com AUSTIN -- Under orders from Texas' top three leaders, state agencies and universities are identifying hundreds of millions of dollars in potential spending cuts to help ease a projected budget shortfall next year.The proposals range from salary reductions and hiring freez...
Get ready to call time of death on healthcare reform
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/22/2010)
By STEVE JACOBsjacob@star-telegram.com Healthcare reform is clinically dead.It is like a patient who has unexpectedly slipped into a coma without a do-not-resuscitate order. No one wants to disconnect life support. What was once so promising and vibrant is suddenly lifeless. Supporters are hoping for a miracle.There is brave talk from Democrats that health reform wi...
In last-ditch bid, Obama will propose limits on health insurance rates
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/22/2010)
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVARAssociated Press Writer WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will propose giving federal authorities the power to limit rate hikes by health insurance companies - part of a new health care overhaul plan he will unveil today in a last-ditch bid to salvage his signature issue.The proposal would give the federal Health and Human Services D...
Teeth-whitening companies made customers see red
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/22/2010)
By DAVE LIEBERwatchdog@star-telegram.com Lots of companies offer a trial period to buy something, leaving you with the impression that you can return it or stop using it if you don’t like it. That’s not necessarily the case with some teeth-whitening products...
Bipartisan Health Care Summit: A Meeting for 'Show'?
(Fox News © 02/22/2010)
Monday , February 22, 2010 This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," February 19, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: The big February 25th health care huddle is right around the corner. Can we expect big results or just one big show? We spoke to Senator Jon Kyl who will be at meeting. (BEGIN ...
Many adults fail to get vaccines
(Abilene Reporter-News © 02/23/2010)
WASHINGTON — Millions of American adults are not getting routinely recommended vaccinations each year, resulting in 40,000 to 50,000 preventable deaths, according to a report by public-health experts issued Thursday. The experts point to major gaps in insurance coverage and a lack of health care providers prepared to administer vaccines as key reasons behind the problem. Even when a recommended ...
Politicians, Abilenians react to latest health care reform plan
(Abilene Reporter-News © 02/23/2010)
President Barack Obama put forth a nearly $1 trillion, 10-year compromise on health care reform Monday that would allow the government to deny or roll back insurance premium increases and stop insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. The proposed package, which closely tracks the bill passed by Senate Democrats on Christmas Eve, would provide coverage to 31 million America...
Details of Obama Health Care Plan
(AHIP Wire © 02/23/2010)
President Barack Obama released a health care overhaul proposal Monday that builds on legislation passed Christmas Eve by the Senate, and makes some changes to placate Democrats in the House. Here are some of the main features: -HOW MANY COVERED: Like the Senate bill, Obama's proposal would cover 31 million uninsured Americans. -INSURANCE MANDATE: Like the bills approved last year by the House a...
Democrats Cautiously Embrace Obama Health Plan
(AHIP Wire © 02/23/2010)
Congressional Democrats cautiously embraced President Barack Obama's new health care plan as their last hope for enacting a comprehensive overhaul. Republicans trashed it, dimming prospects for any deal at the bipartisan health care summit that Obama has scheduled for Thursday to try to jump-start the debate. A year after calling on Congress to act to reform the nation's costly and inefficient he...
For now, White has healthy cash lead
(Austin American-Statesman © 02/23/2010)
Democrat has more than $5 million … Still straightening out what happened with stimulus dollars … Dallas Tea Party calls out Olbermann Happy birthday to former Rep. Glen Maxey, Brent Annear of the Texas Medical Association and Statesman Features Editor Kathy Blackwell. Austin weather from News 8 Austin’s Maureen McCann: Morning rain, transitioning to wintry mix and snow midda...
One last big try on health
(Boston Globe © 02/23/2010)
WASHINGTON - President Obama launched a final drive for a sweeping health care overhaul yesterday, offering a proposal that the White House hopes will help unite squabbling Democrats and, if necessary, could be used to bypass Republicans altogether. Representing the first full-fledged health care plan offered by the president, the proposal was part of a two-track White House strategy: demonstrate...
Democrats press Obama to change course
(Bryan-College Station Eagle © 02/23/2010)
WASHINGTON -- Democratic governors said Sunday they worry about President Barack Obama's track record on fighting Republican political attacks and urged him to better connect with anxious voters. Some allies pleaded for a new election-year strategy focused on the economy. "It's got to be better thought out," Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said. "It's got to be more proactive." And, he said, Democra...
CDC: Mammo among women over 40 has decreased over last decade
(Cardiovascular Business © 02/23/2010)
CDC: Mammo among women over 40 has decreased over last decade The percentage of women 40 and over who had a mammogram in the last two years has slightly decreased in the last decade, from about 70 percent in...
Are the Dems really that clueless about health care?
(Chicago Tribune © 02/23/2010)
WASHINGTON — The last time I heard Newt Gingrich predict that Republicans would take over Congress was 16 years ago when he was pushing his "Contract with America." I said he was crazy then, but he turned out to be right. Now, he's predicting that Republicans this year will take over Congress again—the House and the Senate — and not...
Price controls?
(Chicago Tribune © 02/23/2010)
In anticipation of the bipartisan health care summit he has called for Thursday, President Barack Obama said last week that he was asking "members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations." His goal is to attract enough Republican support to get an overhaul through the Senate. So what is he offering the GOP in his revised health care...
Obama's new healthcare bill ready for White House push
(Chicago Tribune © 02/23/2010)
WASHINGTON Four days before his planned health summit with congressional leaders, President Obama this morning unveiled his proposal to overhaul the nation's healthcare system, building on the gargantuan legislation developed by Senate Democrats last year. The proposal, which the White House has posted on its website, includes all the major provision...
New Obama health proposal would limit rate hikes
(Cleveland Plain Dealer © 02/23/2010)
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is making a fresh attempt to rescue his health care overhaul by proposing a measure that would allow the government to deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriate consumers. Coming just days before a White House health care summit with congressional leaders of both parties, Obama's legislative proposal, which will be unveiled l...
Ohio gov. wants to end wait for home health care
(Cleveland Plain Dealer © 02/23/2010)
(AP) — COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is proposing that 529 people who need home and community-based health services be removed from waiting lists and given care. Strickland's plan would eliminate the waiting lists for PASSPORT, Assisted Living and PACE programs by the end of March and through June. He says $4.8 million can be transferred from the Ohio Department of Job and Fam...
AHIP Statement on the McCarran-Ferguson Act
(AHIP © 02/24/2010)
Washington, DC a?? Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today on proposed legislation to repeal portions of the McCarran-Ferguson Act: a??The rhetoric surrounding repeal of McCarran-Ferguson does not match the reality of the situation. Health insurance is one of the most regulated industries in America at both the federal and...
Docs Cut Work Hours as Primary Care Shortage Looms
(AHIP Wire © 02/24/2010)
Doctors have steadily cut their work hours over the past decade, a new study finds, something that experts say may only worsen the health care situation. It's not that doctors are terrible slackers. Average hours dropped from about 55 to 51 hours per week from 1996 to 2008, according to the analysis, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. That's the equivalent of l...
League of Women Voters quizzes candidates in Texas state races
(Burnet Bulletin © 02/24/2010)
Editor’s Note: The following information on the statewide or regional races in the March 2 primaries are printed with permission of The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization that works to promote active, informed participation of all citizens in their government. Neither the League nor the Education Fund supports or opposes any political party or candidate. Four-year term. Must be at...
Overnight, Conservative Darling Scott Brown Feels Their Wrath
(Chicago Tribune © 02/24/2010)
For Scott Brown, it appears the Tea Party is over. Literally overnight, the fledgling Republican Senator who ended Democrats' filibuster-proof majority by winning a special election in Massachusetts has gone from being the darling of America's conservative activists to being their goat. Monday night, Brown announced that he would join four other Republicans in voting to block a GOP filib...
Democrats Near Agreement on Reviving Healthcare Bill
(Chicago Tribune © 02/24/2010)
On the eve of President Obama's planned healthcare summit, Democratic lawmakers are growing increasingly confident that they can resurrect their sweeping overhaul legislation after weeks of uncertainty about whether they could find the political will and a legislative path to move forward. Assuming continued Republican opposition to their legislation, Democratic leaders have settled on a stra...
US Sen. Hutchison: Perry's anti-Washington tactics tough on her campaign for Texas governor
(Chicago Tribune © 02/24/2010)
JUSTIN, TEXAS (AP) — Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison acknowledged Tuesday that Republican Gov. Rick Perry has succeeded at casting her as a Washington insider, hindering her effort to kick him out of the Texas governor's mansion. Trailing in the polls with less than a week before the March 2 primary, Hutchison assessed the state of her campaign to The Associated Press as she toured ...
Republicans quick to dismiss Obama's new health plan
(Cleveland Plain Dealer © 02/24/2010)
Erica Werner and Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- A member of the House Republican leadership is calling President Barack Obama's new health care overhaul proposal a warmed-over version of Senate legislation the American people already have rejected. House Republican Whip Eric Cantor made the assertion Tuesday morning in an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America." The V...
Kasich continues criticism of Strickland 'tin-cup' begging
(Columbus Dispatch © 02/24/2010)
Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich today repeated his criticism of Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland going to Washington last year and "begging" for federal stimulus money to help balance the state budget. But Strickland repeatedly has challenged ...
Editorial: Hutchison may fall short, but keep an eye on 17th
(Dallas Morning News © 02/24/2010)
Another day, another big thumbs up for Kay Bailey Hutchison as senator. With less than a week until the March 2 primary, we spoke Tuesday about the Obama administration's two-faced health care stance: floating his own lipstick-on-a-pig retooling of the same big government ideas while pretending to entertain opposing views at tomorrow's White House infomercial event....
Newspapers grade latest Obama health plan
(Dallas Morning News © 02/24/2010)
Newspapers grade latest Obama health plan 06:00 PM CST on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 The worst of both bills Also Online What's The Big Story? Find out at dallasnews.com/opinion Blog: Opinion "T...
Texas could feel impact of Obama's proposal to review health insurance premiums
(Dallas Morning News © 02/24/2010)
Texas could feel impact of Obama's proposal to review health insurance premiums 11:21 PM CST on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News dmichaels@dallasnews.com WASHINGTON – The Obama administration's proposal to regulate health insurance premiums would add new supervision to a market in Texas that has largely been free from ...
Dallas County Medical Society's top doc says creativity, compassion needed
(Dallas Morning News © 02/24/2010)
Dallas County Medical Society's top doc says creativity, compassion needed 12:00 AM CST on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 ROBERT MILLER Dr. Stephen Ozanne, an orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff of Methodist Health System, was recently installed as the 127th president of the Dallas County Medical Society. A graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Ozanne has...
Poll: Texas voters would cut highway funding first
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Forty-one percent of Texas voters chose highway funding in a poll asking what they would cut to deal with a projected state budget shortfall as high as $16 billion next year. About one in five surveyed in the poll said they would raise taxes or fees, and fewer said they would cut spending on education or health care for the poor. The Feb. 2-10 telephone survey of 1...
Obama's 2008 rival McCain to attend health summit
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's 2008 Republican presidential rival will be joining him at Thursday's summit, along with GOP lawmakers critical of his health care plan. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Tuesday announced the four senators who will be attending the session in addition to those invited by the White House. Each member of the Senat...
Mitt again, Romney re-emerges for likely WH bid
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
BOSTON (AP) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is stepping back into the public spotlight after spending two years behind the scenes laying the groundwork for a second presidential campaign. The Republican delivered a blistering critique of President Barack Obama in a speech last week in Washington to conservative activists. Next week he's scheduled a network TV blitz an...
Obama to propose limits on insurance rates
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will propose giving federal authorities the power to limit rate hikes by health insurance companies — part of a new health care overhaul plan he will unveil Monday in a last-ditch bid to salvage his signature issue. The proposal would give the federal Health and Human Services Department — in conjunction with state authorities &mdash...
First lady to governors: 'Let's act' on obesity
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama appealed to governors on Saturday for help in reducing child obesity and said they had a moral and financial imperative to act. She praised states for their steps already and assured state leaders that the federal government had no interest in taking over their efforts. "Let's stop wringing our hands and talking about it and citing statistic...
Mass. doctor pleads guilty to faking research
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts doctor has pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud stemming from accusations that he faked research in published studies that suggested after-surgery benefits from painkillers including Vioxx and Celebrex. Anesthesiologist Scott Reuben also agreed during Monday's plea hearing to repay more than $360,000 of research grants and forfeit ass...
New Obama health proposal would limit rate hikes
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is trying to revive his stalled health care overhaul by taking the fight to insurance companies. As part of a new blueprint for remaking the health care system the White House will unveil Monday, Obama will propose giving federal authorities the power to limit rate hikes by health insurers. Coming days before a health care summit with ...
GOP cool to Obama call for two-party health talks
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON – Republicans gave a chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama's invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation. The House and Senate GOP leaders said Obama and his fellow Democrats must shelve their long-debated health care bill, which was on the verge of becoming law...
McKinney hospital makes 15-minute ER guarantee
(Dallas WFAA (ABC) 8 © 02/24/2010)
Across the country, patients spend an average of four hours waiting to be seen in the emergency room. The longer a patient waits to be seen, the greater chance their sickness will worsen. So, in the increasingly competitive health care market, one North Texas ER is making a lofty promise -- and putting cold hard cash behind it. "Fifteen minutes after your paperwork is complete to see the ER...
Dallas-based Tenet regains earnings strength
(Denton Record-Chronicle © 02/24/2010)
Tenet Healthcare Corp. swung to a fourth-quarter profit as revenue rose, despite a decline in admissions in a weak economy. The Dallas-based company forecast higher revenue next year but said increased expenses will slow profit growth. The nation's largest publicly traded hospital chain on Tuesday posted a net quarterly profit of $21 million, or 4 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $33 m...
Surgical hospital at Lemmon and Central to expand with new facility next door
(Denton Record-Chronicle © 02/24/2010)
The construction under way at the Lemmon Avenue entrance to Dallas' Uptown district isn't another residential tower or office high-rise. The 1-acre development at Lemmon and North Central Expressway is a surgical hospital that will open in early 2011. The three-story building will house Mary Shiels Hospital, which is currently next door. BremnerDuke Healthcare Real Estate is building the 60,000...
Democrats may try to circumvent filibuster
(Denton Record-Chronicle © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON – Democrats and Republicans agree that President Barack Obama's much-touted televised summit Thursday has virtually no chance of breaking the political logjam on health care legislation. That means Democrats will be forced to find a way to pass an overhaul on their own or face a huge political defeat. And it looks increasingly as though they will use a parliamentary maneuver...
Democrats optimistic on chance to pass health reform
(Denver Post © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON — On the eve of President Barack Obama's planned health care summit, Democratic lawmakers are increasingly confident they can resurrect sweeping overhaul legislation after weeks of uncertainty about whether they could overcome unified Republican opposition. Democratic leaders, who have struggled to find a way to unify their own ranks, have settled on a strategy to avoid a Repu...
Startling new childhood asthma data
(E-Science News © 02/24/2010)
Researchers from The George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services (GW) said today that asthma, a largely manageable and chronic disease, is on the rise in America and released new data on the magnitude of the asthma crisis, the surging cost of treatment, and the more than 1 million children with asthma who are uninsured. A new report from GW, Changing pO2licy: The Elem...
Scott & White Healthcare pathologist is co-investigator on breast cancer study
(E-Science News © 02/24/2010)
In a laboratory study published in the journal Cancer Research, Scott & White Healthcare anatomic pathologist Arundhati Rao, M.D. is a co-investigator looking at the ways in which estrogen can interfere with how chemotherapy does its job in destroying breast cancer cells. The most common type of breast cancer is "estrogen-receptor positive" breast cancer. Velusamy Rangasamy and Ajay Rana, Ph....
Poll: One of Four Healthcare Dollars Spent on Unnecessary Medical Care
(Fierce HealthIT © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON (February 22, 2010) - One in four dollars spent on health care in America now pays for unnecessary tests and treatments that physicians order to keep from being sued, according to a new Gallup poll of the nation's doctors released today by Jackson Healthcare and the Center for Health Transformation. The poll, conducted by the Gallup organization for Jackson Healthcare, showed that of ...
New Study Shows Sepsis and Pneumonia Caused by Hospital-Acquired Infections Kill 48,000 Patients; Cost $8.1 Billion to Treat
(Fierce HealthIT © 02/24/2010)
Feb. 22, 2010, Washington D.C. - Two common conditions caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) killed 48,000 people and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone, according to a study released today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. This is the largest nationally representative study to date of the toll taken by sepsis and pneumonia, two conditions often caused by deadl...
Democrats Cling to Reconciliation as Option to Pass Health Care Reform
(Fox News © 02/24/2010)
Faced with no other viable option, Democrats are vowing to use a parliamentary process called reconciliation, if necessary, to complete President Obama's yearlong effort to reform the U.S. health care system. Democrats increasingly have looked to reconciliation as viable option since Republican Scott Brown won a special election last month in Massachusetts to become the state's new U.S. senator, ...
Millions missing out on colon cancer screening
(Houston KHOU (CBS) 11 © 02/24/2010)
WASHINGTON -- Nearly half the people who need potentially lifesaving checks for the nation’s No. 2 cancer killer—colorectal cancer—miss them, despite years of public efforts to make colon screening as widespread as tests for breast and prostate cancer. But what if you opened your mailbox one day to find an at-home test kit, no doctor’s appointment needed? The dreaded colo...
Doctor deception: Cops say phony docs are putting Houstonians at risk
(Houston KHOU (CBS) 11 © 02/24/2010)
HOUSTON—Imagine visiting a doctor, only to learn afterward that the person providing your medical care isn’t a doctor at all. Last week, the Houston Police Department’s Major Offenders Division arrested Dr. Juan Cota, the clinical director at the True Health Clinic on Bellaire Boulevard. HPD said they learned Cota was operating without a medical license ...
District 146 incumbent faces familiar challenger
(Houston KHOU (CBS) 11 © 02/24/2010)
HOUSTON -- The 2010 race for the Braeswood/Meyerland District 146 seat pits the incumbent against a familiar challenger -- both men have lost and won to each other before. The incumbent, State Rep. Al Edwards, is a long-time state lawmaker, who lost his seat and won it back again, against challenger Borris Miles. Miles was the political newcomer who took that seat in 2006 only to lose it to...
CVS-Caremark healthcare merger may put patients at risk
(Houston KHOU (CBS) 11 © 02/24/2010)
MAGNOLIA, Texas -- From a shed behind his Magnolia home, Lonnie Butzske sews and donates quilts to area hospitals, bringing comfort and warmth to the sick. But now he says he’s the one out in the cold. “They’re controlling my life and killing me, because I can’t afford the medications the doctors have put me on to keep me alive,” Butzske said. He’s t...
Public option makes sense to help ordinary citizens
(Indianapolis Star © 02/24/2010)
Health-care premiums now go to hospitals, doctors, nurses, equipment manufacturers and drug companies. Lots of money goes to lobbying, commercials and enormous CEO and administrative salaries. A public option would eliminate the huge sums of money going out to those who do not provide needed services for health care and system maintenance. A not-for-profit system should save money for the ordinary...
Texas Mutual Receives National Wellness Award
(Insurance Journal © 02/24/2010)
Texas Mutual Insurance Company has earned recognition from UnitedHealthcare for its commitment to employee health and wellness. Ten other companies around the country earned the award. Award criteria included executive support for the health program, the presence of wellness champions and innovation in wellness program design. Texas Mutual’s employee wellness program includes online heal...
Obama Backs Repeal of Health Insurers' Antitrust Exemption
(Insurance Journal © 02/24/2010)
The Obama administration Tuesday announced its strong support for repealing an anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies, a White House spokesman said. "Today the president announced the administration's strong support for repealing the anti-trust exemption currently enjoyed by health insurers,'' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at a daily news briefing. Advertisement ...
Health care cost-containment ideas mesh at summit
(Amarillo KVII (ABC) 7 © 02/26/2010)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A consensus on how to rein in spiraling health care costs seems to be emerging at President Barack Obama's health care summit. Obama agreed with assertions by Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn that such waste and abuse now account for up to a third of the cost of entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid and is a major barrier to more widespread insurance coverage. Cobu...
Health care summit fails to bridge gaps
(Austin American-Statesman © 02/26/2010)
If there was any question about how deeply divided Republicans and Democrats are about how to reshape the U.S. health care system, consider that they spent the first few hours of President Barack Obama's much-anticipated health care forum Thursday arguing over whether they were in fact deeply divided. The forum played out with Obama serving as moderator and chief defender of Democratic policy pre...
Rep. Hamilton appointed to two House committees
(Beaumont Enterprise © 02/26/2010)
Texas Rep. Mike Hamilton, R-Mauriceville, has been appointed by Speaker Joe Straus announced to the newly formed House Select Committee on Special Purpose Districts. The committee will review and make recommendations for improving public accountability and transparency in the governance and operation of special purpose districts, with particular focus on water-related districts, according to a pr...
Immigrants sue state over exclusion from health care
(Boston Globe © 02/26/2010)
Massachusetts’ exclusion of thousands of legal immigrants from state-subsidized health coverage is unconstitutional and should be struck down by the courts, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday by several of the affected immigrants. The lawsuit charges that the state’s Connector Authority and its executive director, Jon Kingsdale, violated the immigrants’ right to equal protec...
Magellan Health Services' 4th-quarter profit jumps on higher revenue, boost from Medicaid
(Chicago Tribune © 02/26/2010)
AVON, Conn. (AP) — Health care outsourcing company Magellan Health Services Inc. said Friday its fourth-quarter profit jumped on higher revenue, mainly from Medicaid. Magellan said net income rose 85 percent to $43.8 million, or $1.25 per share, from $25.6 million, or 61 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 9 percent to $718.9 million from $661.8 million. ...
Cleveland Clinic continues expansion, despite recession
(Cleveland Plain Dealer © 02/26/2010)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Clinic Chief Executive Toby Cosgrove on Thursday outlined plans to spend an annual "all-time high" of $848 million on capital investments in 2010, despite small signs that the recession is affecting the region's largest health system. The planned investment, up from $300 million spent last year, would go toward construction projects ranging from renovations in six b...
Bipartisan health-care overhaul ruled out
(Columbus Dispatch © 02/26/2010)
WASHINGTON - Facing unbending Republican opposition to a sweeping health-care overhaul, President Barack Obama confronted a stark reality yesterday as his extraordinary televised summit ended: If he and his Democratic allies in Congress want to reshape the nation's health-care system, they will have to do it by themselves. Washington's most powerful Democrats and Republicans gathered for a remar...
McCain-Obama exchange reminiscent of campaign
(Columbus Dispatch © 02/26/2010)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Who said the 2008 presidential campaign was over? President Barack Obama upbraided his former Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, yesterday for resorting to political "talking points" at a health-care summit Obama organized in hopes of bridging the divide between the two parties. After McCain used his time to complain that Obama had reneged on a campaign promise to bring "cha...
Ohio Democrats not yet on board on Obama's health-care proposal
(Columbus Dispatch © 02/26/2010)
WASHINGTON— Soon after today's bipartisan health-care summit began, President Barack Obama admitted he was unsure whether it was possible to bridge differences with congressional Republicans. But he still needs to convince many congressional Democrats, too, judging from those in Ohio. Most members of the Buckeye State's delegation declined today to embrace the proposal put forward Monda...
California health insurers subpoenaed in rate probe
(Dallas KERA (PBS) 13 © 02/26/2010)
By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Attorney General Jerry Brown on Thursday subpoenaed financial records and other documents from the state's seven largest health insurance companies as part of a widening investigation of the industry. Brown said his office was looking into "possibly illegal practices" among state health insurers and is "very concerned that some of them are unjus...
Health summit unable to heal partisan rifts
(Denver Post © 02/26/2010)
WASHINGTON — If there was any question about how deeply divided Republicans and Democrats are about how to reshape the American health care system, consider that they spent the first few hours of President Barack Obama's much-anticipated health care forum Thursday arguing over whether they were in fact deeply divided. The forum played out with Obama serving as moderator, emcee and chief d...
White House Convenes Summit on Health Care Reform
(Dotmed © 02/26/2010)
On Thursday, President Obama hosted a bipartisan meeting on health care reform in Blair House. This meeting was key for the President in getting health care legislation back on track for Congressional passage, either by achieving bipartisan consensus or by solidifying support in the Democratic party. Prior to this meeting, the White House had released a health care reform proposal with elements fr...
Obama, Republicans argue on national TV about healthcare
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/26/2010)
By CHARLES BABINGTONThe Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Giving no ground, President Barack Obama and Republican leaders fought for their competing visions of historic healthcare reform Thursday in a live-on-TV debate.Far from any accord, Obama signaled that the Democrats are prepared to push ahead for an all-or-nothing congressional vote.The marathon session did reve...
Barton urges Obama, Democrats to start over on healthcare debate
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/26/2010)
By MARIA RECIOmrecio@mcclatchydc.com WASHINGTON -- Rep. Joe Barton was the last Republican to speak at Thursday's healthcare summit, nearly seven hours after it began, and he wrapped up the session at the Blair House for the GOP by laying out the two parties' competing visions."I do think there is a difference in the fundamental vision on the role of government that...
Earle brings his campaign to Tarrant
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram © 02/26/2010)
By AMAN BATHEJAabatheja@star-telegram.com EULESS -- Former longtime Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle spoke to the Mid-Cities Democrats for just six minutes before a man asked him about the case that's made him such a darling of his party."How come DeLay isn't in jail yet?"Earle, who is running for lieutenant governor, chuckled. The prosecution of campaig...
Two Points of View: Did the Health Care Summit Accomplish Anything?
(Fox News © 02/26/2010)
Friday , February 26, 2010 This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," February 25, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Republican Senator Lamar Alexander is crystal clear about reconciliation. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER, R - TENN.: My request is this, is before we go further ...
Uninsured Patients Flood Public Hospitals, Putting Them at Risk, Says Survey
(Health Leaders © 02/26/2010)
The number of uninsured patients treated at public hospital systems increased 23% from 2008 to 2009, resulting in a severe financial strain on the system that may force hospitals to close their doors, according to the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. A NAPH survey of 41 healthcare systems reported a 10% increase in uncompensated care costs, on average, with $2.3 million...
HHS Offers $100M to Improve Children's Health IT
(Health Leaders © 02/26/2010)
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $100 million in grants this week for health IT projects in 18 states for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Different states and combinations of states will develop a variety of programs, including a pediatric electronic record format and health IT strategies in children's health data. "We all have a stake in ...
RAND: Obama Reform Plan Would Insure 30 Million, Cost Less than Congress Plans
(Health Leaders © 02/26/2010)
The number of uninsured Americans would be reduced by 30 million, or 56%, by 2019 under President Obama's health reform plan, about the same as in the Senate and House versions of health reform proposals, according to a new study released by RAND Health. Also under the President's plan, which was released Monday, the number of non-elderly people with employer-sponsored plans would go from 156 mill...
Houston medical supplier convicted in $1.1 million diaper scam
(Houston Chronicle © 02/26/2010)
The owner of a Houston medical equipment supply firm has been convicted of bilking Medicaid for more than $1 million in bogus claims for adult diapers, authorities said.Benjamin Essien, 34, of Houston, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, five counts of health care fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, according to federal and state officials.Essien is sc...
Obama Officials Say Health Plan Has Republican Ideas
(Insurance Journal © 02/26/2010)
Republicans should find things to like in President Barack Obama's healthcare reform plan because they were taken from Republican bills or have been advocated by Republicans, the president's top healthcare reform officials said Thursday. In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Health Reform Office director Nancy-Ann DeParle identified the Republican-ba...
Missouri lawmakers OK bills speeding insurance payments
(Kansas City Star © 02/26/2010)
JEFFERSON CITY | Missouri lawmakers advanced two bills Thursday aimed at speeding insurance payments to hospitals and health care providers. The House and Senate each voted overwhelmingly to approve their own versions of legislation setting up a time schedule for medical providers to provide information on claims and for insurers to pay them. Both versions would create financial penalties for ins...
Biden: Gov't wastes health care money
(Kansas City Star © 02/26/2010)
Vice President Joe Biden says the government's health care spending wastes "a heck of a lot of money." Biden opened the second half of President Barack Obama's daylong health summit Thursday by focusing the discussion on overhauling health care to reduce the deficit. He said he agrees with others, including Republicans, that there's waste in federal health spending. The vice president said Washi...
Poll shows less fear on health care overhaul
(Kansas City Star © 02/26/2010)
With President Barack Obama's health care overhaul in limbo, Americans' fears about its effect on them eased in January, according to a poll released as the president tries to revive sweeping Democratic legislation. The monthly poll from the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also found that three-fourths of Americans still think it's important that Obama include health care reform in add...
Outlook no brighter for Obama's new health plan
(Kansas City Star © 02/26/2010)
In a final effort to achieve historic health care changes, President Barack Obama unveiled his most detailed plan yet on Monday. Realistically, he's just hoping to win a big enough slice to silence the talk of a failing presidency. The 10-year, $1 trillion plan, like the current Democratic version in the Senate, would bring health insurance to more than 31 million Americans who now lack it. Gover...
Senate GOP leader McConnell gets in Obama's way at health summit
(Kansas City Star © 02/26/2010)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has emerged as one of the most powerful challengers to President Barack Obama's uphill battle to craft bipartisan agreement on a health care overhaul. Even as the senator sat at the big table in Blair House during Thursday's televised health care summit, he expressed deep skepticism that Obama will be able to win Republican support for his proposals....
One-Third of 20-Somethings in U.S. Lack Health Insurance
(Medical Economics © 02/26/2010)
THURSDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A large proportion of young adults in the United States are without health insurance, and men in this age group are more likely to be uninsured than women, according to a new report issued Feb. 24 by the National Center for Health Statistics. Robin A. Cohen, Ph.D., and Barbara Bloom, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center f...
Sebelius Awards Over $11 Million To Florida To Test Innovations In Children's Health Care
(Medical News Today © 02/26/2010)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a grant of over $11 million to Florida to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). ...
Sebelius Awards $11 Million To Maine To Test Innovations In Children's Health Care
(Medical News Today © 02/26/2010)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced an $11 million grant to Maine to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). The funds...
Mid-Michigan Physicians Selects Allscripts Electronic Health Record To Connect And Automate 70 Physicians And Mid-Level Providers
(Medical News Today © 02/26/2010)
Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) announced that Mid-Michigan Physicians, a multi-specialty group headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) to provide 70 of their physicians and mid-level providers, located across seven locations, with the latest tools required to deliver high quality care. Six physicians formed the Mid-Michigan Physicians group practice in...
Sebelius Awards More Than $9 Million To North Carolina To Test Innovations In Children's Health Care
(Medical News Today © 02/26/2010)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a grant of more than $9 million to North Carolina to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009...
Sebelius Awards Nearly $9 Million To Massachusetts To Test Innovations In Children's Health Care
(Medical News Today © 02/26/2010)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a grant of nearly $9 million to Massachusetts to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CH...
Sebelius Awards Nearly $10 Million To Pennsylvania Test Innovations In Children's Health Care
(Medical News Today © 02/26/2010)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a nearly $10 million grant to Pennsylvania to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPR...
Ignore your teeth and they'll go away
(MedPage Today © 02/26/2010)
One of the least-favorite complaints for an ER doc is the patient with dental pain. It's one of those low-level annoyances. The typical dental pain visit takes about three minutes and no mental effort -- it's usually not a challenging interaction. It is just about risk-free and reimburses nothing. But it's frustrating because usually there's nothing an ER doc can do for the toothache but write a s...
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