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$10 Million In Grants Aimed At Enrolling American Indian, Alaska Native Kids In Health Care To Be Awarded HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of up to $10 million in grants to help reach American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children who qualify for, but are not yet enrolled, in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These new grants are part of a broader effort to find and enroll uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but not enrolled. ...more	21 Nov 2009
Reid Advances Dems' Health Reform Effort With Release Of Senate Bill "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a climactic debate in the Senate over health care by unveiling a 10-year, $848 billion bill that would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage," The Wall Street Journal reports. The proposed measure, which totals 2,074 pages in length, "is the Senate's answer to a bill that narrowly passed the House Nov. 7. ...more	20 Nov 2009
A Look At How Key Provisions Compare In The House And Senate Bills The New York Times reports that "the health care proposals from the House and the Senate are broadly similar but differ on some major issues." It reports on five issues - the public plan, employer contribution, abortion, illegal immigrants and financing - and puts differences in bold type (11/19). ...more	20 Nov 2009
Statement By Medicare Rights Center President Joe Baker On The House Vote To Repeal Medicare Pay Cuts For Doctors Today's vote by the House of Representatives is an important step toward repealing the 21.5 percent Medicare pay cut for doctors set to take effect next year, and moves to stabilize Medicare's payment system for doctors for the long term. People with Medicare must be able to maintain relationships with the doctors they trust. That access can be secured only in a payment environment that is stable and predictable. ...more	20 Nov 2009
California's Physicians And Seniors Urge Congress To Protect Access To Care By Strengthening Medicare The California Medical Association (CMA) and AARP are calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 3961, which would ease the difficulty seniors now face in finding a physician who accepts Medicare. The legislation would repeal Medicare's flawed payment structure, known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), and replace it with a stable foundation that would encourage physician participation. ...more	20 Nov 2009
Senate Bill Draws Immediate Reactions From GOP, Interest Groups Republicans quickly rebuked Senate Democrats' health overhaul bill after its release last night, Roll Call reports. They said it would result in higher insurance premiums, tax hikes, and Medicare cuts, and complained that it was drafted behind closed doors, and that they have not yet had a chance to read it. "It is my hope that Sen. ...more	20 Nov 2009
White House Backing Medicare 'Doc Fix' Bill Reuters reports that the White House Wednesday "urged Congress to pass a bill to boost Medicare payments to doctors, a step that could shore up support" from the American Medical Association for health care reform. ...more	20 Nov 2009
Docs Worry Reform Angst Is Tainting Medicare Pay 'Fix' Kaiser Health News staff writer Chris Weaver reports on efforts to address Medicare's physician pay formula. "Dr. Nancy Nielsen, the immediate past president of the American Medical Association, urged lawmakers Tuesday to permanently eliminate the looming cuts to Medicare's physician payments - something her organization has demanded for years" (11/17). ...more	19 Nov 2009
Seniors Struggle With Drug Costs While Congress Debates Medicare 'Doughnut Hole" Minnesota Public Radio reports: "Since 2006, senior citizens have been able to choose plans for Medicare prescription drug coverage, but that coverage contains a gap known as the 'doughnut hole,' a gap that health care reform plans being debated in Congress would address." "Under the House health care bill, Medicare would eliminate the gap within a decade. ...more	19 Nov 2009
House Medicare 'Doc Fix' Vote Likely Thursday Amid Disputes About Cost, Role In Health Reform "On Thursday, the House is expected to pass a $210 billion measure - known as the 'doc fix' - that will adjust Medicare payment rates to avoid a 21 percent cut in January and continuing cuts in the years ahead," The New York Times reports, adding: "The House originally included the provision in its big health care bill. ...more	19 Nov 2009
States Mull How Medicaid Expansion Might Affect Budgets States consider how health legislation on Capitol Hill might affect their Medicaid programs and budgets. "The House health-care bill, which passed last week, expands Medicaid and for the first time sets a national standard on whom would qualify," The Durango Herald reports. "States would have to pay 9 percent of the expanded costs. ...more	19 Nov 2009
White House Reports Billions Lost In Improper Payments For Medicare, Other Government Programs The White House announced Tuesday that billions of federal dollars were spent in improper payments in 2009 and that spending in the Medicare and Medicaid programs accounted for more than half of that total. President Barack Obama will issue an executive order to crack down on the problem, officials said. ...more	19 Nov 2009
APA Presses Congress To Block Cuts In Medicare Payments To Physicians American Psychiatric Association Medical Director and CEO James H. Scully, Jr., M.D., sent letters to Members of Congress yesterday urging them to pass H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009, a bill that would block a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians. If the cuts are not blocked by Congress, Medicare patients may have trouble accessing medical care, as some doctors may elect to opt out of seeing new Medicare patients. ...more	19 Nov 2009
HHS Employs New Tougher Standards In Calculation Of Improper Medicare Payment Rates For 2009 As part of the Obama Administration's goal of reducing waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) significantly revised and improved its calculations of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) error rates in 2009, reflecting a more complete accounting of Medicare's improper payments than in past years. ...more	19 Nov 2009
Liberals Push Reid To Stand By Public Option In Health Bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to hold together members of his caucus to vote for a government-run public option for health insurance that would allow states to opt-out of the plan - a plan that is getting an icy reception, even among Democrats, Bloomberg reports. ...more	18 Nov 2009
Wisconsin Town Has Highest Rate Of Living Wills, Lowest Cost Of Care NPR reports on a town in Wisconsin with the highest rates of living wills in the country. "[N]early all adults who die in La Crosse, 96 percent of them, die with a completed advance directive. â�¦ But it's expensive to spend time with patients filling out living wills. Medicare doesn't reimburse for the time the hospital's nurses, chaplains and social workers do this. ...more	18 Nov 2009
Medicare Doctor Payment "Fix" Could Slip, Jeopardizing AMA Support For Health Reform The American Medical Association backed the House Democrats' reform bill earlier this month, at a time when it appeared likely lawmakers would move to permanently end looming cuts to doctors' Medicare payments that Congress defers from year to year, Politico reports. While the so-called "doc fix" was not in the final health bill, "[t]he House is expected to pass a bill later this week to permanently plug [the] shortfall .... ...more	18 Nov 2009
AMA, AARP And MOAA Call For Passage Of House Medicare Reform Bill, Vote Expected This Week On H.R. 3961 Today, leading advocates for seniors, military families and physicians joined together to call for passage of legislation in the House that will preserve access to care for seniors, baby boomers and military families through repeal of the broken Medicare physician payment formula. A vote on H.R. ...more	18 Nov 2009
Rite Aid Makes Medicare Part D Planning Easy For Patients And Caregivers Rite Aid pharmacies across the country are helping ease the Medicare Part D enrollment process now underway by offering a free Medicare Part D for Seniors planning guide in stores and online, as well as an online Medicare Advisor tool with personalized comparison plans. Pharmacists in more than 4,800 Rite Aid stores are offering Medicare Part D counseling and can print a personalized report featuring the three lowest-cost plans best for seniors' current medication needs. ...more	18 Nov 2009
Health Net Reminds Medicare Beneficiaries They Can Count On Health Affordability And Value With Company's 2010 Medicare Advantage Health Plans With the kick-off of the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP) this week, Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) reminds those eligible for Medicare that Health Net's Medicare Advantage (MA) product portfolio offers a comprehensive range of budget-friendly health plan choices to beneficiaries for 2010. ...more	18 Nov 2009
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