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Court blocks White House push on Medicare expenses
New York Times - 11-04-2008 - A federal court has blocked the Bush administration's effort to save money on Medicare by paying for only the least expensive treatments for particular conditions. Congress sets Medicare payment rates and never intended to give officials broad discretion to alter them, the court said. The case, now being scutinized by Medicare officials and consumer advocates, involved drugs used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Medicare officials have often tried to adopt regulations that allow them to consider cost in deciding whether the program should cover various goods and services. Healthcare providers, manufacturers, and some patients' advocates have resisted these efforts, saying that coverage decisions should be made based on clinical effectiveness and not cost.
Opinion: NO: A scared, pregnant teen who can't go to her parents can feel trapped and desperate
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - 11-01-2008 - For the third time in three elections, California voters are being asked to consider an initiative that would put teens at risk. That's why Planned Parenthood Golden Gate is joined by the California Medical Association, the California Nurses Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the California Teachers Association and the California School Counselors Association in opposing Proposition 4.
America's Pending Shortage of Cancer Doctors
Washington Post - 10-31-2008 - The outlook for cancer patients, in some ways, has never been better, with breakthroughs leading to earlier diagnoses of certain malignancies, new treatments, and improved survival rates. But that string of successes could be threatened. By the year 2020, the United States could face a shortage of as many as 4,080 cancer doctors, according to a recent report issued by the American Society for Clinical Oncology.
AARP questioned on health plans
USA Today - 11-03-2008 - Some health plans offered by AARP, the older Americans advocacy group, mislead consumers into thinking they're protected from catastrophic health costs but leave them vulnerable to paying tens of thousands of dollars, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says. Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is sending more than a dozen questions to AARP CEO William Novelli today about AARP plans that cover about 1 million people. The actions are part of Grassley's broader health coverage and cost inquiry.
Insurers unveil partial health plan prototype
Salt Lake Tribune - 11-01-2008 - Pressed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and the Legislature's Health System Reform Task Force to come up with an affordable health plan, insurers unveiled a new product Friday they say will help capture some of the state's uninsured.
Personal genome scans spur state regulation
San Francisco Chronicle - 11-02-2008 - As the price for a personal genome scan drops as low as a few hundred dollars, California is struggling to strike a balance: how to spur on new biotech companies while simultaneously protecting consumers.
Supreme Court weighs drug lawsuits
San Francisco Chronicle - 11-02-2008 - Berkeley architect and construction manager Mike Seuferer believes that a diabetes drug called Avandia caused the heart failure that sent him to the hospital in late 2005. But his lawyers may never have a chance to make that case to a jury.
Nev. cap on medical damage awards draws criticism
San Francisco Chronicle (AP) - 11-01-2008 - Krikalo blames a doctor for a botched retina reattachment operation in August 2007. But lawyers tell him it's economically unfeasible to litigate his complicated case, or that time limitations are an issue. For that, he blames medical malpractice reforms of the 2004 Nevada Legislature.
Autism shown higher in children living in rainy areas
Los Angeles Times - 11-04-2008 - Children in California, Oregon and Washington are more likely to develop autism if they lived in counties with higher levels of annual rainfall when they were 3 or younger, suggesting that something about wet weather may trigger the disorder, according to a study released Monday.
If not universal care, how about universal primary care?
Wall Street Journal - 11-04-2008 - By Jessica Rubenstein - As the lights dim on the presidential campaign and the financial crisis drags on, the prospects for universal health care in the U.S. seem to be dimming too. But what about narrowing our expectations to universal primary care?.
Expect Changes in Drug Co-Pays for Medicare
Wall Street Journal - 11-04-2008 - By Jane Zhang - Millions of older Americans are bracing for big increases in their Medicare drug-plan premiums next year. But consumers also need to watch for changes in co-payment costs, which often can represent the biggest out-of-pocket expense for plan beneficiaries.
