Medicare

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sent a letter to Republican senators saying they will have to stop opposing all tax cuts and drop plans to reshape Medicare before the parties can reach a major budget and tax deal. The Associated Press has more.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will offer an amendment to the must-pass FDA bill repealing a medical-device tax from the 2010 healthcare law, Modern Healthcare (registration required) reports.

The GOP will face a quandary if the Supreme Court strikes down the 2010 healthcare law, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) introduced a bill to strengthen oversight of drug wholesalers, Modern Healthcare reports.

The rate of sexual assault of Native American women is more than twice the national average, according to Justice Department figures. The New York Times looks at the crisis in light of recent conflicts over the Violence Against Women Act.

A White House official urged a cautious approach to Medicare cuts in light of looming budget battles, Modern Healthcare (registration required) reports.

The Washington Post sat down with a key architect of "RomneyCare" and "ObamaCare" who said he hopes that the latter will enjoy the same status as Medicare in the future. The story is here.

Three of four very sick people said healthcare costs are a "very" serious problem in a new poll taken by NPR. Read the story here.

A government task force is recommending an end to certain routine prostate cancer screenings, Reuters reports.

Pom Wonderful, a pomegranate juice company, falsely advertised that its product could treat or prevent heart disease and other health conditions, a Federal Trade Commission judge ruled. Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

Don't expect a grand bargain to overhaul Medicare and Medicaid in the lame duck session, Modern Healthcare [registration required] reports.

A Food and Drug Administration panel backed the first rapid, at-home HIV test, The Associated Press reports.

Soda sales are in decline for Pepsi and its competitors, forcing the companies to focus on "flat" drinks and bottled water, the New York Times reports. 

Critics say the new HBO series "Girls" is sending confusing messages on human papillomavirus, or HPV. The New York Times has the story. 

Paying for organs is currently against the law, but a new poll found that Americans support compensating donors. NPR has the story.

Pharmacists in Kansas can now refuse to fill prescriptions they believe will induce abortions, Reuters reports.

This gives Democrats another chance to put their GOP counterparts on the record supporting Ryan’s controversial Medicare proposal.

Medicare’s effort to push seniors toward high-quality plans is not working, according to a new study from the American Action Forum.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) grades private Medicare Advantage plans on a scale of one to five stars. Plans with three or more stars receive bonus payments, as CMS tries to steer seniors toward higher-quality plans.

But the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank led by former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said the star ratings aren’t working. The system isn’t serving CMS’s goals and could even be counterproductive, the Forum said in a paper released Tuesday.

“The goal of incentivizing quality health plans is legitimate and admirable; that goal will not be achieved by the rating structure currently being put into place,” the paper states.

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) proposal to change Medicare remains an issue in some swing districts. The Washington Post has more.

U.S. Solicitor Gen. Donald Verrilli Jr. was having a "rough" year even before his performance defending the 2010 healthcare law, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Countries much poorer than the United States are working to extend health insurance coverage, viewing it as an "economic investment," according to the Los Angeles Times.

Towers Watson & Co., a New York-headquartered professional services company, is buying the operator of the country's largest private Medicare exchange, Reuters reports.

Budget cuts are hurting Washington state's ability to respond to a rare whooping cough epidemic, The New York Times reports.

Healthcare jobs are helping Pittsburgh recover from the recession, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kaiser Health News ranked the top 10 hospitals where patients cost Medicare the most, and five of the 10 are in southern California. Read more here.

The FDA issued a warning on a controversial treatment for MS known as "liberation therapy," HealthDay reports.

A whooping-cough outbreak in Washington state is the worst in decades, The Associated Press reports.

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) removed a member of a state health board after she appeared in an industry-funded ad against a tobacco hike. Brown also removed five other appointees of his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). The Sacramento Bee has the story.

A Kansas bill that would use the tax code to bar state employees from performing abortions has hit a roadblock, The Kansas City Star reports.

Many women still smoke during pregnancy, researchers found this week. Read more at HealthDay. 

Suspicious billing patterns at more than 2,600 retail pharmacies did not stop Medicare from paying the businesses $5.6 billion for prescriptions in 2009, according to investigators with the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department.

The HHS inspector general's report out Thursday demanded a "strong response" from Medicare administrators to improve oversight in response to the apparent trend.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) noted in a reply that the inspector used statistical analysis to draw its conclusions and did not identify any specific instances of fraud.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department touted new rules easing the regulatory burden on hospitals and healthcare providers to the tune of more than $5 billion in savings over five years.

The changes will "cut burdensome red tape for hospitals and providers" and allow them to "improve patient care while lowering costs," Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said in a statement.

The first rule issued Thursday will make small revisions to the Medicare Conditions of Participation in order to give hospitals more flexibility in their operations.

One change would allow "a patient or his or her caregiver to administer certain medications," a release stated, facilitating "patient-centered care."

The second rule would eliminate overlapping or outdated rules that govern healthcare providers.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius credited the 2010 healthcare law for a new proposed rule that would bring Medicaid primary care service fees in line with those paid under Medicare.

The rule was announced Wednesday along with news that approximately 150,000 Medicare providers received nearly $560 million more in reimbursements last year because of the law. 

Sebelius praised the Affordable Care Act "promoting high-quality primary care."