Who really knows Anyone... or anything?!....A Measure of Protection!: Healthcare News Update

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Healthcare outcome boost needs better studies
Evidence suggests that outcomes in many clinical settings leave a lot to be desired, which means that research into quality improvement (QI) in clinical care has the potential to greatly improve the lot of patients. Now a study in the journal Medical Care Research and Review published by SAGE suggests that both theoretical and practical improvements in QI effectiveness studies could make these into much more powerful tools for positive change.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Healthcare-outcome-boost-needs-better-studies.aspx

Requirements for using e-health begin to emerge; public input needed, experts say
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. The Stimulus) set aside billions of dollars for hospitals to acquire electronic medical record systems, but one requirement for hospitals hoping to receive the money will be to share patient records with other facilities, the Dallas Morning News reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Requirements-for-using-e-health-begin-to-emerge3b-public-input-needed-experts-say.aspx

Sources: Hospitals may strike deal to save $200 billion
Hospitals could sign on to an agreement with Senate health reform leader Max Baucus, D-Mont., and the White House to help save up to $200 billion as part of the overhaul plan, lobbyist and health industry sources tell Roll Call.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Sources-Hospitals-may-strike-deal-to-save-24200-billion.aspx

Poll: Most want health reform but fear its side effects
"A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll," The Washington Post reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Poll-Most-want-health-reform-but-fear-its-side-effects.aspx

House approves bill to end delay in veteran care
The House approved a bill Tuesday that seeks to end waits for federal financing of veterans' health care programs, The New York Times reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/House-approves-bill-to-end-delay-in-veteran-care.aspx

Colorado rural co-ops provide example for health care system proposal
Rural utility co-ops in Colorado could provide an example of how a co-op would work nationally for health care, The Denver Post reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Colorado-rural-co-ops-provide-example-for-health-care-system-proposal.aspx

Counting of uninsured Americans a difficult task
Estimates of the total number of uninsured Americans may be based on "faulty assumptions" that are "inflating the projections," The Wall Street Journal says in its "Numbers Guy" blog.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Counting-of-uninsured-Americans-a-difficult-task.aspx

Obama, health insurers clash on public plan
"President Obama made a detailed case on Tuesday for a new government-administered health insurance plan, but he did not rule out signing a bill that lacks such an option if he cannot win enough support from Democrats in Congress," The New York Times reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Obama-health-insurers-clash-on-public-plan.aspx

Massive Medicare fraud case highlights Miami's increased enforcement
Eight defendants were indicted in a massive Florida Medicare fraud case. The Associated Press reports: "It may be the center for Medicare fraud, but even Miami officials said Tuesday they were surprised by the breadth of a ring they say spanned five states, used 29 fake storefronts and attempted to steal $100 million from Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Massive-Medicare-fraud-case-highlights-Miamis-increased-enforcement.aspx

California Medicaid providers win legal challenge
Medicaid providers in California won a legal challenge over program cuts in the case "Maxwell-Jolly v. Independent Living Center of Southern California."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/California-Medicaid-providers-win-legal-challenge.aspx

Lawmakers, spouses ties to health industry shape views
Nearly 50 lawmakers in Congress have spouses who work in the health care industry and that may be influencing their thinking on health reform, CQ Politics reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Lawmakers-spouses-ties-to-health-industry-shape-views.aspx

Baucus takes center stage as health reform deal maker
"As President Obama's effort to overhaul the health care system seems to hit one roadblock after another in Congress, he is counting on Senator Max Baucus [D-Mont.], a political shape-shifter and crafty deal maker who is not fully trusted by either party, to help him clinch his top domestic priority," the New York Times reports in a profile of the Senate Finance Committee leader.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Baucus-takes-center-stage-as-health-reform-deal-maker.aspx

Business groups note faults in House Democrats' overhaul plan
House Democrats readying a health reform bill without a price tag or a budget analysis will hear from business interests today that their plan is irrevocably broken and that they need to start from scratch, CongressDaily reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Business-groups-note-faults-in-House-Democrats-overhaul-plan.aspx

HHS Secretary presses lawmakers on health care
"Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told a U.S. House panel Wednesday that the Obama administration is willing to negotiate how health overhaul legislation is paid for, but not whether it is paid for," according to the Dow Jones Newswires.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/HHS-Secretary-presses-lawmakers-on-health-care.aspx

Finance Committee continues work on health overhaul, benefits tax advances in negotiations
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee continued its mark up of health care reform legislation while the Senate Finance Committee "was hunkered down in negotiations on its version, with Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) shuttling between closed-door meetings to try to reach a consensus," Roll Call reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090625/Finance-Committee-continues-work-on-health-overhaul-benefits-tax-advances-in-negotiations.aspx

e-health enables more personalized medicine; group fights for digital patient rights
Tonia Odom, a 35-year-old patient with rheumatoid arthritis, a sick father and a young son, each of whom has multiple health problems, has found some relief to the problems of managing her families' array of illnesses in at a Duke University clinic that's a model of the "medical home" approach to medicine, the New York Times reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/e-health-enables-more-personalized-medicine3b-group-fights-for-digital-patient-rights.aspx

Dental health advocates want to sink teeth into health care reform
The Washington Post reports many oral health professionals worry that dental issues have "a tenuous place at best in the national debate" regarding an overhaul of the health care system. Still, they emphasize that dental health is an integral part of health care and note the special burden untreated dental issues have on poor children.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Dental-health-advocates-want-to-sink-teeth-into-health-care-reform.aspx

Good bet in market pullback: health-care shares
"As sentiment and the stock market increasingly look bearish, look for the recent outperformance in health care to continue," The Wall Street Journal reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Good-bet-in-market-pullback-health-care-shares.aspx

Details remain unclear on Medicare drug deal
The White House formally announced the drug manufacturers' plan to lower Medicare drug prices Monday. While details still remain unclear, it appears drug companies may benefit from the deal.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Details-remain-unclear-on-Medicare-drug-deal.aspx

Firms tweak benefit plans in District of Columbia and Baltimore area
The Washington Post reports that "More Washington- and Baltimore-area employers are shifting health-insurance costs to workers, offering high-deductible health plans and imposing restrictions on prescription-drug coverage to save money in the recession, according to a new survey by area human resources managers to be released today. But to keep good workers from jumping ship, according to the survey, more employers are offsetting the restrictions by beefing up other perks -- giving staff more flexibility in taking time off and working from home, and extending benefits to domestic partners."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Firms-tweak-benefit-plans-in-District-of-Columbia-and-Baltimore-area.aspx

Some Governors oppose Medicaid expansion proposals
"Some governors are pushing to scale back or kill proposals to expand Medicaid to provide health-care coverage to the uninsured, raising a new challenge to President Barack Obama's effort to overhaul the system," The Wall Street Journal reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Some-Governors-oppose-Medicaid-expansion-proposals.aspx

House Democrats to open hearings amid controversy over finances, public plan
"House Democrats are pushing forward with a partisan health care bill even as a key Senate Democrat labors to achieve an elusive bipartisan compromise on President Barack Obama's top legislative priority," The Associated Press reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/House-Democrats-to-open-hearings-amid-controversy-over-finances-public-plan.aspx

Lawmakers look for new taxes, cuts to pay reform bill
Lawmakers are considering deductions on medical expenses, value-added taxes, spending cuts and other options to foot the reform bill.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Lawmakers-look-for-new-taxes-cuts-to-pay-reform-bill.aspx

Dodd stretched thin on finance and health roles
Critics are saying that Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., cannot handle his role in financial regulatory reform while he sits in for ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy on the House's health committee, Politico reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Dodd-stretched-thin-on-finance-and-health-roles.aspx

Senators debate public plan, co-ops for health overhaul
Senators crafting health reform legislation are debating a number of issues ahead of the revelation of proposal including the inclusion of a cooperative as an alternative to a government-run public plan, Politico reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Senators-debate-public-plan-co-ops-for-health-overhaul.aspx

Obama team ready to start health reform rally
The White House launches a media blitz this week to coincide with the shrinking timeline for getting a health reform package passed in the Senate, Roll Call reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Obama-team-ready-to-start-health-reform-rally.aspx

Insurance industry groups lay down reform marker
America's Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the two largest insurance industry groups, released a letter today that "laid down a marker on health care, warning in stark terms that a proposed government insurance plan would dismantle the employer coverage Americans have relied on for a half century and overtake the system," the Associated Press reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Insurance-industry-groups-lay-down-reform-marker.aspx

Obama 'very optimistic' about health care overhaul, public plan 'makes sense'
President Barack Obama today at a news conference said a public plan is "an important tool to discipline insurance companies," but he didn't answer a question on whether he would veto a bill that did not include a public plan option, saying it was too early in the process to "draw lines in the sand," Reuters reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/Obama-very-optimistic-about-health-care-overhaul-public-plan-makes-sense.aspx

The emotional cost of nursing
What are the costs of caring? A new project in the School of Psychology explores nurses' experience of distress and aims to determine if empathy with patients is associated with traumatic experience in nurses.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090623/The-emotional-cost-of-nursing.aspx

Lawmakers address nurse and primary care physician shortages
A pending House bill would aim to address the nursing shortage by allowing "20,000 additional nurses to enter the U.S. each year for the next three years as a temporary measure to fill the gap," Business Week reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Lawmakers-address-nurse-and-primary-care-physician-shortages.aspx

Parents struggle with costs of their children's autism care
The total cost for treating a child with autism can reach $5 million, but insurance companies rarely cover autism therapy and few states mandate it. CBS News reports that "an estimated one in every 150 children in America has autism and the number of reported cases is growing" while "parents are increasingly demanding that insurance companies cover the newest treatment."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Parents-struggle-with-costs-of-their-childrens-autism-care.aspx

Adverts highlight different aspects of health reform debate
A coalition of union and liberal groups began running television ads designed to get "the attention of one particular television viewer: Sen. Kay Hagan," The Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Adverts-highlight-different-aspects-of-health-reform-debate.aspx

As Obama wades into health debate, tough choices await
"As the legislative debate over health care intensifies on Capitol Hill, there is growing clamor for President Obama to step in," the Washington Post reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/As-Obama-wades-into-health-debate-tough-choices-await.aspx

House Democrats push their health reform plan
House Democrats' health care bill draft released Friday is likely to survive relatively intact, "including a robust new Medicare-like public health plan that would compete with private companies in a national health insurance exchange," Roll Call reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/House-Democrats-push-their-health-reform-plan.aspx

Insurers revoke plans to avoid paying for patients with high costs
A Congressional committee recently turned its attention to rescission, a practice where insurers retroactively revoke plans to avoid paying high costs. NPR reports: "According to a new report by congressional investigators, an insurance company practice of retroactively canceling health insurance is fairly common, and it saves insurers a lot of money.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Insurers-revoke-plans-to-avoid-paying-for-patients-with-high-costs.aspx

At VA hospital, a rogue cancer unit
The New York Times reports that a "rogue cancer unit" at a veteran's hospital in Philadelphia "operated with virtually no outside scrutiny and botched 92 of 116 [prostate] cancer treatments over a span of more than six years - and then kept quiet about it, according to interviews with investigators, government officials and public records."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/At-VA-hospital-a-rogue-cancer-unit.aspx

Sticker shock threatens to stall health care overhaul
"No one can figure out a politically acceptable way to pay for an overhaul of America's health care system, and until someone does, the effort is stalled. Maybe indefinitely," McClatchy reports. Michael Tanner, a "health care analyst" at the Cato Institute, says "it's quite feasible that the whole thing could crash and burn because of sticker shock."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Sticker-shock-threatens-to-stall-health-care-overhaul.aspx

Can health co-ops do the job of a public plan?
"Perhaps the clearest sign yet of the unpredictable nature of… an ambitious [health care] policy overhaul is the approach that is suddenly starting to emerge on Capitol Hill as an alternative to a public plan - non-profit, consumer run health insurance cooperatives," Time reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Can-health-co-ops-do-the-job-of-a-public-plan.aspx

Polls show Americans struggling to pay for health care
A new study reports that about one-fourth of Americans say they've struggled in the last 12 months to pay for health care, Reuters reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Polls-show-Americans-struggling-to-pay-for-health-care.aspx

Obama, AARP announce agreement to cut prescription drug costs
On Monday, President Barack Obama joined with AARP chief Barry Rand to announce "an agreement among pharmaceutical companies to cut prescription drug costs for seniors - and inject some energy into his efforts at comprehensive health care reform," Politico reports. Obama said the companies' goal is to "to reduce the punishing inflation in health care while improving patient care."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090622/Obama-AARP-announce-agreement-to-cut-prescription-drug-costs.aspx

House Democrats release sweeping reform plan
Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled their bill to overhaul the U.S. health care system today. Senior Correspondent Mary Agnes Carey was there and spoke with Peggy Girshman, KHN's Executive Editor for Online, about the plan.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/House-Democrats-release-sweeping-reform-plan.aspx

House reform outline includes public insurance option
"House Democrats released the outline of their health care reform bill Friday - a proposal that would create a public insurance option, expand Medicaid, and require employers to provide coverage or pay a tax," Politico reports. "The outline did not include details on how Democrats would pay for the plan."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/House-reform-outline-includes-public-insurance-option.aspx

As reform stalls, Senators scramble to scale back or cut costs
"The high cost of securing health insurance for all Americans, the top domestic priority of President Obama, has Congressional Democrats scrambling to scale back their proposals or find ways to trim tens of billions of dollars a year from existing health programs," the New York Times reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/As-reform-stalls-Senators-scramble-to-scale-back-or-cut-costs.aspx

Finance Committee seeks to trim cost of bill
"A draft proposal in the Senate to overhaul the nation's health-care system would require most people to buy health insurance, authorize an expansion of Medicaid coverage and create consumer-owned cooperative plans instead of the government coverage that President Obama is seeking," the Washington Post reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Finance-Committee-seeks-to-trim-cost-of-bill.aspx

Frank, Dodd, Grassley speak their minds
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, remains on the fence about several provisions in a Democratic plan, The Washington Post reports: "Winning over the Senate Finance Committee's ranking Republican would represent a major coup for Democrats and a rare defection from the GOP party line for Grassley, a populist at heart but a loyal Republican according to his voting record.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Frank-Dodd-Grassley-speak-their-minds.aspx

Facing Congressional squabbling, President pushes for reform
The press for health care reform hit a snag this week as Congress sputtered to resolve its differences, but President Barack Obama continues his call, almost daily, to continue to try to change the system, The New York Times reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Facing-Congressional-squabbling-President-pushes-for-reform.aspx

Bartering for health care is on the rise as the recession drags on
CNN reports that bartering is booming and that "business owners with an eye toward cutting costs are increasingly viewing bartering as a viable option for obtaining medical services for themselves and their employees."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Bartering-for-health-care-is-on-the-rise-as-the-recession-drags-on.aspx

Beth Israel patients to get a look at online doctors' notes
A Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center project called "open notes" will make doctor's notes available to as many as 35,000 patients online along with the rest of their medical records for a year, the Boston Globe reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Beth-Israel-patients-to-get-a-look-at-online-doctors-notes.aspx

NY Times interview with Sebelius: "I'm very encouraged"
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, spoke to The New York Times about the state of health care reform on Capitol Hill during a 15-minute interview.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/NY-Times-interview-with-Sebelius-Im-very-encouraged.aspx

Texas "medical home" provides personal and coordinated health care
The Houston Chronicle reports on a medical philosophy that focuses on providing coordinated care and personal care to older patients, mostly indigent seniors. The paper examines Select Senior Clinic, a Texas facility that ascribes to the medical home concept.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Texas-medical-home-provides-personal-and-coordinated-health-care.aspx

Race disparities plague treatment and outcomes in health care
CNN examines race disparities in health care during a 4-minute segment that is part of the station's week-long focus on health care issues.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090621/Race-disparities-plague-treatment-and-outcomes-in-health-care.aspx

Doctors cautiously signal they'll work with Obama
The American Medical Association voted yesterday to support "health reform alternatives that are consistent with AMA principles," although the group fell short of specifically supporting a public plan, the Associated Press reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Doctors-cautiously-signal-theyll-work-with-Obama.aspx

Prosposed budget cuts worry hospitals
The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires reports on reaction to the Obama administration's proposed cuts that may acutely affect hospitals. It notes: "President Obama last weekend called for $313 billion in savings over 10 years through adjustments in Medicare and Medicaid payments - a plan that a 'deeply disappointed' American Hospital Association said would mean $220 billion in payment cuts to hospitals, on top of billions in other proposed Medicare cuts."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Prosposed-budget-cuts-worry-hospitals.aspx

Bingaman, Wyden among key health reform lawmakers in the news
Newspapers highlight a few of the key congressional players in the health care debate. Politico: "There's a little bit of Gary Cooper in Jeff Bingaman, and that's not bad for President Barack Obama if health care becomes the political High Noon this year that so many expect."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Bingaman-Wyden-among-key-health-reform-lawmakers-in-the-news.aspx

Former Senate majority leaders outline health care compromise
Three former Senate majority leaders unveiled a health care reform plan Wednesday that would tax health benefits with value over what members of Congress are given and would mandate that both employers and individuals carry insurance, Kaiser Health News reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Former-Senate-majority-leaders-outline-health-care-compromise.aspx

Free clinics affected by primary care physician shortage
In the face of growing numbers of uninsured and low-income patients due to the economy, some free clinics are having difficulty meeting the increased demand, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Free-clinics-affected-by-primary-care-physician-shortage.aspx

Next year's rising health costs may not be slowed by reform
"Employers who offer health insurance coverage could see a 9 percent cost increase next year, and their workers may face an even bigger hit, according to a report Thursday from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers," the Associated Press reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Next-years-rising-health-costs-may-not-be-slowed-by-reform.aspx

New polls find support for health reform, fear of costs
A series of new polls this week show support for major health care reform, but trepidation about certain policy proposals, and anxiety about quickly growing health care costs, the possibility of losing coverage, and the federal budget deficit in general.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/New-polls-find-support-for-health-reform-fear-of-costs.aspx

Republicans scold HELP Democrats over reform bill's price tag, government control
"It was particularly devastating on Wednesday when [Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah]" – a longtime friend of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., – "warned Democrats on the panel that they have already made some grave errors in their effort to write legislation overhauling the health care system," reports the New York Times in The Caucus Blog.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Republicans-scold-HELP-Democrats-over-reform-bills-price-tag-government-control.aspx

Timeline for health legislation slips as HELP, Finance Committees hit snags
Senators delayed work Wednesday on one health care reform bill and hit partisan roadblocks on another as key lawmakers insisted they are still on track to have a bill on the floor by the middle of summer, The Washington Post reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Timeline-for-health-legislation-slips-as-HELP-Finance-Committees-hit-snags.aspx

Senate Health Committee begins amending reform bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee began amending their version of sweeping health overhaul legislation Thursday, days after a Congressional Budget Office report found the bill would cost $1 trillion over ten years, leaving 37 million people uninsured and Senate Republicans skeptical, the Associated Press reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Senate-Health-Committee-begins-amending-reform-bill.aspx

Costs are soaring even as California considers further cuts to care programs
In Los Angeles County, being disabled can cost a year's income. That's because the annual cost of in-home care services for seniors living alone is now $319 more than this group's median income of $17,029.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Costs-are-soaring-even-as-California-considers-further-cuts-to-care-programs.aspx

Can the private sector deliver public services?
The private sector has an important role to play in the delivery of public services, according to a new report by Professor Paul Grout of the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO). However, he argues that the desire to be profitable can be damaging in some cases, generally in public services where staff are motivated, not just by financial reward, but also by a desire to serve the greater public good.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Can-the-private-sector-deliver-public-services.aspx

Penn researchers: Nursing needs a bailout, federal scholarships needed to fix nursing shortage
Researchers from the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing say having enough nurses to meet a national shortage is a "mathematical improbability" unless nursing schools admit more students through federal financial support in a potential bailout, according to an article in today's issue of Health Affairs.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Penn-researchers-Nursing-needs-a-bailout-federal-scholarships-needed-to-fix-nursing-shortage.aspx

Call to protect hospitals, schools from impact of disasters
WHO and UNICEF today called on governments to strengthen risk reduction measures in four key areas so that health and education systems are able to cope with disasters, including the risks from climate change. These areas are:
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Call-to-protect-hospitals-schools-from-impact-of-disasters.aspx

Health reform: The reality show
The health care reform discussion is beginning-at last!-to get real. On June 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released a draft bill, and the Congressional Budget Office published an estimate that the bill would cost $1 trillion over 10 years and leave 35 million uninsured.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Health-reform-The-reality-show.aspx

Former Senators unveil bipartisan health proposal, would tax benefits, mandate coverage
Three former Senate majority leaders today unveiled a bipartisan health care reform package that would tax health benefits and includes individual and employer mandates.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Former-Senators-unveil-bipartisan-health-proposal-would-tax-benefits-mandate-coverage.aspx

House GOP leadership outlines bill, responds to Senate Democrats struggle to keep costs down
Politico reports that "while Senate Democrats marked up a $1 trillion health care package Wednesday morning, House Republicans unveiled an outline of their own plan."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/House-GOP-leadership-outlines-bill-responds-to-Senate-Democrats-struggle-to-keep-costs-down.aspx

Finance Committee 'slows down' its health legislation schedule
According to The Hill, "Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Wednesday the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of his healthcare bill has prompted him to rein in costs and admitted that could delay action on the legislation. His goal is to bring the cost of his panel's sprawling healthcare reform bill down from $1.6 trillion to $1 trillion, and to pay for it entirely with tax increases, spending cuts and other offsets."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Finance-Committee-slows-down-its-health-legislation-schedule.aspx

A rocky start for Senate panel's health reform debate
The Wall Street Journal reports that "the first meeting of a Senate panel to formally consider health-care legislation got off to a rocky start Wednesday as Republicans launched an attack on the bill's hefty costs and lack of detail on contentious provisions."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/A-rocky-start-for-Senate-panels-health-reform-debate.aspx

Senate Health Committee to begin reform mark up today, finance to follow next week
Senate Democrats are scrambling to reduce the price tag of reform proposals, which initial estimates place at $1.6 trillion, The Wall Street Journal reports.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090618/Senate-Health-Committee-to-begin-reform-mark-up-today-finance-to-follow-next-week.aspx

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