Opinion Articles
Amarillo College Ranger - When the cold weather comes around, it leaves many people sick. I recently had to take a trip to the doctor’s office because of an illness and received medication. Thankfully, I am on my parents’ medical insurance. I took a look at my bill, and

CT Auto Insurance Policies May Get Pricier
Insurance News Net - HEADLINE: Auto Insurance Policies May Get Pricier By DIANE LEVICK; Courant Staff Writer Connecticut drivers who buy the least you cause. Some legislators believe that the old limits are too low because they date back more than 30 years, and medical

Risk Management:
Church Business - Training staff and members in advance about correct emergency responses; Identifying doctors, nurses and other medical professionals within the congregation; Identifying and training a church spokesperson; and Quick access to insurance and legal

Buy insurance, travellers advised
star.com.my - KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians who travel overseas have been advised to buy travel insurance so that they will be covered in the event of any mishap or medical crisis while abroad. Not many Malaysian travellers buy additional insurance protection as they

Budget evokes flat response from common man
New Kerala - Tax payees beyond 65 years of age would also get relief on payment of medical insurance premium from 15,000 upto 20,000 rupees. Ailawadi’s son Sanjeev, a lawyer, opined the budget lacked innovation and path-breaking measures. “As

There s hope for better access to health and education
Financial Express - As part of some relief to tax payers, he proposed that the deduction in respect of medical insurance premium under section 80D be increased to a maximum of Rs15,000 and, in the case of a senior citizen, to a maximum of Rs 20,000. In a bid to help the

Perry urges legislators to fund kids’ health plan
San Antonio Express News - WASHINGTON Gov. Rick Perry pleaded with the Texas congressional delegation Monday to fully fund a children’s health care program after President Bush failed to address the issue with the nation’s governors at the White House. Perry called on

Smith backs increase in federal tobacco tax
News Register - The reauthorization and expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program warrants his support, Smith said, noting that he backed a tax increase as a state senator in the 1990s to pay for the Oregon Health Plan. He said also that he has

Dispute over employer assessment stalls health care bill
WCAX - It arose as businesses prepared to pay a new “employer assessment” to the state to fund Catamount Health, the insurance plan at the heart of last year’s reform initiative. Business lobbyists and some Republicans have tried to modify the way those

In Washington, Schwarzenegger seeks help, gives advice
KESQ News - WASHINGTON (AP) - Governor Schwarzenegger made the rounds on Capitol Hill today seeking help for his universal health care plan and lecturing Washington lawmakers about bipartisan cooperation. This morning Schwarzenegger met with Health and Human

Chrysler To Begin Hourly Attrition Offers In March
CNN Money - A separate buyout program offers workers with at least one year of seniority a $100,000 lump-sum payout and six months of health-care benefits. The attrition program falls under the company’s wider restructuring plan, which was announced Feb. 14 , when

Child Health Care Splits White House and States
Ledger - Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, a Republican, said federal aid was essential to his $12 billion plan for universal health coverage. Mr. Schwarzenegger said that in a private meeting he told the president, We need the federal government s

Magellan Health Services Board Nominates Former Congresswoman Nancy
Forbes - and risks which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including (among others) the risk concerning the possible election of certain of the Company’s health plan

Healthways’ Award-Winning Health Support(SM) Programs Extended to All
Forbes - Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio. The products and services described are neither offered nor

How Conservatives Shot Small Government in the Foot 
The Politico - Feb 26 6:26 PM
One is tempted to compare the Republicans to preachers who denounce sin in the pulpit and then practice it at the no-tell motel.Save

Mandating health insurance for UI students a smart move 
The Daily Iowan - Feb 23 12:27 AM
It’s been two years since the state Board of Regents sent back a proposal from the UI that would make health insurance mandatory for students - but the subject has arisen once more, and it is time for action to be taken. The UI Graduate Student Senate has started considering legislation that would require health insurance for all full-time students.Save

More Bad Medicine 
RedNova - Feb 26 4:30 AM
The political class is wracked with worry about the rising cost of health care. Nevada lawmakers fill journalists’ notebooks with quotes reflecting deep concern about the public’s access to doctors, the availability of insurance and increasing premiums, deductibles and co-pays.Save

Greenway retirees win lawsuit 
Grand Rapids Herald-Review - Feb 26 6:38 AM
The Greenway School District broke its promises to retirees when it took away certain contracted health care benefits in 2003, a ruling on Thursday by the Honorable Richard A. Zimmerman at the Crow Wing County Judicial Center affirmed.Save

Woman charged with prescription, TennCare fraud 
Elizabethton Star - Feb 26 9:13 AM
A Carter County woman has been arrested and charged with prescription fraud and insurance fraud after she reportedly called in fraudulent prescriptions to local pharmacies.Save

Program helps pay for prescribed medicines 
El Paso Times - Feb 26 11:14 PM
Guadalupe P. Delgado is a typical El Pasoan. She’s on a fixed income. She has diabetes and every month she spends about $170 on prescription drugs. It’s her most expensive monthly cost.Save

Universal health care bad for all 
Oregon Daily Emerald - Feb 26 11:35 PM
Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott is leading his company down a most dangerous path by allying with its union critics to endorse government-run universal health care.Save

Baldwin offers peek into health-care marketing 
Daily Bulletin - Feb 23 8:54 PM
Marianne Baldwin has an interesting job. She is director of marketing for Beaver Medical Group, which has been part of the local health-care scene in Redlands since Dr. Meredith Beaver returned from serving in World War II to open his clinic.Save

U.S. law trumps state on gay rights 
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Feb 23 11:06 PM
The portion of a Washington state law that bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender can’t be enforced against some private employers’ health plans because it conflicts with federal law, state officials said Friday.Save

Bush talks up health care 
KTRE-TV East Texas - 7 minutes ago
WHITE HOUSE President Bush will be using his radio chat today to talk up health care. Bush wants to replace the tax exemption offered for employer-paid health coverage with a tax break that would apply for all health plans.Save

Bush vows cooperation on health care 
AP via Yahoo! News - Feb 21 7:27 PM
Hoping to gain support for his health care proposal, President Bush pledged Saturday to reach across party lines to reform the nation’s medical insurance system so more of the 46 million uninsured Americans can afford coverage.Save

Tremonton City Council sees site plans for hospital 
Standard-Examiner - Feb 24 12:07 AM
TREMONTON — Residents will soon have a new and bigger hospital to get treated at.Save

House endorses tax cut, health insurance credits 
Billings Gazette - Feb 23 4:40 PM
HELENA - The House on Friday endorsed a separate income tax cut and health care tax credit.Save

Subdivision plans for Kamschatka, Beechwood? 
Camden Chronicle Independent - Feb 24 12:25 AM
The Camden Planning Commission will consider a subdivision request Tuesday by a Sumter developer representing both the current owners and prospective buyer of one of the city’s crown jewels: Kamschatka.Save

China: Wu Guanzheng Report at Central Discipline Inspection Commission Session 
RedNova - Feb 21 4:17 AM
Text of authorized release: “Expand the Field oSave

Everett store owner convicted in arson 
Seattle Times - Feb 22 12:18 AM
An Everett man who burned down his own grocery store and made it look like a hate crime to throw off investigators was convicted Wednesday…Save

Emergis Reports Record Annual Earnings for 2006 and Increases 2007 Financial Targets 
[Press Release] CCNMatthews via Yahoo! Finance - Feb 21 8:05 PM
MONTREAL, QUEBEC– - Emergis Inc.Save

Modern health care in a New York minute 
Staten Island Advance - Feb 19 5:14 AM
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Think of it as a drive-by solution to a deep-rooted problem: Getting modern health care quickly, conveniently and for a decent price.Save

Newly Enhanced myCIGNA.com Launched 
SYS-CON Media - Feb 19 10:38 AM
Today CIGNA HealthCare has launched a complete redesign of its member Website, http://www.mycigna.com/. The revamped site offers CIGNA HealthCare members quicker and easier access to their personal health information, plan benefits and transactions detail, and quality and/or cost information for hospitals, outpatient facilities, specialists and prescription medications tailored according to the …Save

Week In Review 
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Feb 18 6:16 PM
Health care Thousands denied insurance under new rules A total of 14,034 people, roughly half of…Save

Elder Care Benefits
CBS News - The AARP’s Medicare section provides additional resources including updated information on the Part D drug benefit and tips for saving money on prescription drugs. The The National Family Caregivers Association is an advocacy group providing

Vaccine may help avoid, diminish shingles
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel - For those older than 65, Zostavax is covered under Medicare’s Part D prescription program on a co-pay system, which varies with drug coverage plans. What this means, says Louis Gary of the VZV Research Foundation, is that “technically, it’s available

Volunteers needed to stock trout; hot line set up
Syracuse Post-Standard - The Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery is preparing to release some 68,000 trout into Onondaga County’s waterways. Volunteers are needed to help from March 20 to May 30. Work during that period will be from 8:30 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and

Congress : Congress Voices Concern Over Impact of Proposed Medicaid
All American Patriots - ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In a sign of growing skepticism of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid than 90 percent of those cuts are expected to come from slashing pharmacy reimbursement for lower-cost generic prescription

U.S. : AARP CEO Sets Association Priorities that Promote Health and
All American Patriots - Following are a few of the pieces of legislation AARP supports, or is working to support, in the 110th Congress: — H.R. 4, “The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007″ to provide Medicare the authority to bargain for

2006 Congressional
News Busters - passed an increase in the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, a bill that would expand stem cell research and overturn President Bush’s restrictions, a measure requiring the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare

Medco Health Solutions 4Q Profit Rises
Forbes - Medco Health Solutions Inc., the biggest U.S. prescription-benefit manager, said Wednesday its fourth-quarter earnings soared prescriptions, growing use of generic medicines and the more than 1.3 million senior citizens it services under Medicare

Medicare Drug Plans Strong and Growing
eMaxHealth.com - HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt Tuesday announced that more than 1.4 million beneficiaries have enrolled in Medicare’s Part D program since June of 2006, bringing the total number of people with Medicare now receiving comprehensive prescription drug

Lawmakers Bring Aches, Pains to Debate
CBS News - Lawmakers Bring Aches, Pains to Debate Lawmakers bring their aches and pains to health care, prescription drug coverage debate

Medicare changes sought
Baltimore Sun - The Bureau of Aging estimated that about 1,500 low-income Carroll County residents are eligible but have not signed up, for a special Low-Income Subsidy program to help them obtain prescription drug coverage under Part D. Some of those residents may

Mass. Must Require HMOs, Insurers to Justify Premiums Under Health
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights - The board today allowed health insurers to draft minimum plans that eliminate drug coverage and exclude more patient expenses from counting towards the already-high $5000 deductible. State Senator Richard Moore and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi

Prescription Checklist Helps in Choosing Medicare Drug Plan
Wave 3 - together the checklist (or gathering prescription drugs in a bag) is also part of the all-important preparation that is key to making the sign-up process go smoothly. Representatives are available to answer questions about Medicare’s drug coverage at

Bush proposes $2.9 trillion 2008 budget
MSNBC - Bush also wants to make high-income Medicare recipients pay more for their drug coverage as well as the higher premium they are now paying on the insurance for doctors visits. These proposals are certain to generate stiff opposition in Congress

Man’s downward spiral ends in prison death
WCAX - Bustillos had no health insurance so family members took him to a free clinic, where he got a prescription for an antidepressant. His sister said he soon stopped taking the pills. “He said he didn’t need them,” she said. He resisted suggestions he see

Council hears of new plan for health insurance coverage
Watertown Daily Times - Council hears of new plan for health insurance coverage By Adam Tobias of the Daily Times staff Tuesday, February 20, 2007 2 The benefits package would cover medical, hospital, prescription drugs and preventive dental for children up to the age of 16

Sandwich Generation: Survive the midlife tug of war
CNN Money - Talk to your parents about whether they have long-term-care insurance or enough savings to cover the costs. Take care of Particularly helpful: an interactive tool for comparing Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, and tips for lowering costs in the

Single-payer would save lives
Peoples Weekly World - But the woman is in the hospital because with no insurance, she didn t have money to buy enough medicine to prevent or slow the heart disease. She was taking the medicine every other day, and not every day as the prescription called for, said Eakin

Probe of alleged health care fraud leads to woman
Tribune-Chronicle - The bill is sent to the employer, who would pay it or forward it to an insurance company for payment. But according to man called the HMOs call center in Stockton saying he was Andrianis husband and that he had found 30 to 50 empty prescription

Week In Review
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Thousands denied insurance under new rules A total of 14,034 people, roughly half of them children, were denied or lost will run drugstores in four Jewel-Osco stores that are being acquired by independent owners, and it is buying prescription

Disaster Recovery America (DRA) Launches Its New, Innovative, Web
Market Wire - DRA is also aggressively pursuing the creation of electronic links and partnerships with national insurance, financial, and prescription drug companies in an effort to control membership rates and further enhance product benefits for their clients.

J&J: Improper payments possible at unit 
AP via Yahoo! News - Feb 13 10:08 AM
Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday some of its foreign subsidiaries may have made improper payments in connection with the sale of medical devices in two small-market countries.Save

Senior calendar 
Port Clinton News Herald - Feb 16 7:43 AM
A program of exercises, crafts, entertainment and education combines with meals served at the Ottawa County Senior Citizens Center and nutrition sites to form the county senior citizens activities program. Suggested donation for lunch is $2.50 for those 60 and older; $5 for those under 60.Save

GAO Warns of Medicare Drug Overcharging 
AP via Yahoo! Finance - Feb 09 3:10 PM
Federal law makers should consider doing more to ensure the government is not overcharged for prescription drugs, according to a government watch dog.Save

PCMA Endorses Legislation to Create a Clear Regulatory Pathway for Biogenerics 
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Feb 14 8:57 AM
Proclaiming it to be the “next step” toward increasing access and reducing prescription drug costs for consumers and employers, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) today endorsed the “Access to Life Saving Medicine Act of 2007,” legislation that seeks to create a clear regulatory pathway for follow-on biologics, or “biogenerics.” PCMA is the national association representing …Save

Medicare Part B premiums could increase 17 percent 
The Palm Beach Post - Feb 13 9:15 AM
Medicare Part B premiums could increase a whopping $15.90 a month next year to $109.40, a 17 percent increase from the current $93.50, according to a forecast released today.Save

FOLLOWING IS A PARTIAL LIST 
York Daily Record - Feb 16 4:36 AM
Feb 16, 2007 of events and other news of note in the area. To add information to this list, e-mail Weekly Record editor Joan Concilio at jconcilio@ydr.com or call 771-2084.Save

Many Eligible Beneficiaries Not In Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Subsidy Program 
Medical News Today - Feb 05 7:04 PM
CMS and the Social Security Administration must improve efforts to enroll eligible Medicare beneficiaries in a subsidy program under the prescription drug benefit, Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said on Wednesday at a hearing of the committee, CQ HealthBeat reports. [click link for full article]Save

Statement on the President’s 2008 Budget Proposal; Bruce Roberts, RPh, Executive Vice President and CEO National … 
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Feb 13 2:35 PM
The following is a statement by Bruce Roberts, RPh, Executive Vice President and CEO of National Community Pharmacists Association:Save

NCPA: Community Pharmacy Fairness Act Introduced in House 
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Feb 12 2:43 PM
In an effort to allow independent pharmacies to better negotiate on behalf of their patients, Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced legislation Friday that would help level the playing field between the nation’s community pharmacists and the multi-billion dollar corporations that administer the prescription drug plans in this country.Save

Express Scripts Comments on Revised CVS Offer 
SYS-CON Media - Feb 13 12:38 PM
Express Scripts, Inc. today commented on CVS Corporation’s revised offer to acquire Caremark Rx, Inc., .Save

J&J: Improper payments possible at unit 
AP via Yahoo! News - Feb 13 10:08 AM
Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday some of its foreign subsidiaries may have made improper payments in connection with the sale of medical devices in two small-market countries.Save

Medicare drug plan numbers rise 
Casper Star-Tribune - Feb 10 1:13 AM
Wyoming was only about 400 people short of having 90 percent of those eligible for Medicare enrolled in some kind of prescription drug plan just a year after Medicare’s Part D program began, according to statistics provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Save

PCMA Endorses Legislation to Create a Clear Regulatory Pathway for Biogenerics 
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Feb 14 8:57 AM
Proclaiming it to be the “next step” toward increasing access and reducing prescription drug costs for consumers and employers, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) today endorsed the “Access to Life Saving Medicine Act of 2007,” legislation that seeks to create a clear regulatory pathway for follow-on biologics, or “biogenerics.” PCMA is the national association representing …Save

GlaxoSmithKline Rolls Out Site, Hot Line 
AP via Yahoo! Finance - Feb 13 10:51 AM
GlaxoSmithKline on Tuesday said it rolled out a new Web site and toll-free hot line for patients to enroll in its drug-assistance program.Save

WellCare Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2006 Results 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Feb 13 1:00 PM
TAMPA, Fla.—-WellCare Health Plans, Inc. : Fourth quarter revenues grew 129% to $1.2 billion year over year Fourth quarter net income grew 425.5% year over year Membership grew to 2,258,000; 164% growth year over year PDP membership grew to 923,000 members Georgia membership grew to 477,000 members Medicare Advantage membership grew over 30% year over yearSave

J&J: Disclosure won’t hurt J&J earnings 
AP via Yahoo! News - Feb 13 10:14 AM
Johnson & Johnson’s disclosure that foreign subsidiaries may have made improper payments related to the sale of medical devices overseas should not be a major problem for the health care company, analysts said Tuesday.Save

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Summarizes Op-Eds Related To The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit 
Medical News Today - Feb 12 11:04 AM
Several newspapers recently published opinion pieces and a letter to the editor addressing the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Summaries appear below. [click link for full article]Save

Medicare drug plan numbers rise 
Casper Star-Tribune - Feb 10 1:13 AM
Wyoming was only about 400 people short of having 90 percent of those eligible for Medicare enrolled in some kind of prescription drug plan just a year after Medicare’s Part D program began, according to statistics provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Save

AMA honors U.S. Senator Gordon Smith with top government service award 
[Press Release] American Medical Association - Feb 13 7:16 AM
WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon will be honored tonight with the American Medical Association’s (AMA) highest award for a public official. Sen. Smith was one of eight award winners this year to receive the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service.Save

MSU dental clinic to remain open
Independent Record - A lot of people would rather lose their little finger than admit they’re wrong — I’m not one of them,” Mitchell told the Associated Students of MSU on Thursday, in reversing plans for the closure that the Student Health Advisory Committee had

Doctors: Sutter loss bad for health
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Greensweig said Memorial will keep its prices competitive in order to be attractive to employers, who purchase the health plans used by individual employees. “Employers are very price-sensitive,” Greensweig said. “The more Memorial increases its

Health Net Reports Fourth Quarter Net Income of $85 Million, or $.72
MSN MoneyCentral - These year-over-year results were consistent with expectations as health care cost trends, particularly in the company’s Northeast health plans, were very low in 2005. For the full year of 2006, commercial health care costs PMPM rose by 7.3

Our Views: Vaccine vital health issue
Baton Rouge Advocate - While some insurance companies include the vaccine in health plans, their reimbursement doesn t cover costs. The retail price of the three-injection regime costs between $120 and $360 per dose. The state negotiated a discount to $96.75 per dose for

Bi-county health department plans must avoid Lehigh, Northampton tax
Morning Call - Words can move mountains. Or, sometimes they put mountains in the way, and impede progress. A consultant provided an estimate Tuesday to the Northampton County interim health board for the cost of a joint health department for Lehigh and Northampton

Romney drawing support from many of Missouri’s top Republicans
Philadelphia Inquirer - The law provides subsidies and sliding-scale premiums to get poor and low-income residents into health plans and requires those deemed able to afford insurance to purchase policies. Republican Charlotte Planer, 63, of Blue Springs, said she was

Nobody Buys Lilly’s Innocence Routine 
Scoop.co.nz - Feb 05 1:51 PM
Eli Lilly is having trouble obtaining and retaining insurance coverage for Zyprexa litigation because apparently insurance companies are no longer willing to buy its wide eyed innocence routine when it comes to the company’s fraudulent off-label marketing schemes.Save

Owners of fire-ravaged building wants to rebuild 
Lock Haven Express - Feb 06 11:20 AM
MILL HALL Even as an insurance adjuster surveyed the ruins of Saturdays fire that left seven people homeless, owners of the apartment building are already planning to build new homes there.Save

Aetna 4Q profit up 4 percent 
AP via Yahoo! News - Feb 08 1:53 PM
Health insurer Aetna Inc. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit increased 4 percent as growing medical enrollment including a push to sell individual policies in addition to more traditional companywide plans lifted revenue from health care premiums.Save

OWI charge filed in case of mo-ped bicycle crash 
The Journal Times - Feb 08 12:26 AM
OWI charge filed in case of mo-ped/bicycle crash By Janine Anderson Journal Times TOWN OF BURLINGTON - A drunken collision between a mo-ped and a bicycle on Nov. 27 has resulted in felony charges against the driver of the mo-ped.Save

Wal-Mart Loses Bid to Block Group Suit in Bias Case (Update5) 
Bloomberg.com - Feb 06 3:19 PM
Feb. 6 (Bloomberg) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the biggest U.S. private employer, lost a bid to prevent 2 million current and former female workers from proceeding as a group with sex bias claims in the largest employment lawsuit in U.S. history.Save

FYI: What’s the story behind $4 generic prescriptions? 
The Lufkin Daily News - Feb 07 2:40 PM
Q: Thanks to Wal-Mart Pharmacy for the $4 prescriptions. I guess I somehow missed the explanation about how this came to be. Could someone please enlighten me?Save

Shoppers’ Q4 profit boosted by pharmacy sales; growth to continue in ‘07 
CP via Yahoo! Canada News - Feb 08 2:36 PM
TORONTO (CP) - Drugstore chain Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.’s (TSX:SC) fourth quarter profits got a lift from rising prescription drug sales in an upward trend expected to continue as the company expands stores with higher-priced cosmetics.Save

Coventry Health 4Q net income rises 
Sharewatch - Feb 09 5:22 AM
Quarterly net income totaled $156.1 million, or 97 cents per share, from $126.4 million, or 77 cents per share during the same period a year ago. Revenue grew 13 percent to $1.94 billion from $1.72 billion last year.Save

Federal Regulations Threaten Patient Access to Prescription Drugs Says NCPA 
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Feb 08 12:42 PM
Tens of thousands of patients may be denied access to life-saving prescription drugs if Medicaid regulations cutting community pharmacy reimbursement rates go into effect as planned by federal government bureaucrats. According to a recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the proposed Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement cuts will force pharmacists to accept Medicaid drug …Save

Most of Medicare and Medicaid savings in Bush’s budget proposal come from reducing growth in Medicare provider payments 
News-Medical-Net - Feb 07 12:40 AM
The “lion’s share” of the Medicare and Medicaid savings over five years proposed in President Bush’s fiscal year 2008 budget proposal comes from limits on annual inflation adjustments for reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers for Medicare, amounting to $39.5 billion, CQ HealthBeat reports.Save

GAO Warns of Medicare Drug Overcharging 
AP via Yahoo! Finance - Feb 09 3:10 PM
Federal law makers should consider doing more to ensure the government is not overcharged for prescription drugs, according to a government watch dog.Save

Humana 4Q earnings soar to $155 million 
Sharewatch - Feb 05 7:54 AM
The Louisville-based company said revenue from its Medicare Advantage plans — which offer comprehensive health care coverage — nearly doubled in the quarter over the previous year. Its stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans generated another $882 million in new fourth-quarter revenue.Save

Salazars decry Bush health cuts 
Durango Herald - Feb 07 6:31 AM
The response of Colorado legislators on Tuesday to President Bush’s proposed $101 billion reduction in Medicare and Medicaid funding contrasted sharply.Save

Editorial: Bush bases budget plan on hope 
Orange Leader - Feb 09 8:28 AM
MANKATO FREE PRESS (MANKATO, Minn.) Opinion: The Free Press, Mankato, Minn. President George W. Bush has proposed a federal budget that takes good economic times for granted, and even then skates dangerously close to open water on a lake of thin ice.Save

Rendell, health care plan fare well in Quinnipiac poll 
The Patriot-News - Feb 07 9:11 PM
Pennsylvanians like their governor — and his goal of universal health care, according to a poll released yesterday. A Quinnipiac University poll put Gov. Ed Rendell’s approval rating at a record of 61 percent, mirroring the support he received from voters in the November election.Save

Health plan’s goals, costs 
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 07 12:36 AM
Gov. Rendell’s “Prescription for Pennsylvania” health-care initiative comes with a hefty $255 million price tag in its first year alone, according to the proposed budget he released yesterday.Save

Beilenson figures in plan to upgrade health service 
Baltimore Sun - Feb 07 12:48 AM
Ulman says he wants to raise profile of programs Hiring former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Peter Beilenson to be Howard County’s health officer is part of a larger plan to upgrade county health services, County Executive Ken Ulman said yesterday. Save

Harley releases details of health care proposal 
The York Dispatch - Feb 08 8:31 AM
A Harley-Davidson spokesman this morning released more details about the health care proposal offered as part of the new union contract. Under the expired contract, union members do not pay premiums for their health plan, said Bob Klein, a spokesman for Harley-Davidson.Save

RJ Eskow: The John Edwards Health Plan: Is It the Solution? 
HuffingtonPost - Feb 06 1:17 PM
I won’t answer my own question until the end, but I will tell you this up-front: I have questions about the John Edwards health plan, but overall I like it. A lot. I’m not prepared to give it as strong an endorsement as Ezra Klein or others, however, until those questions are answered. And there are some things I would do differently (although the Edwards plan resembles my own ” proposal ” for …Save

US Forces Detain Iraqi Deputy Health Minister 
Nasdaq - Feb 08 1:08 AM
(RTTNews) - US and Iraqi forces raided the Health Ministry building in Baghdad and detained the deputy health minister on Thursday, a ministry spokesman said. The raid came one day after the US military said that a new Baghdad security plan has begun.Save

Finally, Some Honesty About Health Care
Post-Journal - The new Medicare prescription drug benefit, for example, probably will cost at least twice what its proponents estimated just two years ago. But again, at least Edwards admits there will be a cost and there will be much higher taxes under his plan

Humana 4Q Earnings Soar to $155 Million
ABC News - Its stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans generated another $882 million in new fourth-quarter revenue. For the three months ended last Dec. 31, Humana posted net income of $155 million, or 92 cents per share, compared to nearly $61.8 million

Correction: Feb. 2 Humana story
Boston Globe - Legislation that took effect at the beginning of 2006 gave U.S. seniors seeking health insurance and prescription drug coverage the choice to enroll in a government Medicare plan or in a plan administered by a private health insurer like Humana. Under

Ch vez a danger
Miami Herald - Critics of the Medicare prescription-drug program hope that the American public overlooks one key fact: The only way government can negotiate lower Medicare drug prices is to restrict the medicines available. That, at least, is what the nonpartisan

Illinois Cares Rx is accessible online
KWQC - seniors avoid facing gaps in their insurance coverage under the new Medicare Part D program. It gives “wrap-around coverage” to help cover increased costs for low-income seniors and people with disabilities who’ve been getting federal prescription

Administration News | Bush FY 2008 Budget Proposal Includes $101.5B in
Kaisernetwork.org - In addition, the proposal would implement a premium based on income in the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The two provisions would result in an estimated $10.2 billion in Medicare savings over five years. Bush “contends that he can make the

Medical ads aim straight for the heart
Philadelphia Inquirer - comes as the new Democratic-controlled Congress is expected to hold hearings and potentially introduce legislation regulating the advertising of prescription drugs, which continues to grow. Congress is particularly interested now that the Medicare

Bush Plan Reins In Domestic Spending 
Washington Post - Feb 05 1:39 AM
President Bush took aim yesterday at domestic spending as part of a plan to balance the budget in five years without raising taxes while increasing funding for the Iraq war and permanently expanding the military.Save

Discount Dental Plans are a Cost-Effective Alternative to Dental Insurance 
Benton Evening News - Feb 05 2:33 AM
(ARA) - The numbers are nothing to smile about - more than 108 million Americans don’t have dental insurance, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Yet healthy teeth and gums play a fundamental role in overall health.Save

Bill advances that would allow people to buy prescription drugs through state 
9 News Denver - Feb 01 7:28 AM
DENVER (AP) - A bill that would allow people who can’t afford health insurance to buy generic prescription drugs through the state is heading to the state Senate.Save

County set to select med clinic provider 
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - 6 minutes ago
The Allen County commissioners plan to decide next week which entity will run a proposed employee health clinic.Save

Ritter’s first bill: discount drugs 
Rocky Mountain News - Feb 05 11:18 AM
A jubilant Gov. Bill Ritter signed his first bill into law today, creating a way for about 300,000 Coloradans to receive state assistance in buying discount prescription drugs.Save

Fighting to stay afloat 
Columbia Daily Tribune - Feb 05 12:58 PM
Couples struggle with insurance costs mirrors that of many retirees. Centralia residents John and Sally Revell worked hard, raised a family and paid off their mortgage on a house in St. Charles to enjoy their retirement years.Save

Indy a model in minority health plan
Indianapolis Star - Federal officials came to Indianapolis on Friday to launch a national program aimed at ending racial- and ethnic-based health disparities. Dr. Garth Graham, deputy assistant secretary for minority health with the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Ministry s warning against meningitis
Kerala Next - DUBAI The Ministry of Health (MoH) has asked people to exercise caution after two confirmed and three suspected cases of meningitis were reported in Dubai last week. Implementing an emergency plan, health authorities have urged parents to seek

Grant to boost Medicaid information system
Louisville Courier-Journal - Kentucky will get nearly $5 million in federal money to help develop an electronic health network for people in the Medicaid system, the government health plan for those who are disabled or have low incomes. State officials today announced

Bush Sends Congress $2.9T Spending Plan
Chicago Tribune - of government to meet his goal of eliminating the deficit in five years. Bush’s spending plan would make his first-term tax cuts permanent, at a cost of $1.6 trillion over 10 years. He is seeking $78 billion in savings in the government’s big health

Edwards calls for universal health care coverage
News 8 Austin - WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards has unveiled a plan aimed at providing health coverage for all Americans. The plan posted on his Web site would require all businesses to provide insurance and all Americans to have it. The

This week’s contents
Greensboro Business Journal - Return to glory?: W-S vies to regain ‘city of arts’ reputation New 311 Motorspeedway files Chapter 11 Preliminary plan for Pet 960-acre listing near Reidsville eyed for development Group plans upscale community in NW GSO Novartis Animal Health settles

State gives more time for bids on insurance 
Boston Globe - Feb 02 1:16 AM
Faced with mounting questions about cost and coverage, a state agency yesterday again put the brakes on its fast-track schedule to define how much health insurance every Massachusetts resident must have.Save

Salespeople posing to be from insurance program 
News 10 Now Syracuse - Jan 30 7:33 AM
Finding a salesman on the other side of your door may be nothing new. And for senior citizens in Northern New York, people posing to be from a well-known insurance program is also becoming more prominent.Save

Colchester and Canterbury men arrested in illegal narcotics bust 
Norwich Bulletin - Feb 03 5:43 AM
Dr. Mitchell Moffat, 58, of 268 Colburn Road, Canterbury, and Thomas Furman, 48, of 35 Jan Drive, Colchester, were arrested Friday and charged with illegally obtaining narcotic drugs and controlled substances from 2001-06, state police with Troop K in Colchester said.Save

Rendell to call for sales-tax hike, sources say 
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 04 12:32 AM
Gov. Rendell is about to propose raising Pennsylvania’s sales tax for the first time in 39 years in order to slash property taxes.Save

Next stop: Opelika 
Opelika-Auburn News - Feb 02 9:35 PM
Already more than 3 million patients, including more than 74,000 Alabamians, have benefited from the “Help is Here Express,” a bright orange bus that rolls through small towns and big cities to educate communities on abundant resources available to those in need of affordable prescription medicine.Save

Firms escape health costs by creating trusts 
San Diego Daily Transcript via Yahoo! News - Feb 01 5:34 PM
Every week, Mike Mormile receives up to 50 calls from retirees and widows who can’t pay a prescription-drug bill or who missed a mailing explaining medical benefits. One man said he was going to have to sell his house to keep buying his infirm wife’s medicine.Save

Bush s proposal
Anniston Star - This time it is President Bush s new health insurance proposal. When he announced the plan it appeared to be an ideologically correct Republican solution to a problem we all recognize the critical lack of health insurance in the work place. Put

Immunization focus of new immigrant health plan
CBC News - Prince Edward Island is developing a new health protocol for immigrants and refugees coming into the province, with immunization a primary focus. ‘We do like to review them to see if they have had any history of a communicable disease.’ Dr

IMS Health 4Q Profit Down
Forbes - IMS Health , provider of market research to the pharmaceutical and health care industries, said Thursday fourth-quarter profit fell because of a weaker dollar and costs related to its share buyback plan. The company earned $65.5 million, or 32 cents

Senate creates new road plan
Potomac News - A number of finance committee members criticized the plan for trying to take money from the state’s general fund, from which schools, public safety and health care are funded. “I have a hard time putting health care into competition with any

Congress Eyes Child Health Insurance
Forbes - Congress probably will take its time in considering President Bush’s plan for expanding health insurance coverage. Lawmakers, however, are moving more quickly to renew a program that now provides coverage to 6 million people, mostly children. The

Hospital plan ‘is disappointing’
BBC UK - The NI commissioner for children and young people says she is disappointed by the action plan to address problems at Muckamore Abbey Hospital. The plan, announced by Health Minister Paul Goggins on Monday, aims to address the delayed discharge of

200,000 In Mass. May Need More Health Insurance 
CBS 4 Boston - Jan 30 5:23 AM
More than 200,000 Massachusetts residents who already have health insurance would be forced to buy additional coverage to meet the proposed minimum standards under the state’s new health insurance law, according to a published report. More Health News More Massachusetts News Save

Senior Notes 
The Mesquite News - Jan 31 7:59 PM
Adults ages 50 and aboveare invited for live music, dancing, fellowship and light refreshments at Evans Community Center. Dances take place the second, fourth and fifth Friday nights of each month from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $4 per person.Save

Time for taxes; time for changes 
The Town Talk - Feb 01 1:01 AM
It’s time for workers to start checking the mail for W-2 forms or, if you’re a business owner, you already may have made tracks to your local tax preparer to learn what deductions you qualify for this tax season.Save

Granholm, U.S. secretary tout insurance plan 
Detroit News - Jan 29 4:14 PM
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt touted the governor’s $1-billion proposal to expand coverage to the state’s uninsured residents today during Leavitt’s visit to Michigan.Save

All Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Should Be Required To Cover Heart Medication BiDil For Black Beneficiaries, … 
Medical News Today - Jan 29 7:04 PM
NAACP’s New England council President Juan Cofield sent a “sharply worded letter” to the Boston regional office of CMS stating that NitroMed’s heart failure drug BiDil, the only drug approved by FDA for use in a single race, should be required to be covered under all Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, the Wall Street Journal reports. [click link for full article]Save

Express Scripts Comments on Caremark’s Attempts to Defend Lavish Payments to its Senior Management 
FinanzNachrichten - Jan 31 9:02 AM
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Express Scripts, ( Nachrichten ) Inc. today commented on the statement made by Caremark Rx, ( Nachrichten ) Inc. in an advertisement published today.Save

Pettit:Tim Walberg, partisan hack 
City Pulse - Jan 31 2:33 PM
If you want to see whats wrong with the Republican Party, you need look no further than the 7th Districts newly elected congressman, Tim Walberg.Save

New York Gov. Spitzer To Seek Health Care Savings, Expand Health Insurance Coverage 
Medical News Today - Feb 01 1:04 AM
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) on Friday said that his first executive budget to be released Wednesday would include provisions to seek billions of dollars in Medicaid and health care cost savings, the New York Times reports. [click link for full article]Save