Insurance firm wants city to bid out health plan
State Gazette - White and Associates Insurance on Wednesday asked the city’s Finance Committee to consider putting the municipality’s health insurance plan up for bid. “It’s been more than 10 years,” said company president Larry White. “Mayor, you said during the

Minn. Senate sweetens health bill with cash for nursing homes
KAAL-TV - ST. PAUL (AP) - The Minnesota Senate has voted to put more money into the state’s health and welfare programs. The senators unanimously approved an extra 27 (m) million dollars to raise salaries and cover health insurance costs for long-term care

Teachers doing their part on health costs
Detroit Free Press - Government interference in the marketplace is unwarranted and could easily increase the cost of health insurance for schools. Rather than targeting any single profession, legislators would be wise to focus on addressing the factors that drive the

Aiming to make health insurance more affordable
Providence Journal - PROVIDENCE A national health-care crisis can t be solved with a single bill. That was the message yesterday, as lawmakers considered a proposal to address the problem here in Rhode Island by bringing down the cost of health insurance for small

Boards of Pa.’s big Blues back merger
Philadelphia Daily News - Melani, who would be CEO of the new venture, said the company would provide $650 million to expand access to health insurance for the uninsured. But it was unclear after yesterday’s news conference whether that was new money or what the two companies

Uninsured patient billed more than $12,000 for broken rib
San Francisco Gate - There are 47 million people in this country without health insurance. Richmond resident Joey Palmer is one of them. He learned how costly this can be after fracturing a rib in a relatively minor motorcycle accident and subsequently being hit with a

J.D. Power: Premera Blue Cross Ranked Highest in Member Satisfaction
WebWire - MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. - In its inaugural study of health plan consumers, J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Premera Blue Cross highest in member satisfaction in the U.S. Western census region. The 2007 National Health Insurance Plan Satisfaction

Far from home
Columbus Dispatch - Medicaid, the state and federally funded health-care program for the poor or disabled, pays for more than one in three births in Ohio. And Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals are not keeping up with the costs associated with running services such as

Finding Dental Care Around Washington
Washington Post - The poor face many obstacles in accessing dental care, including difficulty paying for services and finding providers who accept Medicaid. The following resources offer information on state assistance programs, oral health and providers who see

Compromises floated as budget deadline approaches
Times Herald-Record - Spitzer presented a $120.6 billion budget in January, which would grow at twice the inflation rate, although it contained nearly $1.4 billion in Medicaid cuts to hospitals and nursing homes, a reduction in health cared spending growth to 1.7 percent

Health care that’s working
Baltimore Sun - Another uncertainty involves the proposed Medicaid expansion. The House of Delegates has approved it, but the Senate, at least so far, has balked at a tobacco tax increase to help fund it. If there’s no Medicaid expansion, MHIP will keep the $75

Birth control prices soar on campuses
USA Today - Prices for oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, are doubling and tripling at student health centers, the result of a complex change in the Medicaid rebate law that essentially ends an incentive for drug companies to provide deep discounts to

Partnership argues it should keep getting money from tobacco
Commercial Dispatch - is trying to decide whether to uphold a December 2006 order from a Jackson County chancery judge, who said only the Legislature could appropriate money to tobacco cessation programs. The Partnership appealed the order. Gov. Haley Barbour, the Medicaid

New program helps keep elders out of nursing homes
Gloucester Daily Times - Both the state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs and federal Medicaid provide financial support for the program. “I look at it as a practical way as a taxpayer,” said Gloria Martin, 57, who provides foster care for a 90-year-old man in her home on

Bradford County court news
Daily Review & Sunday Review - Janet Gerbino, 57, of Troy was accepted into the ARD program for Attempting to Obtain Prescription Medication by Altering a Davis, 34, of Rushville, Pa., entered a plea of no contest to Insurance Fraud, a felony of the third degree, arising from

School officials appeal to voters
Eau Claire Leader-Telegram - Reductions in teacher compensation, particularly health insurance and pension benefits, have not been seriously considered All teachers pay a co-pay of $10, $20 or $50 for prescription drugs. If we are cutting programs for the children then we

Ads attract scrutiny
Evening Sun - Bev Mackereth, R-Spring Grove, helped caution people about Lyme Disease, as well as children’s health insurance, and it Legislators typically appear in the ads and discuss each particular cause or state service from prescription programs to

Heart Attack Survival Rate Rising on Growing Drug Use (Update1)
Bloomberg - The researchers used a database of insurance claims for elderly patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, identifying Those who survived for at least a month were included in the study, which tracked subsequent prescription drug use.

Credit mindset can lead to trouble, says assest expert
Marion Star - MARION - Living with debt is not unique to young adults, a reality contributed to by mortgage lenders, a Marion banker said. Noting that 200 foreclosures are ongoing in Marion County, Bill Bostelman, executive vice president at Fahey Bank, said, “The

Girl’s Overdose Death Raises Questions
WTOP Radio - The two brand-name prescription drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in adults only, though doctors can legally prescribe them to youngsters and do so frequently. Rebecca’s parents, Michael and Carolyn Riley, say they were

More parents are exploring, using holistic therapies
NorthJersey.com - She left with a prescription for herbal pellets, not pills. That night, her son slept soundly for the first time in weeks, she They can be costly, as few insurance plans cover them. Chiropractic alignments for Rold’s family cost $200 a month. Buying

Legislative bills revisit association health plans
Des Moines Business Record - A coalition of business groups and health insurance carriers, led by the Iowa Association of Business & Industry and the Federation of Iowa Insurers, hopes that the Legislature will approve a measure allowing them to offer association health plans in

Vermont Health Plan Customers Settle
Forbes - A company that sells discount health plans has agreed to give refunds to its Vermont consumers and pay $38,000 to the state to settle consumer fraud allegations, Attorney General William Sorrell said Friday. PrudentChoice LLC, of Irvine, Calif

It’s been a long time since she could afford peace of mind like this
Boston Online - For the first time in 15 years, Betty Gitlin-Rich and her husband may be able to afford health insurance. A small increase in their income, combined with the lower premium costs of the new plans approved by the state last month, may finally put

Democrats push plans for health coverage
SignOn San Diego - LAS VEGAS Seven Democratic presidential candidates yesterday promised health insurance for all Americans and offered plans ranging from incremental to radical to get there. The candidates forum, devoted exclusively to health care, at the

Coventry Health Care to Release First Quarter 2007 Financial
MSN MoneyCentral - Coventry Health Care (www.cvty.com) is a diversified national managed healthcare company based in Bethesda, Maryland, operating health plans, insurance companies, network rental and workers’ compensation services companies. Through its Commercial

Blue Cross execs to advise on health care training
MSN MoneyCentral - The Employ Florida Banner Center for Health Sciences plans to develop curricula for three new advanced certifications preparing participants who have an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in a health care field for advanced certification in

Staying with Medicare will help keep it alive
Newsday - For example, in New York, HIP and Empire Blue Cross offer Medicare Advantage plans in Nassau County for no premiums (in addition to the Part B premium) for the health or drug coverage, and they pay for generic drugs in the doughnut hole coverage

FLAVORx Assists Non-Profit Pharmacy to Enhance Health Care Services in Underserved Cincinnati Area 
[Press Release] PRWeb via Yahoo! News - Mar 22 12:01 AM
The first ever non-profit pharmacy, Pharmacy Over-the-Rhine, teams up with FLAVORx, Inc to make better-tasting medicine available to low-income families in Cincinnati area.Save

Police Reports 
The Town Talk - Mar 19 1:01 PM
Rapides Parish Jail Bookings on date listed. Barton, Justin Cole Porter of 2504 Avenue A, Alexandria, felony contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, 1st offense possession of marijuana, 1st offense possession of drug paraphernalia.Save

Health Savings Account participants take on more risk, responsibility and the chance to save 
The Journal News - Mar 17 11:44 PM
With health insurance costs spiraling, employers and consumers are looking for ways to regain control over their health-care expenses and choices, and lawmakers are looking for ways to make the health-care system more competitive. One option is for consumers to take on more risk and responsibility.Save

Aetna to Provide Employee Assistance Services to Small Group Health Plans 
RedNova - Mar 20 10:20 AM
Aetna (NYSE:AET) today announced that employee assistance services will be a standard part of the servicing of fully insured health plans for all small group employers. Employee assistance services help employees and their families balance the demands of work, life and personal issues.Save

Hope for breast cancer patients 
The News & Observer - Mar 22 12:46 AM
The UPS truck in Karen Sineath’s driveway Wednesday afternoon carried one small package and one big promise: life.Save

Clinic to Open This Fall 
The Gilroy Dispatch - Mar 20 1:45 PM
Gilroy - A new clinic is rising alongside U.S. 101, and with it the promise of expanded services for South County residents of every stripe.Save

MIDDAY BUSINESS REPORT: KC home-building market rebounds in February 
Kansas City Star - Mar 22 9:39 AM
Construction of homes in the Kansas City area grew by a surprising 16 percent in February, according to the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City.Save

SKorean doctors, dentists strike to protest medical reforms 
AFP via Yahoo! News - Mar 21 1:38 AM
Tens of thousands of South Korean doctors and dentists staged a one-day strike and mass rally Wednesday to protest government plans to reform medical services.Save

Legislative Briefs 
Arkansas News Bureau - Mar 21 12:51 AM
Sen. Shawn Womack, R-Mountain Home, was hospitalized Tuesday after complaining of dizziness. Womack fell ill early Tuesday and was taken to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Sen. Gilbert Baker, R-Conway, said Womack suffered a cardiac “episode.”Save

Introducing MySDSHealthPort — An All-in-One Health Information Management Web Portal 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 20 5:30 AM
ALPHARETTA, Ga.—-SDS has launched a brand new requestor portal. This new, all-in-one portal provides requestors such as attorneys, insurance companies, copy services, and business offices with better access to the information they need regarding their clients’ medical record requests.Save

Cigarette tax, favored in House, seems doomed in state Senate 
Cumberland Times-News - Mar 21 6:11 AM
A health insurance bill partially funded through an increased cigarette tax may have recently passed in the House of Delegates, but according to Sen. George Edwards, it’s likely as good as dead in the Senate.Save

Homeowners Insurance Line Three Times More Volatile Than Private Passenger Auto: Aon Re Study 
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 16 minutes ago
The Homeowners insurance line was the most volatile major insurance line in the 14-year period 1992-2005, due in large part to the active 2004 and 2005 Atlantic hurricane seasons. Homeowners was three times more volatile than the Private Passenger Auto line, according to an Aon Re Global study.Save

Inflation Lookout: Awaiting The FOMC’s Imminent Decision 
SeekingAlpha via Yahoo! Finance - 2 hours, 53 minutes ago
Barry Ritholtz submits: The Fed finishes the second day of a two-dayer, and we are widely expecting a “nuthin’ done” at 2:15. Barring some religious conversion by a majority of Fed members, we will also get the usual boilerplate that the risks between slowing growth and inflation are “balanced.”Save

Aetna CEO Received $30.86M in 2006 
AP via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 19 2:06 PM
Ronald A. Williams, chairman, chief executive and president of Aetna Inc., received compensation last year valued by the insurance company at $30.86 million, according to a proxy statement filed Monday.Save

State targets fraud scams 
The Sacramento Bee - Mar 21 12:09 AM
Steve Poizner figures insurance scams cost each California consumer an extra $500 a year for coverage.Save

The Magazine Reader
Washington Post - Your butler will cost you $70,000 a year, plus medical insurance and vacations and a 401K. But butlers do more than they once did: “Now they are equally skilled polishing silver, changing a light bulb, doing extensive research online or giving

Senate bill aims to improve health care for returning veterans
Columbus Telegram - They cut the number of doctors and nurses, creating a system whereby military personnel and families had to use civilian medical care (but they did create a pi$$ poor {IMO} medical insurance system for military members). They outsourced other

Ca$h care
Los Angeles Daily News - Many well-heeled Angelenos are responding: Who cares? And some doctors say that within a decade or so, you may not either. In the city’s wealthier enclaves, medical care is moving beyond insurance altogether. Increasingly, doctors are negotiating

Flagship Global Health Partners With ArmadaCare Executive Health to
PR Newswire - Flagship Global Health (FGHH.PK) is an international health assurance organization that provides patient advocacy and emergency support resources typically not available through conventional medical insurance. The company’s headquarters are located

Legislative Hearings Schedule
Missoulian - Senate Business, Labor, and Economic, Room 422, 9 a.m. - HB496, French, APRN authority to complete driver medical exams. HB537, Ripley, revise state hail insurance laws. HB633, Dutton, revise quota lottery liquor license applications and prohibit

New health plan a done deal
McAlester News-Capital & Democrat - The premium for the Oklahoma Public Employees Health and Welfare Plan is $385.54 per employee, but that includes medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, Crenshaw said. With HealthChoice, the premium we pay only covers medical. If

Bush’s health care plan not most effective: study 
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Mar 19 1:02 PM
At least two of the health care proposals being presented to Congress would cover all or nearly all of the Americans who lack health insurance, and many would lower spending, too, according to an independent report released on Monday.Save

UPDATE: Lawmakers’ Health-care Proposals Promise Hefty Savings: Report 
Nasdaq - Mar 19 3:38 PM
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) — Health-care proposals from members of Congress could markedly cut health-care expenditures and the ranks of the uninsured, according to an analysis released Monday.Save

Health Matters 
Savannah Morning News - Mar 19 10:01 PM
I Can Cope Online Save

Humana’s marketing practices raise questions from competitor 
BizJournals - Mar 18 10:15 PM
Officials with Sierra Health Services Inc. claim the company is losing millions of dollars on a new Medicare prescription drug plan as a result of actions by Humana Inc.Save

Medical equipment firm owner sentenced 
BizJournals - Mar 19 7:44 AM
A judge has sentenced a medical equipment company owner to four years in prison for defrauding Medicare of $2.2 million in payments for medical equipment never provided to Medicare patients.Save

Tax scofflaws still get Medicare funds 
AP via Yahoo! News - Mar 19 7:08 PM
Doctors and other health care providers who owe the federal Treasury more than $1 billion in back taxes are still receiving government checks for treating Medicare patients.Save

Gray issues 
Grand Traverse Herald - Mar 19 9:30 PM
Starting this year, the first of 78 million Baby Boomers will be turning 60 - a wave of humanity that has already started retiring. How will they retire, afford health care, keep up with rising living costs, meet their medical needs? What public services will this population bulge need?Save

FLORIDA BUSINESS BRIEFS 
Miami Herald - 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
Strong performance across the company’s various businesses helped Miami-based apparel company Perry Ellis International ( PERY ) get back to growing both revenue and profit for the fourth quarter. But for fiscal 2007, retail industry consolidation and the elimination of certain private label business dampened results.Save

Health campus to ban smoking 
The Daily Iowan - 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
Following the blanket smoking ban applied to the UI Hospitals and Clinics last June, another huge block of the UI campus west of the Iowa River will be smoke-free as of April 2. The UI Health Sciences Policy Council approved the plan, explaining its goal to reduce the exposure of secondhand smoke to UI nonsmokers in an e-mail sent Monday.Save

Science students test the waters 
Grand Traverse Herald - Mar 19 10:09 PM
A single drop of water can tell you a lot about the health of a river - and students in Gayle Yarick’s biology class at Traverse City Christian School plan to find out just how healthy the Boardman River is.Save

Senators plan health proposal tours 
Albany Democrat-Herald - Mar 17 10:13 PM
Two state senators are launching a tour of Oregon to talk about efforts to lower costs and increase access to medical care. D-Bend, are co-chairs of the Senate Special Committee on Health Care Reform.Save

Mental health check-ups offered at school 
Marshfield News Herald - Mar 19 1:48 AM
Spencer High School students can now take voluntary mental health check-ups at school through a partnership with the Marshfield Clinic.Save

New Analysis: Congressional Health Care Proposals Would Cover All Uninsured, and Reduce Total U.S. Health Spending by … 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 19 9:01 AM
NEW YORK—-A new analysis of health reform bills in Congress prepared for the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System shows that many current Congressional health care proposals could significantly reduce the number of uninsured Americans and also decrease overall health care expenditures including those for insurance administration and prescription drugs.Save

Sebelius chides legislators over health care issues 
Arkcity.net - Mar 19 2:16 PM
TOPEKA — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Monday that legislators are moving too slowly on health care issues and criticized them for not embracing her proposal to extend state health care coverage to all children under age 6.Save

Health center proposing expansion in site plan 
Greenville Herald-Banner - Mar 17 9:44 PM
GREENVILLE A local nursing home could be planning to make some changes in the near future. The Greenville Planning and Zoning Commission intends Monday to consider whether to recommend approval of a revision in the site development plan for Briarcliff Health Center.Save

Small-firm health care at issue 
Denver Post - 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
Lawmakers unveiled legislation Monday that aims to protect small businesses and their workers from drastic health insurance rate hikes.Save

U.S. Heading For Financial Trouble?
CBS News - But instead of dealing with the problem, he says, the president and the Congress made things much worse just three years ago when they expanded the Medicare program to include prescription drug coverage. “The prescription drug bill was probably the

Online Press Release
PRWeb - The recognized leader in online news and press release distribution service for small and medium-sized businesses and corporate communications. PRWeb pioneered Free Press Release Distribution and continues to set the standard for online news

Pataki: ‘Bush says what he means, he means what he says’
CNN - He’d help our seniors get the prescription drug coverage they need. He said he’d do it. And he did. And George Bush said he’d fight to allow the power of faith to help our young and help our troubled. He said he’d do it. And he did. There’s much more

Week of: February 25
Boston Online - This morning, the Affordable Care Today Coalition will pressed for inclusion of prescription drug coverage, trotting out Harvard researchers and other speakers at a State House news conference to insist that payment for medicines is essential to good

From Government Wire Services
United Press International - Bioterrorism seen as top threat UPI Poll: Drug coverage tops bill list UPI Poll: Most have exercise regime UPI Poll: Tipping the scales UPI Poll: Light support for weight drug UPI Poll: Looking at a long life Analysis: Insured fret about health costs UPI

Tenn.’s New Prescription Drug Program Full, Suspends Enrollment
WVLT - The program offers state-subsidized drug coverage for people without insurance. About 2500 pending applications have been frozen, with about 1,000 new applications arriving each week. When enrollment is reopened, officials will evaluate the

Doctor helps patients save
Berkshire Eagle - Patients with drug coverage could save a lot of time and money if they brought the list of drugs covered by their insurance to every doctor visit. I also want to know how much patients pay for drugs. I wish they would call the office if the

New insurance agency comes to town 
The News-Press - Mar 17 10:35 PM
Oswald Trippe and Company Inc., a full-service independent insurance agency, has opened an office in Bonita Springs.Save

Bulletin board 
Contra Costa Times - Mar 18 3:16 AM
HIREvents, division of California Job Journal — “Twice the Opportunities at Twin Job Fairs,” March 20. San Francisco Diversity HIREvent, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Offers job seekers the chance to meet employers eager to hire in a variety of fields. Medical and Healthcare HIREvent, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Features regional employers recruiting in a variety of medical disciplines, as well as for support staff. Job …Save

Medical bills soaring for American pets 
Los Angeles Times - Mar 17 2:14 PM
Americans increasingly are medicating their companion animals, even mortgaging their homes to do so. With aging, it has become a routine faithfully endured by the Guffords. Each day starts with a blood-sugar test and a shot of insulin. Then a couple of pills, maybe mashed into a bowl of tuna and canned carrots. Mixed with dry chow. Save

American disgrace 
The Charleston Gazette - Mar 15 10:05 PM
NEARLY 47 million Americans have no health insurance today about 7 million more people than had none in 2000, before the Bush administration began. The number of uninsured people is increasing every day, and more of those without medical coverage are middle-class people making decent incomes.Save

Lawmakers say proposed change in auto insurance necessary 
Greeley Tribune - 2 hours, 31 minutes ago
Lawmakers are considering a change to Colorado’s auto insurance system that critics say could cost consumers money but proponents are hailing as necessary aid to medical providers.Save

Westchester Medical Center lets accreditations lapse 
The Journal News - Mar 17 11:41 PM
VALHALLA - Westchester Medical Center, which used to crow about the accreditation of its trauma center and cancer programs, no longer has those endorsements, which lapsed in the midst of its financial crisis.Save

This week in the medical journals
CNN - Researchers from Kaiser Permanente in Oakland said that putting a $1,000 limit on prescription drug coverage for Medicare patients added up to more hospitalizations, more emergency room visits, less adherence to recommended drug therapy for high

Have a favorite candidate? Find out stand on issues
El Paso Times - Has a record of promoting prescription drug coverage for elderly and expanded insurance for children, but not universal coverage. Immigration: Voted for 2006 bill offering legal status to illegal immigrants subject to conditions including English

State may give insured more time to upgrade
Boston Online - The staff’s recommendation to press ahead with requiring drug coverage resulted from the strong feeling “that drugs have become so important to medical care that it seems anachronistic to exclude them,” Kingsdale said . The staff is working on

Whom to contact
Wausau Daily Herald - If it isn’t extended, it will leave more than 110,000 seniors — including more than 7,800 from Lincoln, Marathon, Portage and Wood counties — in search of Medicare Part D plans to obtain prescription drug coverage or purchase private coverage

Capitol Hill Watch
Kaisernetwork.org - The bill also would repeal Medicare language enacted last year that allows limited continuous enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans without prescription drug coverage but does not allow beneficiaries to end participation in Medicare Advantage plans

Week of: February 25
Boston Online - This morning, the Affordable Care Today Coalition will pressed for inclusion of prescription drug coverage, trotting out Harvard researchers and other speakers at a State House news conference to insist that payment for medicines is essential to good

Glaxo breast cancer pill wins FDA approval
Easy Bourse - Infused cancer drugs are covered under Medicare, but not pills, which fall under the program’s voluntary prescription drug coverage plans. A Glaxo spokeswoman said it will give Tykerb free to patients with incomes at or below 500 percent of the

Senate defeats health insurance price breaks for retired lawmakers… 
KXMB CBS12 Bismarck - Mar 14 12:17 PM
The North Dakota Senate has turned down a bill to give health insurance price breaks to some retired lawmakers. North Dakota lawmakers get health coverage from the same plan that covers state employees. When they leave the Legislature they’re Save

Bid to expand health coverage for children fails 
The Wichita Eagle - Mar 15 11:49 PM
The House has rejected Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ proposal to expand state health insurance coverage to all children age 5 and under.Save

Tips to Finding Health Insurance You Can Afford 
Kewanee Star Courier - Mar 16 6:25 AM
(ARA) - The number of Americans without health insurance continues to climb, while the number of people covered by employer-sponsored insurance programs continues to decline, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.Save

Coventry Health Care Selected By the State of West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency to Provide Retiree Health … 
RedNova - Mar 15 4:12 PM
Coventry Health Care, Inc. (NYSE:CVH) today announced that it was selected by the state of West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) as the state’s Medicare Advantage plan to provide health insurance for its 35,000 retirees effective July 1, 2007.Save

More kids in lower-income families lack health insurance 
Orlando Sentinel - Mar 14 6:26 AM
Texas has the highest uninsured rate at 20.3%, followed by Florida with 16.9%. About 47 percent of parents in families earning less than $40,000 a year are offered health insurance through their employers — a 9 percent drop during the past decade. Save

Teachers’ health insurance pool clears Ore. House 
The Mail Tribune - Mar 14 2:18 AM
SALEM A plan to consolidate health insurance for nearly all of the employees of Oregon’s 198 school districts is headed for the desk of Gov. Ted Kulongoski after passing the House Tuesday on a 37-19 vote.Save

10 Ways to Cut Your Health Care Costs 
AllBusiness via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 16 5:00 AM
The cost of health care continues to rise for most Americans. Therefore, it is to your benefit to do as much as possible to keep your health care costs down. Below are ten suggestions. 1.Save

Forum offers information on health care 
The Jackson Sun - Mar 16 3:36 AM
The Tennessee Health Care Campaign is holding a public meeting Saturday in Jackson to address concerns related to health insurance and health care costs, and to offer practical ideas for improvements and solutions.Save

Regional health insurance premiums rise 6.3 percent 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Mar 14 1:17 PM
Regional employers saw health insurance premiums this year rise 6.3 percent, the second consecutive year of single-digit increases following four straight years of increases averaging 14.7 percent.Save

C. V. Starr & Co., Inc., Announces the Creation of Starr Global Accident & Health Insurance Agency, LLC 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 14 2:32 PM
NEW YORK—-Complementing its existing areas of industry leading specialty businesses, C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. has organized a company specializing in the delivery of insurance solutions to the global accident and health market.Save

Small Business Health Insurance is Priority for Realtors(R) and Should be for Congress, Says NAR 
[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News - Mar 14 10:25 AM
The National Association of Realtors(R) told a congressional panel today that finding a solution to the health insurance access and affordability issue facing small businesses and the self-employed is a priority for REALTORS(R).Save

Board renews health insurance 
New Orleans Times-Picayune - Mar 14 11:25 PM
The St. Charles Parish School Board on Wednesday renewed its health insurance contract with United Healthcare for another year, accepting a 10.9 percent increase in the district’s health insurance costs.Save

Long-term care insurance topic of session Tuesday 
The Post-Standard - Mar 17 2:21 AM
The Oswego County Office of the Aging will hold a seminar on long-term care insurance Tuesday. People in their 40s, 50s and 60s will find the information useful, said Sara Sunday, aging services specialist at the Office of the Aging.Save

Schwarzenegger outlines reform plan to fix California’s ‘broken’ health care 
Deseret Morning News - Mar 16 11:09 PM
California Gov. Arnold Schwarze- negger told a national gathering of health care journalists Friday that he plans to fix his state’s “broken” health care system with a three-pronged health reform plan that could become a model for the nation.Save

HEALTH HAPPENINGS 
Bradenton Herald - Mar 17 12:16 AM
The Bradenton Herald welcomes information on free or low-cost health-related events open to the public. The deadline for submitting information is noon Friday, eight days ahead of Saturday publication. Information - including time, date and place - can be dropped off, mailed to the Bradenton Herald, P.O. Box 921, Bradenton, FL 34206, or faxed to 745-7097. Complete listings can be found at …Save

Your Health This Week
Slate - This winter I resolved to fix all of this, even though I had no dental insurance. I was too cheap for a friend’s dentist in One out of every three shops was a pharmacy. For every 10 pharmacies there was a dentist. One sign showed a 3-foot-wide set

Pharmacy executives say they’re not guilty
Orlando Sentinel - An Orlando-based pharmacy, charged in a multistate steroid-distribution network, is no “East Coast BALCO,” an attorney for after being charged with 20 identical criminal counts, including illegally dispensing controlled substances and insurance

Emotionally Drained by Aging Parents Who Live at a Distance?
PR Inside - providers, church contacts, and the local pharmacy. Families should have a local phone directory of the parent’s community. The second type of information needed is more personal: Copies of legal documents, current list of medications, insurance

Holey Crocs get the boot at Regional Hospital
Rapid City Journal - Proud to work with such a wonderful group of people at RCRH, dietary,lab,rads,RT, housekeepers, Docs,pharmacy,educators I have insurance so I speak from the point of view as a paying consumer. I also am a professional in my private life. With

Your Health This Week
Slate - This winter I resolved to fix all of this, even though I had no dental insurance. I was too cheap for a friend’s dentist in One out of every three shops was a pharmacy. For every 10 pharmacies there was a dentist. One sign showed a 3-foot-wide set

Fewer employers offer health insurance, report says
Detroit News - The program covers checkups, shots, emergency care, pharmacy services and more. The state also received a federal waiver to use some of the Children’s Health Insurance funds to provide health insurance to other populations, such as pregnant women and

Important Update Regarding the Alleged Loss of a CD Containing Member
PR Newswire - the company delivers a number of leading health benefit solutions through a broad portfolio of integrated health care plans and related services, along with a wide range of specialty products such as life and disability insurance benefits, pharmacy

New Yorkers Feel Right at Home With House Calls
Washington Post - He does not accept insurance. “This is ideal medical care,” Michael Harrison, 28, a commodity futures trader, said during an supply of medications, since a person who pays for a bedside doctor does not take a taxi into the night to find a pharmacy

New Yorkers Feel Right at Home With House Calls
Washington Post - In fact, the house call is on the rise nationwide, mostly because of an aging population, increasingly portable medical devices and lab tests, and changes in Medicare in the late 1990s that allowed for higher reimbursement rates for doctors’ visits

Pastor representatives coming to answer Glendale’s questions
AZCentral.com - Representatives will take questions and hear concerns on federal issues or agencies such as Medicare, Veterans Affairs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or the Internal Revenue Service. Pastor represents the Fourth Congressional District

Pi Day is for the love of March 14 (3.14, get it?)
USA Today - Umile, who is 40 and now works as a Medicare biller, believes the fascination with pi has something to do with our desire to learn the ultimate truth of something. Each decimal place, in theory, takes you 10 times closer to the answer. He says he made

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid is regulating the type of
Fox 7 News - They say 75 percent of the people admitted must meet a certain criteria. This legislation is affecting rehabilitation hospitals in our area. Betty and Jerry Neese take their golden years seriously. But staying active at 80 stopped for a split second

PROXY Governance Recommends Caremark Stockholders Vote Against
MSN MoneyCentral - uncertainties regarding the implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, including the financial impact to us to the extent that we participate in the program on a risk-bearing basis, uncertainties of client

New Math on Hill, Scramble on K Street
Washington Post - President Bush has recommended reducing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals, and the American Hospital Association is pressing Congress to ignore the idea. The association and its allies have produced studies showing that there would be

Man faces 62 charges of identity theft
Sydney Morning Herald - A Melbourne man who allegedly stole dozens of identities to defraud Medicare is facing 62 fraud related charges. The 35-year-old man, from bayside St Kilda, was arrested on Tuesday night by an identity security strike team led by the Australian

FDA issues new warnings on widely used anemia drugs
CNN - In December, lawmakers and some experts raised concerns that Medicare’s payment system encouraged overuse of Epogen, endangering patient lives and wasting taxpayer money. FDA officials said they would forward the recent data on the class of drugs to

Since 1942, The Times has won 37 Pulitzer Prizes, five of which are
Los Angeles Times - 2005 International Reporting Kim Murphy, for her eloquent, wide ranging coverage of Russia’s struggle to cope with terrorism 2001 Investigative Reporting David Willman for his reporting on unsafe prescription drugs that had been approved by the U.S

Prescription Drug Sales Rise 8.3 Percent
Forbes - But in 2006 the Medicare drug benefit offered prescription coverage to some individuals who were previously uninsured or underinsured. Prescriptions dispensed through the Medicare drug benefit accounted for 17 percent of retail prescriptions by the

Guest Opinion: Why Americans spend more but are getting less health
Billings Gazette - Whether you have health coverage or are one of Montana’s 170,000 uninsured, you are probably asking the same question: Why And prescription drugs cost more in the U.S., their prices rise faster than overall medical inflation, and demand for them

Doctor helps patients save
Berkshire Eagle - Almost all medications have alternatives, and I wish I knew which would be cheapest when I am writing the prescription. Patients with drug coverage could save a lot of time and money if they brought the list of drugs covered by their insurance to

Does God still care? Nun sees a divine hand in her small miracle
Catholic Online - ALBANY, N.Y. (CNS) Claiming that New York’s highest state court erred on several counts in upholding a state mandate that would require religious organizations to provide contraceptive prescription coverage for their employees, eight Catholic and

New York health plan influenced governor’s proposal
State Journal-Register - The Healthy New York benefits package has limited or no prescription-drug coverage, no mental health coverage and no dental or vision coverage. To qualify, workers must have a household income less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level, or $51

Online Press Release
PRWeb - The recognized leader in online news and press release distribution service for small and medium-sized businesses and corporate communications. PRWeb pioneered Free Press Release Distribution and continues to set the standard for online news

The NHS will be able to recover costs from health insurance companies
eMaxHealth.com - for covered Part D drugs for Part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a prescription drug plan or under a Medicare Advantage plan. Beneficiaries Act As Medicare Drug Enrollment Deadline Ends To get the most out of Medicare drug coverage plan

Judge orders restoration of some Medicaid cuts 
KY3 Springfield - Mar 09 8:32 PM
The governor says his administration is deciding how to proceed.Save

Baucus aims to expand kids’ health care 
Billings Gazette - Mar 11 5:42 AM
WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana said last week he is pushing for an additional 50 billion over five years for a health care program that insures millions of children.Save

Healing Danversport 
Boston Globe - Mar 11 3:00 AM
A pot luck supper on Thursday nights at Maple Street Congregational Church seems like a good, old-fashioned Danversport block party.Save

Aid for Adults, Children Lacking Health Insurance Heads for House Vote 
Washington Post - Mar 10 11:52 PM
One of the most ambitious proposals of the legislative session, a bill to offer health insurance to up to 250,000 of Maryland’s uninsured residents, will go to the House floor for a vote next week. The big question is whether it can clear the Senate.Save

Bob Richter: A sad face placed on U.S. health care crisis 
San Antonio Express-News - Mar 10 8:50 PM
Nicole Foy put a face on the largely faceless 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance. Her name is Bonnie Terry and she died last year in San Antonio from breast cancer.Save

Next Steps: Medicaids resource rules 
The State - Mar 10 9:13 PM
Four weeks ago, we looked at the different levels of long-term care; three weeks ago, how long-term care is paid for. Two weeks ago, we guided you from nursing home on Medicare to Medicaid. Last week, we looked at Medicaid income eligibility issues. And this week, well help you understand the resource rules.Save

Bredesen says new CoverTN health insurance program is off to a good start 
Kingsport Times-News - Mar 09 6:57 PM
Gov. Bredesen presents Nikki Glover, manager of Shadrack Water Sports, with a CoverTN card during a press conference at Holston Valley Medical Center. Photo by David Grace.Save

N.Y. doctor pleads guilty to illegally prescribing steroids 
USA Today - Mar 09 9:55 PM
A New York City doctor pleaded guilty Friday to illegally writing prescriptions for human growth hormone and anabolic steroids on behalf of patients he never met. Victor Mariani, part of a nationwide investigation into the illegal sale of steroids, is convicted of 26 counts accusing him of aiding and abetting the distribution of those drugs and other related charges.Save

FILINGS : Legislative summary 
NWAnews.com - Mar 09 5:36 AM
This is a partial summary list of bills (by bill number, lead sponsor and title) introduced Monday in the 86th General Assembly, except for appropriation bills, which, along with other bills and resolutions, may be found at the legislative Web site: www.arkleg.state.ar.us. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Northwest Edition)Save

Marshall County OKs prescription drug discount for residents: Cards could be ready in 8-10 weeks 
South Bend Tribune - Mar 05 5:29 PM
PLYMOUTH - Marshall County Commissioners voted Monday to approve a new plan that offers all county residents discounts of up to 20 percent on prescription drugs not covered by insurance.Save

Low-cost insurance plan under CoverTN open to working poor 
Tennessean - Mar 09 12:06 AM
Enrollment is under way for the state’s new insurance plan for the working poor, with benefits slated to start by April 1.Save

State, Regence tighten access to popular cholesterol drug 
Seattle Times - Mar 07 12:12 AM
It’s the No. 1 prescription drug in the nation, thanks to aggressive and expensive advertising and sales fueled by aging baby boomers with…Save

NationsHealth to Hold Fourth Quarter and Year-End Financial Results Conference Call 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 09 2:39 PM
SUNRISE, Fla.—-NationsHealth, Inc. will hold a conference call on March 15, 2007 to review financial results of the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2006. The call will be hosted by Glenn M.Save

Legislators optimistic as session enters second week 
Greenville Advocate - Mar 10 1:24 AM
Charles Newton and Wendell Mitchell admit to a touch of optimism as the Alabama legislature moves into its second full week of activity.Save

State halts sign-ups for prescription drug plan 
Tennessean - Feb 22 12:07 AM
Demand strains funding, says CoverRX officialSave

TN Prescription Drug Program Full 
WRCB Chattanooga - Feb 22 12:31 PM
State officials say Tennessee’s new prescription drug program has reached its capacity for enrollment. Nearly 21-thousand people had signed up by February 8th.Save

Patrick: Residents Can Get Health Insurance For $175 A Month 
The Boston Channel - Mar 03 12:21 PM
A proposed “minimum plan” would cover prescription drugs and basic medical care for just $175 a month, announces Gov. Deval Patrick. Save

American Diabetes Association Strongly Supports Recently Introduced Diabetes Screening and Medicaid Savings Act 
RedNova - Mar 05 3:16 PM
ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Diabetes Association (ADA) endorsed the Diabetes Screening and Medicaid Savings Act, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday by Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.).Save

UPMC Health Plan Provides Easy Transition for Medicare Beneficiaries Who Switch Plans Before Deadline 
RedNova - Mar 01 12:12 PM
PITTSBURGH, March 1 /PRNewswire/ — UPMC Health Plan is providing streamlined transition for those Medicare-eligibles in Western Pennsylvania who are interested in switching their Medicare plan prior to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) March 31 deadline.Save

Senior Citizens in the Middle Again of Fight Between Medicare Advantage Providers and Congress 
Senior Journal - Feb 28 3:38 PM
Feb. 28, 2007 Senior citizens are once again caught in the middle of a funding fight between insurance companies and the federal government over the Medicare Advantage Program, which was known as Medicare+Choice in the last battle in 2003. Today, there are more than eight million seniors enrolled in this program that provides more services at a lower cost than traditional Medicare, but are …Save

Mass. residents get health insurance for $175 a month 
The Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Mar 04 3:33 AM
BOSTON — The average uninsured Massachusetts resident could obtain health care coverage for as little as $175 a month under the state’s insurance law, Gov. Deval Patrick announced Saturday as he released the results of negotiations with the state’s health insurers. … - By STEVE LeBLANC The Associated PressSave

Legislators strike deal on dialysis transports 
The Clarion-Ledger - Mar 07 11:07 PM
Legislators on Wednesday compromised on a $3.9 million initiative to resume rides for almost 570 low-income patients on kidney dialysis.Save

Thousand Oaks company hurt when Medicare drops anemia drug
Ledger - TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, which oversees Medicare plans in Texas and other states, currently covers Aranesp in anemia of cancer, but is exploring “options for dealing with this issue,” the company said. Other Medicare carriers either couldn’t be

State health officials to review data on university cancer cases
1960 Sun - The state plans to conduct environmental tests in and around a former industrial site near Susquehanna University after a newspaper report raised questions about whether contamination might have caused cancer among students and permanent residents, a

Children’s health, development, behavior and education interrelated
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Substitute HB 1088, which would extend mental health benefits to children who qualify for DSHS insurance plans, was heard in the House Appropriations Committee last month. This bill is definitely a part of the solution. As a pediatrician I am helping

Cost Control Measures Limit Patient And Physician Choice In
Medical News Today - A new Brandeis University study published online in Clinical Therapeutics suggests that private health plans increasingly rely on escalating copayments to manage drug costs, as opposed to administrative controls. This makes treatment more expensive

Opinion | Focus on BiDil’s Approval, How Drug Will Be Covered
Kaisernetwork.org - According to the authors, “The issue here is not whether health plans should choose or be forced to cover BiDil, or how much profit NitroMed makes. The issue is that the argument over coverage of BiDil deflects attention from the real issues

Atkins beats other diet plans in study
USA Today - carb, high-fat Atkins diet gets high marks in one of the biggest, longest head-to-head studies of popular weight-loss plans answer a big question about the Atkins diet whether consistently eating all that fatty food long-term leads to health

Giuliani Plans Trip to Iowa Next Month
San Francisco Gate - The Giuliani campaign said Tuesday that the former New York City mayor plans a few days of events in the state the week of up, leaving 15 ACADEMIC HIP-HOP? YES, YES Y ALL. Small search engines try to get a grip Startups go for niches like health

Adventist Midwest Health and CIGNA HealthCare Network of Illinois
MSN MoneyCentral - CIGNA HealthCare, based in Bloomfield, CT, provides medical benefits plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy benefits and products and services that integrate and analyze information to support consumerism and health advocacy

GAO Chief Frets Rising Health Care Costs
Forbes - Nearly $8 trillion is for the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which launched last year. The benefit is administered by private companies, including Unitedhealth Group Inc., Humana Inc. (nyse: HUM - news - people ) and Wellpoint

The Coming Entitlement Meltdown by Ron Paul
Coeur d’Alene Press - He singled out the Medicare prescription drug bill, passed by Congress at the end of 2003, as probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s. When it comes to Social Security and Medicare, the federal government

Lampson hails new spirit of House bi-partsanship
North Channel Sun - The key pieces of legislation passed during the initial days of the session focused on education, national security, Medicare prescription drugs and the minimum wage. As a compromise measure to show their willingness to work for the good of the

Health Care Can Bankrupt America: Walker
CFO.com - A major contributing factor, according to the AP, is the Medicare prescription program that went into effect last year. The wire service reported that according to GAO figures, Medicare costs made up nearly $8 trillion of the nation’s $50 trillion in

Take one of these tips and save money
Kansas City Star - Prescription costs are a burden for many households. The new Medicare Plan D provides relief for some elderly and disabled consumers. For information, check out www.healthdecisions.org/guide/tips.html . But millions of consumers must find other ways

U.S. Heading For Financial Trouble?
CBS News - He is not suggesting that the nation do away with Medicare or prescription drug benefits. He does believe the current health care system is way too expensive, and overrated. “On cost we’re number one in the world. We spend 50 percent more of our

Popular SeniorCare plan deserves federal waiver
Journal Times - Russ Feingold who has been one of the ringleaders pushing for the extension, SeniorCare is able to deliver low-cost prescription drugs to state seniors at less than half the $1,174 the federal government spends to subsidize a Medicare Part D

Humana banks on medicare to help drive its growth
Greenwich Time - A: Recent success of the large health insurer is tied to its strong commitment to Medicare and its ability to capitalize on changes in that system. Membership in its Medicare Advantage prescription-drug plans exceeded 1 million in 2006, an 80 percent

More students trying trade, technical schools 
El Paso Times - 32 minutes ago
The climbing number of students seeking job training after high school isn’t just resulting in a boom in university enrollment.Save

Edwards camp capitalizes on Coulter slur 
AP via Yahoo! News - Mar 05 1:18 PM
A video is worth a thousand words. And dollars, too.Save

Medicare presentation to be held Tuesday, March 27 
Lamar Daily News - Mar 05 8:39 AM
The Lower Arkansas Valley Area Agency on Aging will be giving a presentation on Medicare, including Medicare fraud, on Tuesday, March 27 at the Lamar Senior Center, 407 E. Olive in Lamar at 11:45 a.m. There is no charge to attend the presentation and all interested persons are encouraged to attend.Save

Epidural Steroid Injections Limited In Treating Back Pain, New Guideline Finds 
Science Daily - Mar 05 6:05 PM
A guideline developed by the American Academy of Neurology finds epidural steroid injections play a limited role in providing short-term pain relief for lower back pain that radiates down a leg, and do not provide long-term pain relief. The guideline is published in the March 6, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.Save

Wash state suing feds over immigrant kids’ health coverage 
The Columbian - Mar 05 6:21 PM
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington is suing the federal government over a new rule that makes it tougher to get medical coverage for infants born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants.Save

Judge faults Liberty on OT 
The Palm Beach Post - Mar 05 9:12 PM
A judge ruled Monday that Port St. Lucie-based Liberty Medical Supply violated federal labor laws by underpaying overtime, a decision that could give about 300 current and former employees the right to collect damages from the diabetes-supply giant.Save

Sponsored Links 
International Brotherhood Of Prizefighters - 5 minutes ago
Get PPO Health Insurance Quotes Now - Shop, Compare, & Save! Get Informed! Compare Health Ins. Plans in Your Area Instantly - Free Searching for health insurance? Visit our health insurance guide.Save

State sues over kids’ health care 
Yakima Herald-Republic - 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
Gov. Chris Gregoire said the state on Monday sued the federal government over a new rule that would prohibit automatic health coverage of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.Save

China to expand rural medicare system
New Kerala - Beijing, March 5: China will expand its medical care system to cover more than 80 percent of all counties, said premier Wen Jiabao at the opening meeting of the fifth session of the Chinese parliament Monday. “The trial area of the new type of rural

Medicare Plan Drops Coverage Of Amgen Drug In Type Of Anemia
Beurs.nl - In the latest blow to Amgen Inc. (AMGN), at least one company that administers Medicare plans has decided to stop paying for the use of the drug Aranesp to treat a certain type of anemia, citing safety concerns. Noridian Administrative Services LLC

New Generics Pose Potential Shake-up for Prescription Sleep
PR Newswire - Reflecting the growing role of generic drug use among the senior population, the generic utilization rate for Medco YOURx PLAN(TM) enrollees — the company’s Medicare Part D prescription drug plan — was 59 percent for 2006, significantly higher than

Democrats 2008: Hillary 34%, Obama 23%
Angus Reid Consultants - On Mar. 4 in New Hampshire, Kucinich discussed his single-payer health care system, which he calls “Medicare for all.” The proposal would be financed by the federal government through existing levies and a 7.7 per cent employer payroll tax. In

Health Care Can Bankrupt America: Walker
CFO.com - the nation’s chief accountability officer and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), reportedly said that the United States is overwhelmed simply in meeting the requirements of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Lotterman: Budget cuts imperil vital federal functions
Idaho Statesman - The problem is that no Congress has ever succeeded in making that distinction. The increases in federal spending are almost entirely in Social Security, health-care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and in defense. Many bread-and-butter government

Bush administration defends Medicare drug program
Reuters UK - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration defended the Medicare prescription drug benefit program on Monday as being cheaper than initially forecast, challenging the U.S. government’s top accountant who called it “fiscally irresponsible.” “Over

Doctors’ hospitals debate
Houston Chronicle - In 2003, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began scrutinizing specialty hospitals. The Chronicle’s Feb. 24 article “Hospital’s emergency,” said that “key lawmakers” contend that physician-specialty, physician-owned hospitals skimp on

Nursing homes radically different from 10 years ago
Arlington Heights Daily Herald - Or check out “Nursing Home Compare,” www.medicare.gov/nhcompare/home.asp - a Web site created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This site helps you locate nursing homes in your area. It also has inspection records for nursing homes

THE LOW POST: Medicare vs. Britney
Rolling Stone - >> See what people are saying about Taibbi’s latest column, add your own response and browse a full archive of The Low Post. “Now, after she shaved her head in a bizarre episode that culminates a months-long saga of controversial behavior, it’s the

Corzine looks to expand tax credit
Philadelphia Inquirer - The aim of the credit is to make the working poor more self-sufficient, thereby lessening the burden of Social Security and Medicare taxes. But a recent report by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank, found that New Jersey’s $20,000

China’s think tank shows concern over medicare system
People’s Daily Online - As China’s medicare system draws increasing concern from the public, members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), think tank for the government, have voiced their opinions in proposals. “The

Premarket Movers: Research in Motion
Boston Globe - Shares of Humana Inc. also declined after Jefferies & Co. analyst Brian Wright downgraded the health insurer to “Hold” from “Buy,” saying Congressional action to curb Medicare Advantage plan growth has picked up in recent weeks. “With Medicare

Dems Seek Funds To Pay Health Priorities
Guardian Unlimited - WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats looking for money to pay for health care priorities renewed their focus on insurers Thursday. A commission that advises Congress told lawmakers that Medicare spends about 12 percent more for care administered through

Pentagon fears healthcare costs will erode readiness
Boston Online - The new plan, called Tricare for Life, is a free supplement that covers any charges not paid for by Medicare. At the same time, annual premiums for younger Tricare consumers have not changed for more than a decade, even as medical costs have steadily