Women's Health Advocates Use Health Reform To Tackle Gender Biases In Coverage

Health Plans Collaborate On Landmark Initiative To Reduce Time, Expense For Physician Office Practice "Paperwork" October 6, 2009 at 2:00 pm Health plans today launched a landmark initiative to make delivering and getting health care easier for patients and their physicians by reducing the time, effort, and expense for the "paperwork" required for each patient office visit. The initiative, which will simplify information flow between health plans and doctors' offices, and later between health plans and hospitals, is comparable to what ATMs did for banks and consumers. N.J. Gubernatorial Candidates Battle For Independent Female Voters October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am In the New Jersey gubernatorial race, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) and challenger Christopher Christie (R) are "waging a pitched battle" for the support of independent female voters, who are expected be a critical demographic, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. According to Senate Democratic Leaders Prepare For Floor Action On Health Bills; Public Plan Still The Flashpoint October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am Democrats are preparing for floor action, with much of the attention centered on the Senate Finance Committee's final vote and merging two Senate reform bills. San Francisco's Public Option Receives High Marks October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am The Los Angeles Times reports on San Francisco's public option: "Over the last two years, three-quarters of San Francisco's uninsured adults have enrolled in a public program that guarantees access to medical services, an effort that is being touted as a national model during the rancorous debate over healthcare reform. Nursing Home Industry: New Funding Reductions Will Force Closures October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am Industry leaders say the nursing home industry could be at a tipping point. "The nation's nursing homes are perilously close to laying off workers, cutting services - possibly even closing - because of a perfect storm wallop from the recession and deep federal and state government spending cuts, industry experts say," The Associated Press reports. Today's Editorials And Opinions October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am The Surgery Begins The Los Angeles Times The Senate Finance Committee put the final touches on its healthcare bill early Friday morning, and soon Democratic leaders will begin reconciling it with a more costly alternative approved by the Senate's health panel (10/4). Future Medicare Savings Could Partly Offset Costs Of Expanding Health Care Coverage October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am Expanding health coverage might not cost as much as policymakers assume. New findings from researchers at Harvard Medical School demonstrate that individuals who were either continuously or intermittently uninsured between the ages of 51 and 64 cost Medicare more than those who had continuous insurance coverage in the years prior to Medicare eligibility. Obama Moves More Slowly Than Bush On Judicial Nominees, AP Reports October 6, 2009 at 7:00 am President Obama has submitted eight nominations to fill 20 current appeals court vacancies and 10 nominees for 75 district court vacancies, a much slower pace than President George W. Bush, the AP/New York Times reports. According to figures compiled by the Will Insurers Balk At Weakening Of Individual Insurance Mandate? October 6, 2009 at 7:00 am Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey explores what the insurers' next move will be regarding the shape of the individual mandate provision included in current health proposals. "Health insurers have held their fire as Congress debates payment cuts, new fees and taxes and more regulation for their industry. Eleventh-Hour Lobbying Campaigns Hope To Lower Costs To Industry October 6, 2009 at 7:00 am As the Senate Finance Committee finalizes its health reform proposal, medical-device makers are hoping to convince lawmakers to make one last change, The Wall Street Journal reports. Ending Insurance Discrimination, Closing Coverage Gaps Proving Difficult In Reform Efforts October 6, 2009 at 7:00 am Current health reform efforts seek to prevent insurers from rejecting individuals or charging people higher rates based on their medical history. However, a simple ban would not take away the economic pressure that encourages such practices, The Washington Post reports: "Cognizant of the threat, lawmakers are trying to neutralize it. Politics, Payment Plans And Potential Lawsuit Costs October 6, 2009 at 7:00 am Recent state developments include the prominent place health care is taking in New Jersey's governor's race, criticism of a payment plan for hospitals in Massachusetts and the potential cost of lawsuits in California. The Star-Ledger reports on the prominence of health care issues in the New Jersey governor's race between Democratic Gov. Sens. Wyden, Rockefeller Undecided On Finance Committee Reform Bill As Vote Nears October 6, 2009 at 6:00 am Two Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee -- Sens. Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) -- have yet to pledge support for the committee's health reform bill, which is scheduled for a vote later this week, the Uninsured By Choice: A 'Calculated Risk' October 6, 2009 at 6:00 am As part as the ongoing series, "Are You Covered?" by NPR and Kaiser Health News, Lyn Robinson is profiled because she part of the group known as "voluntarily uninsured." She "estimates that health insurance would cost her about $500 a month. That's a lot of money for a policy that might not even cover the kind of preventive care she values" (Jenkins, 10/3). House Leaders 'Tantalizingly Close' To Finalizing Bill - But Work Still Remains October 6, 2009 at 6:00 am As House leaders prepare to advance their version of health reforms to the the floor, negotiations continue behind the scenes. Roll Call reports that "[h]ouse Democrats feel that they are tantalizingly close to finalizing their bill - with a goal of sending it to the Congressional Budget Office this week. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md. Costs Of Health Bills, Health Care Under Scrutiny October 6, 2009 at 6:00 am "A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. Reform Effort Could Expand Drug Coverage, Affordability October 6, 2009 at 6:00 am One impact of health insurance exchanges, proposed by Democrats as part of the health care overhaul, could be better prescription drug coverage for some consumers, the Los Angeles Times explains. The exchanges would require drug coverage as part of a minimum benefits package. The flip side is that some people may be forced to buy drug coverage they don't want. Obama Discreetly Lobbying For Public Option In Senate Health Bill October 6, 2009 at 6:00 am "Despite months of outward ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to get divided Senate Democrats to take up some version of the idea for a final vote in the coming weeks," The Los Angeles Times reports. Women's Health Advocates Use Health Reform To Tackle Gender Biases In Coverage October 6, 2009 at 5:00 am Women's health organizations and advocates are drawing attention to several lesser-known provisions in health reform legislation that would improve insurance coverage and health care for women, USA Today reports. Snowe, Some Democrats Hesitate To Support Finance Reform Package October 6, 2009 at 5:00 am The Wall Street Journal reports that Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine continues to be a key swing vote as the Senate Finance Committee wraps up its work in its health bill version and prepares to move it to the Senate floor. "Early Friday, Ms. Snowe said she was not sure how she would vote. 'I've got to review the document and go from there,' she said of the revised bill. 'There's a lot to think about. Health Reform A Chance For Mental Health Care Changes October 6, 2009 at 5:00 am The Baltimore Sun reports that congressional efforts to reform the health care system could lead to improvements in care for the nation's mentally ill. One in four uninsured people has a mental health condition, The Baltimore Sun reports, but high costs and complex care needs lead to uncertainty regarding how far proposed reforms could go toward making progress. Challenges Surround The Calculation Of Costs Associated With Illegal Immigrant Care October 6, 2009 at 5:00 am PhillyBurbs.com examines the cost of caring for undocumented immigrants and whether it really is cheaper to exclude them under a health care overhaul. Despite widespread support for requiring people to prove their citizenship to receive government health benefits, PhillyBurbs.