By Jeffrey Young, The Hill - Nov. 17, 2008
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus will sit down with Sen. Edward Kennedy and other key members of the upper chamber on Tuesday to begin divvying up jurisdiction on healthcare reform.
Brace For Jump In Drug Costs
By Kevin Freking; CBS News ~ Nov 14, 2008
Among the top 10 drug plans in terms of enrollment, the average monthly premium will increase anywhere from 8 percent to 63.7 percent in 2009. At the same time, those plans are reducing the number of medicines that they'll cover by about 9 percent...
It's Medicare open-enrollment time. Here's a guide for the confused...
By Anne Tergesen; The Wall Street Journal ~ Nov 14, 2008
November 15th marks the start of Medicare's six-week annual election period. That's when individuals already in the program can add, drop or switch prescription-drug plans and make a wide range of other changes to their coverage...
Major Health Insurer to Cover Medical Procedures Abroad
By Drucilla Dyess; HealthNews.com ~ Nov 15, 2008
A major health insurer, WellPoint, Inc., will kick off a pilot program in January of 2009 that will offer “medical tourism” as a part of its benefits packages. The program will allow patients to travel to India for certain surgical procedures and reimburse them for getting medical care overseas...
Enrollment for Medicare Drug Plans Begins Again
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay; The Washington Post ~ Nov 14, 2008
With the enrollment period for Medicare's Part D prescription drug coverage program for 2009 kicking off Nov. 15, experts are advising seniors to choose a plan carefully because premiums and covered medications can vary from plan to plan...
Employers Offer Workers Fewer Health Care Plans
By Milt Freudenheim; The New York Times ~ Nov 15, 2008
It’s the annual “open enrollment” season in corporate America, when employees choose their medical plans for the coming year. But this time, even if they are fortunate enough to have a job at a company that still offers health benefits, many workers are finding that the buffet of options has been trimmed to a very short menu...
Drug costs for seniors growing
By Julie Appleby; USA Today ~ Nov 12, 2008
Elderly and disabled people in Medicare prescription drug plans with the largest enrollments will pay 43% more on average in monthly premiums next year than when the drug program began in 2006, and some enrollees will see increases of as much as 329%, two analyses show...
Senate Finance Chief Calls for Making Health Coverage Mandatory
By Aliza Marcus; Bloomberg.com ~ Nov 12, 2008
Senator Max Baucus, presenting the first Democratic health plan since President-elect Barack Obama's victory, said all Americans should be required to have insurance once coverage is made affordable. Baucus said in a health-care blueprint released today that only a mandate could ensure people didn't wait until they were ill to buy health insurance, forcing up the price for everyone. Read more... Click here to read Senator Baucus' health-care blueprint (pdf file).
Baucus to Push Health-Care Overhaul
By Laura Meckler, The Wall Street Journal - Nov. 12, 2008
The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday will release a sweeping proposal to overhaul the health-care system that largely reflects President-elect Barack Obama's vision, increasing the chances for action next year...
Study: Wider cholesterol drug use may save lives
By Marilynn Marchione, AP; The Oneida Daily Dispatch ~ Nov 09, 2008
People with low cholesterol and no big risk for heart disease had dramatically lower rates of heart attacks, death and stroke if they took the cholesterol pill Crestor, a large study found...
Senator Kennedy: Health Care Can't Wait
By Edward M. Kennedy; The Washington Post ~ Nov 09, 2008
The story of America has been a journey toward being a fairer and more just nation. We have encountered many barriers along the way, and at times we have stumbled. But again and again, we have come together to surmount the obstacles in our path and realize more fully the promise of America...
Time to Review Seniors' Drug Options
By Jane Zhang; The Wall Street Journal ~ Nov 09, 2008
The 10 drug plans with the largest enrollments will raise their premiums by 31% on average in 2009 -- some by more than 60% -- according to an analysis of Medicare data by Avalere Health, a Washington consulting firm...
New U.S. Rule Pares Outpatient Medicaid Services
By Robert Pear; The New York Times ~ Nov 08, 2008
In the first of an expected avalanche of post-election regulations, the Bush administration on Friday narrowed the scope of services that can be provided to poor people under Medicaid’s outpatient hospital benefit...
AARP questioned on health plans
By Julie Appleby; USA TODAY ~ Nov 02, 2008
Some health plans offered by AARP, the older Americans advocacy group, mislead consumers into thinking they're protected from catastrophic health costs but leave them vulnerable to paying tens of thousands of dollars, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says...