I missed it at the time, but a week ago the WSJ ran an interesting roundtable on healthcare reform with an unusual cast of CEOs — WellPoint’s Angela Braly, the Mayo Clinic’s Denis Cortese, Pfizer’s Jeffrey Kindler, and Novartis‘ Daniel Vasella. Rounding out the discussion was Sen. Max Baucus, who recently released his own 98-page outline for healthcare reform. The...
Health Care Industry Archive
November 2008
Obama considers healthcare reform “integral” to economic recovery — After naming Melody Barnes, a former chief counsel to Sen. Ted Kennedy, as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, President-elect Barack Obama said she would be primarily focused on economic-recovery work. But he went on to say: “An integral part of that course will be health care reform,...
Early signs are good that the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama will push major healthcare reform early next year. As that effort gears up, though, expect to see opponents unleash a blizzard of misinformation aimed at delaying or preventing real change — largely because any serious reform will directly jeopardize the business models of powerful hospitals,...
One of the reasons healthcare costs keep rising astronomically is the fact that hospitals find it impossible to disengage from the medical arms race that’s gripped the industry. Shiny and expensive new technology exerts a powerful influence on patients and doctors alike, drawing them to medical centers who can tout their state-of-the-art facilities — whether or not those new cath...
As the movement for healthcare reform gathers momentum, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have introduced a “discussion draft” of legislation that would link a small portion of Medicare’s hospital payments to the quality of care provided by each facility. Starting in FY 2012, acute-care hospitals that met standardized performance goals...
McKesson agrees to $350M drug-cost settlement — The major drug and medical-supplies distributor said it will pay $350 million to settle allegations that it conspired to inflate the cost of drugs for consumers and health-insurance providers. McKesson still faces similar lawsuits brought by federal, state and local agencies. [Source: Modern Healthcare] Health-insurance sector could see...
Aetna CEO Ron Williams looked remarkably bullish last week as he outlined the company’s prospects at a Reuters conference. Aetna is gaining market share while its competitors retrench, Williams said, despite the grim economy and the possibility that Washington may radically transform the health-insurance industry sometime next year. For instance, Williams said his company — the...
In this time of economic crisis, you might think that hospitals were no longer engaged in multimillion dollar building projects. But you would be wrong. Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, located in a Dallas/Fort Worth suburb, recently launched a $34 million construction project, including a 36-bed medical/surgical unit, an expanded emergency department, and a doubling in the size of its...
Justice Department probes Medtronic spinal implant — The DOJ is looking into allegations that Medtronic improperly marketed a spinal implant designed to speed blone growth. Parallel whistleblower lawsuits contend the company paid doctors to use the device, called Infuse.[ Source: WSJ Health Blog] AARP orders investigation of UnitedHealthcare plans — AARP, the senior lobby, said it...
When the Clinton health plan died in 1994, the health-insurance industry’s fingerprints were all over the murder weapon. Now that rumblings of comprehensive healthcare reform are starting to take on critical mass in the incoming Obama administration and Congress, the insurance industry has apparently reconsidered its adamant objection to a major health-system overhaul — and...
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- Healthcare Roundup: Aetna Layoffs, Lakeside Absorbed, ASCs Rake in Profits, Retail Clinics Forecast to Grow, and More
- The House Busts The Budget By Passing a "Doc Fix"
- Grassley's Attack on Reform Belies Some Earlier Stands
- Senate's Unified Reform Bill Owes Much to Finance Committee
- White House Puts Focus On Medicare and Medicaid Fraud
- Hospitals Recovering From Recession Woes
- Doctor Shortage Is Worsening, Say Hospital CEOs
- Interest Groups Redouble Fight on Healthcare Reform
- Kerry Bill Would Help Physicians Borrow Money For EHRs
- Provider Cost Reports Have Little Impact on Consumer Choice
- Hospital Mergers Are A Major Health Cost Driver
- Comparison of Health Reform Bills Reveals Key issues
- New Mexico Information Exchange Shows Potential of Obama HIT Campaign
- House Health-Care Reform Bill Deserves Public Support
- More Insurance Competition Will Not Reduce Costs
- Some Health Reform Questions for The President
- Interest Groups Redouble Fight on Healthcare Reform
- NEJM Roundtable on Health Cost Control Offers Insights
- House Health-Care Reform Bill Deserves Public Support
- House Health Reform Bill Does Not Please Many in Health Care
- No Rationing, Say Experts, But Public Doesn't Hear
- White House Puts Focus On Medicare and Medicaid Fraud
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