health care industry

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Baucus Hustles Health Industry for Savings

'Shakes down' docs, hospitals, pharma to help trim cost of plan

(Newser) - Max Baucus is “shaking people down” to pay for health care reform, one industry insider tells Politico, pressuring hospitals, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and doctors to find savings. “They’re playing hardball, and they’re serious about it,” the insider says. The drug maker trade group PhRMA has...

Health Care Nudges Dow Up 58
 Health Care Nudges Dow Up 58 
MARKETS
Jun 18, 2009 3:11 PM CDT

Health Care Nudges Dow Up 58

(Newser) - Markets were up today on a strong performance from the volatile financial sector and continued gains for health-care stocks, the Wall Street Journal reports. Investors are confident that President Obama's health reform will be whittled down, leaving room for industry profits. The Dow was up 58.42, to 8,555....

Social Security Easily Fixed; Medicare Is Another 'Monster'

Worry about that, not easy-to-fix social security: Reich

(Newser) - After yesterday’s news that Social Security and Medicare funds will run out of money earlier than previously predicted, it’s the latter that should really scare us, former Labor secretary Robert Reich writes for Salon. A slight tax tweak fixes Social Security, but “Medicare is entirely different. It’...

Health Care Reform: What We Can Agree On
 Health Care Reform: 
 What We Can Agree On 
analysis
May 13, 2009 1:54 PM CDT

Health Care Reform: What We Can Agree On

High costs hurt all of us—here's how we can cut them

(Newser) - The issue of health care reform crops up regularly, then disappears—but now it may have a foothold, writes Karen Tumulty in Time. That’s because the focus of the issue is on the current system’s huge cost to everyone. Much of the spending may be unnecessary, and a...

Health Care Groups to Offer Obama $2T in Savings

(Newser) - Top health care industry reps meeting with President Obama today plan to say they can reduce costs by $2 trillion over the next 10 years to help him overhaul the health care system, Bloomberg reports. Committed to reforming health care this year, the coalition, which brings together insurance, hospitals, pharma,...

At the Mall? Pick Up Some Health Care

Blue Cross sells coverage from a Fla. storefront

(Newser) - The nation's largest health provider is trying a new tack: selling insurance from a stripmall storefront. The suburban Florida Blue Cross shop hopes to attract some of the state's 4 million uninsured residents, and it's part of an "overall retail transformation" of the industry, a spokesman tells NPR. Consumers...

Lobbyists Open War Chests to Battle Obama

(Newser) - In his address to Congress, President Obama made it clear certain industries are in his crosshairs, from agribusiness to defense to health care. But those industries aren’t taking it lying down, the Wall Street Journal reports. They’re spending big on lobbyists, hoping to derail—or at least reshape—...

Back-Room Consensus: Require Health Insurance for All

Kennedy leads meetings with industry

(Newser) - A series of unprecedented back-room meetings among the biggest players in health care is close to a consensus: Any new legislation will require that every American have insurance, the New York Times reports. The next part, of course, is trickier: figuring out how to enforce it, how to make it...

'Intangible' Jobs—Health, Education—Are US' Best Bet

Knowledge-based sector gains jobs; those making homes, autos disappearing

(Newser) - The job market may be hitting rock bottom, but the “intangible" sector of the economy—comprising industries that, like health care and education, produce nothing concrete but have long-lasting effects—could be the best path for development, writes economist Michael Mandel in BusinessWeek. “Tangible” industries—like manufacturing—have...

Now You Can Buy Insurance for Insurance

Think you'll lose health coverage? Firm will insure your right to it

(Newser) - Healthy and insured but afraid you might someday lose your medical coverage? UnitedHealth has just launched a new product that lets consumers pay now for the guarantee that they’ll be able to get insurance later—even if they get sick, the New York Times reports. Critics are skeptical of...

Cleveland Clinic First to Divulge Docs' Drug Ties

Research center strives for complete disclosure on potential conflicts of interest

(Newser) - One of America's leading medical research centers will reveal all links its doctors and scientists have to drug companies and makers of medical devices, the New York Times reports. The move by the Cleveland Clinic—stung by conflict-of-interest accusations when cozy relationships between staff and suppliers have been discovered—is...

US Health Care Bleeds $1T, But Can Be Saved

Preventative model could save taxpayers billions

(Newser) - What America needs is another preemptive strike, executives say—in the world of health care. As Barack Obama gears up to reform the industry, several health care leaders say that up to half of the nation's $2.3 trillion health budget is wasted. In a broad consensus, they call for...

Next Stab at Health Reform Looks More Promising

Industry claims to be ready to compromise

(Newser) - If health care reform passes this time, a major factor will be that its erstwhile enemies are now rooting for it, the Wall Street Journal reports. An industry roadblock killed the Clinton administration’s attempt in the early 1990s, but this time, insurers are playing ball. “You see a...

E-Records Improve Care, But Cost Discourages Doctors

Insurers, hospitals are main beneficiaries; feds weigh financial incentives

(Newser) - Doctors aren’t using electronic health records, though they lead to better care, a study reports. Why? The costs are prohibitive, especially for small private practices. E-records do bring savings—but for insurers and hospitals, not doctors who invest in them. The government is experimenting with financial incentives for doctors...

Medicare Fraud Runs Rampant
 Medicare Fraud Runs Rampant 
Jun 13, 2008 1:34 PM CDT

Medicare Fraud Runs Rampant

Most claims are filled automatically

(Newser) - Health care fraud is rampant, especially in South Florida and the LA area, and surprisingly easy to pull off, reports the Washington Post. The 11-digit annual price tag could be smaller if investigators focused more on the fact that Medicare, for example, is "highly vulnerable" to scam artists and...

Manufacturing's Unemployed Find Work at the Hospital

The healthcare sector's growth could help mitigate US slowdown

(Newser) - American communities once reliant on the manufacturing industry are increasingly being supported by the growing healthcare sector, the Wall Street Journal reports. Over the past 10 years, the former paper-mill town of Bangor, Maine, lost 3,700 factory jobs—but gained 3,500 healthcare jobs, a hopeful sign for an...

Record $2.79B Spent Lobbying Last Year

Health-product industry leads way in seemingly 'recession-proof' uptick

(Newser) - Lobbyists made a record-breaking $2.79 billion on Capitol Hill last year, beating 2006’s record by $200 million. The healthcare industry led the way, spending $227 million on attempts to influence legislators, up 25% from the year previous. The insurance and real-estate sectors were right behind, Reuters reports. The...

Nurses With Doctorates Ease Shortage

Advanced degrees, 'hybrid practitioners' raise questions

(Newser) - As part of the effort to counter the worsening doctor shortage, some 200 American nursing schools plan to train "hybrid practitioners" with doctorates in nursing practice who can function as independent primary care givers. But even as the concept of the DNP catches on, some physicians and nurse practitioners...

Many Duck DNA Tests Over Fears of Bias

Bosses and insurers will dis them over disorders, some say

(Newser) - Some Americans are ducking genetic tests for fear that bosses and insurers may single out those with disorders, the New York Times reports. Others, tested privately, hide problems from doctors to dodge financial pain—leading, in some cases, to health problems that could have been avoided. But insurance reps and...

States Push to Restrain Insurers
States Push to Restrain Insurers
Feb 21, 2008 5:10 PM CST

States Push to Restrain Insurers

Legislators see rise in unfair cancellations of individual plans

(Newser) - As more Americans buy individual health insurance, states are acting to make sure insurers don’t cancel the plans without fair cause, USA Today reports. Plans can be canceled if applicants misreport their medical history, whether accidentally or on purpose. But amid complaints that companies are cutting the plans unjustly,...

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