Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 18, 2008. Aides to President-elect Barack Obama have told lawmakers that a two-year economic stimulus package they plan to consider in January 2009 could cost as much as $850 billion, rather than the $600 billion currently under consideration, congressional officials said on Wednesday, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (AP/Contra Costa Times, 12/17)… […]

Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 18, 2008. Utah lawmakers on Tuesday during the final meeting of the Legislature’s Health System Reform Task Force unveiled a plan to overhaul the state’s health insurance market, the Salt Lake Tribune reports…  Click title to read more… The proposal, the first part of a 10-year health reform plan, would expand the […]

HFMA News – Dec. 18, 2008. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released a report on key issues related to adverse events in hospitals. These adverse events include the ‘never events,’ such as surgery on the wrong patient, which the National Quality Forum has said should never […]

Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 17, 2008. The New Jersey Senate on Monday approved legislation that would require physicians at outpatient surgery centers to inform patients about how their services will be billed and whether the doctors have any financial interests in a referral to such centers, the Bergen Record reports. Under the bill — sponsored by […]

Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 17, 2008. The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday released the “2009 Statistical Abstract of the United States,” which includes some data on health care, the New York Times reports. The report contains data from the Census Bureau and other sources. Most of the data “had been previously released, but not necessarily in […]

Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 17, 2008. As part of its occasional series “The Evidence Gap,” the New York Times on Wednesday examined how Medicare coverage of certain treatments varies by location because CMS leaves “many reimbursement decisions to the discretion of 15 regional contractors around the country.” According to the Times, coverage disparities between states have […]

Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 16, 2008. The resolution of privacy and security concerns might prompt more physicians nationwide to adopt electronic medical records, electronic prescribing and other forms of health care information technology, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said on Monday in an address to the Nationwide Health Information Network Forum, CQ HealthBeat reports.  Click title to […]

While mainstream news coverage is still a primary source of information for the latest in policy debates and the health care marketplace, online blogs have become a significant part of the media landscape, often presenting new perspectives on policy issues and drawing attention to under-reported topics. To provide complete coverage of health policy issues, the […]

Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 16, 2008. California Republican lawmakers on Monday released a plan to address the state’s projected $41.8 billion budget deficit in part by redirecting funds for mental health services and children’s health care, the Los Angeles Times reports (Rau, Los Angeles Times, 12/16). The $22 billion plan is an effort by state Republicans […]