Sequestration Will Be Hazardous To Our Health

March 1st, 2013

MSNBC reports on the devestating effects the sequestration cuts could have on health not only in the United States but also health throughout the world.

Fewer Pennsylvanians Recieved Medical Assistance This Past Year

February 25th, 2013

Nearly 55,000 fewer Pennsylvanians were getting medical assistance in December 2012 compared with July, according to a new state Department of Public Welfare report, in many cases as an apparent side effect of the elimination of another program.

Posted on Feb 25 2013 under HealthPointPA News, Uncategorized
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Coming Up in the State House

October 15th, 2012

This week in the Capitol, legislators are deciding on several bills affecting healthcare. The House will be meet on:

House Appropriations Committee
Monday, 10/15; Tuesday, 10/16; Wednesday, 10/17; Thursday, 10/18
Off the Floor, Room 140 Main Capitol
Agendas to be announced

House Insurance Committee
Tuesday, 10/16, 9 am
Room 205, Ryan Office Building
Public hearing on:
HB 2299, PN 3501 (Cutler) – Amends the [...]

Romney’s Medicare Plan

February 27th, 2012

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney unveiled a plan Friday to increase the Medicare eligibility age and laid out a time line under which the government would offer a new private option for care.

Medical cost variations for different regions are largely due to generic prescription rates, says Pitt study

February 9th, 2012

The study suggests that taxpayers and the federal Medicare program could save about $4.5 billion a year, or 10 percent of all Medicare spending, by using less-expensive generic medications.

Dept. of Health & Human Services report says most hospital errors go unreported

January 6th, 2012

According to the department’s study of Medicare patients, hospital employees only recognize and report about one out of every seven medical errors.

FAQ: The ‘Doc Fix’ Dilemma

December 16th, 2011

Presented are some answers to frequently asked questions about the “doc fix.”

Lawmakers Offer Bipartisan Plan to Overhaul Medicare

December 15th, 2011

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Congressman Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, unveiled a bipartisan plan on Wednesday to revamp Medicare and make a fixed federal contribution to the cost of coverage for each beneficiary.

Hospitals Try To Control Readmissions, Even When It Hurts Profits

December 15th, 2011

Starting next fall, HHS will begin penalizing hospitals if their readmission rates are higher than expected for three conditions: heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. As such, hospitals are making strides to avoid these repercussions.

U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services making Medicare claims database more available to public

December 8th, 2011

In particular, the federal agency will relax its restrictions on the release of information about individual doctors who participate in Medicare, the $524 billion federal program for the elderly and disabled, reversing a three-decade position that doing so would violate physicians’ privacy rights.