PA’s U.S. Rep. Murphy introduces bill to cut down on gov’t healthcare overpayments
The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act would reduce waste, fraud and abuse resulting from lack of oversight on the part of federal agencies, reports the Bucks County Courier Times.
Geisinger’s prez denies that he’s leaving to become chief of federal agency
News reports from last week were all but sure that Dr. Glenn Steele Jr. would leave Geisinger to become head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
PA’s U.S. legislators fight for higher Medicare reimbursement rates for northeastern hospitals
Legislation in the House of Representatives would extend payments under the Medicare Wage Index Reclassification for two years, while the Senate’s extension would be for a year.
Democrats vow to close Medicare ‘doughnut hole’
Philadelphia Inq report:
WASHINGTON – It’s an annual ordeal for many seniors living on a budget. Medicare’s coverage gap for prescription drugs , $3,610 next year , has steadily gotten bigger since the benefit’s inception. But if Democrats have their way on health care overhaul, the dreaded “doughnut hole” will shrink by $500 right away and [...]
Obama presses health care bill
Philadelphia Inq reports:
By David Espo
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Prodded by President Obama, Senate Democrats won tentative backing from one holdout and worked intensely to satisfy another yesterday as they grappled with the last, lingering disputes blocking passage of health-care legislation by Christmas.Despite the push, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska remained publicly uncommitted, even after a private [...]
Medicare plan may be dead
Philadelphia Inq Reports:
With no votes to spare, the idea raised doubt among some Democrats as well as the GOP.
WASHINGTON – Senate Democratic leaders appeared poised last night to abandon efforts to create a government-run insurance safety net in their push for a health-care overhaul, as they attempted to close ranks around a bill they hoped [...]
Obama happy about Senate compromise plan for Medicare and public option
Reports the Wall Street Journal:
President Barack Obama on Wednesday endorsed a Senate Democratic compromise that backed away from a big government-run health plan, calling the idea a “creative framework” that could propel a health bill to passage.
Republicans condemned the compromise as an act of desperation. But the deal received cautiously favorable comments from Democratic senators [...]
Proposal would open Medicare to retirees earlier, at age 55
Part of the reason behind the proposal is that the recession is causing many companies to force employees into early retirement.
Progress in Senate Democratic health care talks
Philadelphia Inq reports:
WASHINGTON – After agreeing tentatively to jettison a key liberal priority , a full-blown government-run insurance option , Democrats say they are getting close to pushing President Barack Obama’s health care bill through the Senate.
“We’ve overcome a real problem that we had,” Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in announcing what he called [...]
National program will try to cut rehospitalizations, especially of the elderly
One statistic that prompted the national push: One in five Medicare patients winds up back in the hospital within a month.