tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10796734321155173052009-12-02T12:54:04.075-05:00A blog highlighting public policy, and other issues related to aging and disability.James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.comBlogger2831125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-70561061835259098222009-12-02T12:54:00.000-05:002009-12-02T12:54:04.083-05:00

Image by wallyg via FlickrPfizer CEO Cites Public’s ‘Legitimate Anger’ at Corporations Speaking to a roomful of CEOs in Boston yesterday, Jeff Kindler said corporations must face the “real and legitimate anger” of the public and regain lost trust, according to the Connecticut newspaper the Day. “When the majority don’t trust you, they will find a way to force you to change,” he said. Merck To

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-35513298183883858692009-12-02T11:52:00.001-05:002009-12-02T11:53:28.119-05:00

by Jonathan Cohn Yesterday, McCain began the Republican assault on health care reform by proposing to strip the Senate bill of its proposed $487 billion in Medicare reductions. The "unspecified" reductions, McCain said, would "directly impact the health care of citizens in this country": All of these are cuts in the obligations that we have assumed and are the rightful benefits that people

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-31855931193352807272009-12-02T11:38:00.000-05:002009-12-02T11:38:26.759-05:00

Image via Wikipediaby GoozNewsA new Medicare Payments Advisory Commission study of variation in government health care spending has dealt a serious blow to assertions that 30 percent of Medicare is wasted.By controlling for differing prices and physician payment rates, the respected MedPAC looked was able to look at service usage rates in every metropolitan area in the country. It then compare

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-47108531077113496902009-12-02T11:31:00.000-05:002009-12-02T11:31:59.553-05:00

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN AND ROBERT PEARIn a pitch to two of America’s potent political constituencies, Senate Democrats and Republicans turned the first full day of debate over major health care legislation into a battle over who would better protect the vulnerable.Continue Reading

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-7467498384574945782009-12-02T11:26:00.000-05:002009-12-02T11:26:43.051-05:00

Image via WikipediaIf America’s elderly think there is an eerie echo in all of the warnings in Washington about frightful cuts to Medicare as a result of the Democrats’ proposed health care legislation, they are right. They have heard it all before.Just 13 months ago, then Senator Barack Obama accused his Republican rival in the presidential race, John McCain, of proposing “drastic cuts to

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-71951996594493251332009-12-02T11:17:00.000-05:002009-12-02T11:17:05.603-05:00

by Joe PadudaLost in the fight over health reform is a single, huge truth - if the private insurance market worked, there would be no need for reform.We wouldn't be in this mess if private insurers were able to control cost inflation. And at the end of the day, that's what they are supposed to do. Sure they have lots of experience in underwriting and risk selection, and some have made some

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-82422346255165866772009-12-02T11:13:00.000-05:002009-12-02T11:13:02.373-05:00

As the Senate begins debate on its health reform bill we should ask whether the bill is really about reform. I say this because it appears to be about covering the uninsured (a good thing) potentially at the expense of the currently insured and the federal budget (a bad thing) and about replacing the commercial health insurance marketplace with a government-run plan (also a bad thing).Consider a

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-85733502759171432242009-12-02T10:58:00.000-05:002009-12-02T10:58:00.148-05:00

Image via WikipediaBy Chris Silva, amednews staff.Improper payments for health care made up a large portion of the $98 billion the federal government spent inappropriately in fiscal 2009. This total was an increase of $26 billion over the previous year, according to a report issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget.The Nov. 17 report concluded that Medicare fee for service

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-61125116697367732302009-12-02T10:49:00.000-05:002009-12-02T10:49:44.371-05:00

Kaiser Health News, in a story produced in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on adult day care. It "may soon become harder to find and afford. The almost 4,000 state-licensed centers around the country rely heavily on funding from state legislatures and charities, which have been hit hard by the recession. Advocates for adult day-care programs are pushing to include them in federal

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-44318111230455647872009-12-02T10:39:00.000-05:002009-12-02T10:39:57.774-05:00

Image via WikipediaThough he has no official government position, Tom Daschle, a former Senate leader and one-time nominee for health secretary, is still attending key health-reform meetings, the Associated Press reports. "The outsized role is unusual for someone who's an adviser to lobbying firms, especially given Obama's campaign vow to change business as usual in Washington," according to the

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-19990796203135997932009-12-02T10:30:00.000-05:002009-12-02T10:30:26.186-05:00

Image via WikipediaBy Joanne Silberner, NPR NewsThe health insurance system isn't the only thing getting revamped should Congress pass a health bill; both the Senate and the House bills include provisions that might mean big changes for the food, drug and medical devices industries.Continue Reading

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-63199444322721904262009-12-02T10:23:00.000-05:002009-12-02T10:23:00.825-05:00

by Katie SloanWe often refer to aging as a women’s issue, largely because women live longer than men. However, the connection between women and aging actually begins much earlier in life for many of us who are family caregivers. Decades before we reach old age, many boomer women are helping older relatives negotiate the challenges of aging.A recent rerelease of data from The Caregiving Project

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-20074480809801748262009-12-02T10:13:00.000-05:002009-12-02T10:13:42.547-05:00

Most Thanksgiving e-mails include an animated turkey or a Black Friday coupon. Not Dave Bannerman’s. Instead, the CEO of the Ohio Masonic Home asked his family and friends tell their senators about why the CLASS Act must be part of health care reform.In his message, Bannerman asked loved ones from around the country to have their “friends, relatives and acquaintances participate in AAHSA’s

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-4072507263332724882009-12-02T09:27:00.000-05:002009-12-02T09:27:43.076-05:00

Image via Wikipediaby Ronni Bennett, The TGB ProprietorOn the day I posted a story about the secret war on Social Security and Medicare a couple of weeks ago, 12 Democratic senators and one Independent signed a letter to Senate Leader Harry Reid asking that he support one of the several bills in Congress that would set up a commission “to deal with our nation's long-term fiscal imbalances.”That

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-52219306106379112942009-12-02T08:48:00.000-05:002009-12-02T08:48:26.591-05:00

By PAULA SPANSusan Katz thought she knew all about caring for old people. Trained as a social worker, she had spent more than 15 years working for home care agencies and for assisted and independent living facilities. So when her own parents began to falter in their mid-80s – her mother had Parkinson’s disease, and her father was debilitated by the aftereffects of prostate cancer treatment – she

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-48082643795762765022009-12-01T09:28:00.000-05:002009-12-01T09:28:59.834-05:00

Image via WikipediaAt 3PM today, eastern U.S. time, Senator Herb Kohl, who is the chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, will hold a live panel discussion and briefing about how the Senate Health Care Reform bill will benefit elders. Panelists will include representatives from Consumers Union, AARP, The Medicare Rights Center and The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-60841085120253852312009-12-01T09:23:00.000-05:002009-12-01T09:23:39.911-05:00

Image via WikipediaThe Alliance for Retired Americans has compiled a checklist of elder benefits in the Senate healthcare reform bill.Get it Here

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-29910013522643064112009-12-01T09:08:00.000-05:002009-12-01T09:08:00.235-05:00

As Congress and the Obama Administration search for ways to reform health care, a new report demonstrates that rationing and price controls are not the only ways to control health care costs. Better Ways to Pay for Health Care: A Primer on Healthcare Payment Reform provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the problems with current health care payment systems, and describes alternative

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-54423321255531540042009-12-01T09:04:00.000-05:002009-12-01T09:04:44.240-05:00

The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug MRSA—an infection-causing bacteria resistant to most common antibiotics—poses a far greater health threat than previously known and is making its way into hospitals, according to a study in the December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The new threat is easily picked up in fitness centers, schools, and other public places and has

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-79110474194197579022009-12-01T08:25:00.000-05:002009-12-01T08:25:25.681-05:00

Image via Wikipediaby Michael ApolskisOn November 30, 2009, the U.S. Senate began debating the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Act).Senate Republicans offered a proposed Amendment to the proposed Act, which would send the legislation back to the Senate Finance Committee with instructions to report the bill back to the Senate without approximately $440 billion in Medicare payment

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-22576361079769978092009-12-01T08:07:00.000-05:002009-12-01T08:07:30.008-05:00

by Jane Sarasohn-KahnThe health care market's broken in the U.S., and it needs more help than Congress's proposals are offering.What cost $10,743 for per-employee health care costs at large employers in 2009 will cost will nearly triple to $28,530 in 2019 if the status quo continues. If legislative proposals currently being discussed in Congress are implemented, that cost grow to $25,435. With

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-40879853073265727602009-12-01T07:46:00.000-05:002009-12-01T07:46:41.242-05:00

Image via Wikipediaby Denise Tyler, PhD, in the Health Busines BlogDr Tyler is an Investigator in the Center for Gerontology & Health Care Research at Brown University. She is the project manager for the Shaping Long-Term Care in America Project, a five-year, $10 million project funded by the National Institute on Aging that aims to improve nursing home care in the US by examining how market

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-43906104640536432852009-12-01T07:36:00.000-05:002009-12-01T07:36:46.892-05:00

By Christine S. Moyer, amednews staffA hormone found naturally in the body may elevate prostate-specific antigen levels in men, leading physicians to perform unnecessary biopsies, according to a study in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.Continue Reading

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-56209847908935482642009-12-01T07:33:00.000-05:002009-12-01T07:33:17.258-05:00

Image via WikipediaBy Chris SilvaThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Oct. 29 a new statewide effort in Mississippi to improve care for patients with diabetes.As part of the initiative, called the Mississippi Health First Collaborative, patients will receive diabetes self-management training in their home communities. The assistance will occur in locations such as community

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-18493865980862211112009-12-01T07:26:00.000-05:002009-12-01T07:26:41.758-05:00

Maryland gets federal stimulus funds for "secret shoppers" to monitor health professionals' hand hygiene. A Rhode Island hospital will videotape surgeries. Some worry about Big Brother.Read More

James Whaleyjw20004@gmail.com0