Raising the Medicare reimbursement for primary care and having the program test the concept of a "medical home" for beneficiaries could help lead the way for major changes in the nation's health care system, experts told the Senate Finance Committee. Read more »
More than half of Americans without health insurance are low-income adults who do not qualify for Medicaid, and the entitlement program would need a significant overhaul if it were to cover that non-eligible group, according to experts at a health panel Monday. Read more »
Twenty million people will lose coverage provided through their employers under Sen. John McCain's health care plan, while Sen. Barack Obama's proposal will add $100 billion in new spending every year, according to two separate analyses published in the journal Health Affairs. The Obama estimate was based on cost projections of a proposal released by The Commonwealth Fund that shares certain features with Obama's plan, including a mandate for employer-sponsored insurance. Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis said that the Obama health plan differs from the Fund's plan. Read more »
Students who attend more ethnically diverse medical schools are better prepared to work with a diverse group of patients, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read more »
At a time when food prices are on the rise, farmers across the country are finding cold comfort in their bounty: health care costs are drastically eating away at their income, leading many to financial hardship, according to a new report. Read more »
The nation's worsening economy creates even more pressure for Congress to pass sweeping changes to the U.S. health care system, House Democrats said. Read more »