The National Business Group of Health (NGBH), which represents many if not most of the nation's biggest companies, urged President-elect Obama and congressional leaders to include investments in comparativeness effectiveness research and health information technology in the economic stimulus package now being drafted on Capitol Hill. Read more »
House leaders plan to pump $157.5 billion into a wide variety of health care programs--including Medicaid and health insurance for people who lose their jobs--as part of a massive economic stimulus bill they announced Thursday. Read more »
The House sent the Senate a reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program on Wednesday, setting up what Democrats expect to be an early legislative victory for their party and President-elect Barack Obama. Read more »
Economic stimulus legislation proposed by House Democrats would shower hospitals with millions of dollars in extra funding from the government's health entitlements if they adopt electronic medical records systems, while individual doctors would be paid up to $65,000 for using electronic records in their practices. Read more »
As President-elect Barack Obama urges Congress to advance an economic stimulus plan that will win Republican votes, Democratic leaders writing the legislation face a question: How bipartisan is bipartisan enough? Read more »
Legislation to reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program is headed to the Senate floor, after a Senate panel on Thursday approved a draft bill that includes a provision to relax eligibility standards for legal immigrants and new citizens. Read more »