Saying he wants to "start with a clean sheet of paper," House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Tex.) said that he wants to work over the next month and a half to come up with a deal that will overhaul the Medicare physician payment system. The fact that efforts are coming to naught to pass legislation on the issue by the end of the week did not keep Barton from speaking boldly about what he aims to accomplish by the end of the year. Read more »
Medicare beneficiaries will be able to choose from a wider selection of prescription drug plans in 2007 that on average will cost about $24 a month, the same as this year, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) officials said. But beneficiaries now enrolled could face higher premiums next year and should reevaluate their plans to see if they still cover the drugs they need at a price they can afford, analysts said. Read more »
Nearly 90 percent of America's 9 million uninsured children age 18 and younger live in families where at least one parent works, according to a report by the Campaign for Children's Health Care. The study also found that 30 percent of those uninsured children live in families where both parents work but cannot afford to purchase health care coverage. Read more »
By 2012, all Americans should have access to an affordable, easy-to-navigate health care system that provides them with medical coverage no matter where they work or live, according to a national commission charged with developing health care recommendations for the president and Congress. Read more »
Proven quality-measurement tools must be used to get more value for the U.S. health care dollar, yet only about one of four Americans benefits from those tools, according to a study released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, an organization that accredits health care plans and measures their quality. Read more »
With health care costs near the top of personal economic issues for many families, a new survey is not likely to provide much comfort. Almost half of employers reported that it is "very" or "somewhat likely" they will increase the amount that employees pay for health insurance in the coming year, according to the survey, released by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Read more »