Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt reiterated President Bush's promise to veto a $35 billion expansion of children's health insurance just hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., made a personal appeal for the president to sign the bill. Read more »
President Bush will sign into law legislation that would curb a new Medicare rule governing payments for inpatient hospital care, a White House spokesman said. Read more »
As an early proponent of universal health care coverage, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards found himself struggling to differentiate his plan from one released last week by New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the party's front-runner. Read more »
With health care the top domestic issue among voters as the nation heads into the 2008 elections, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease asked presidential candidates to focus on ways to prevent, treat, and manage chronic diseases that account for more than 75 cents of every dollar spent on health care. Read more »
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) reported that the rate of improvement for American health plans has slowed compared to previous years. While the quality of care for more than 80 million Americans improved in 2006, the gains were smaller than they have been in the past, according to the group's State of Health Care Quality 2007 report. Read more »
The new head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services used his first public appearance before a group of managed care executives to warn them that public confidence in Medicare's private health plans hinges on avoiding unscrupulous marketing practices. Read more »