Selected stories from the daily newsletter CQ HealthBeat from the week of December 19, 2011. Provided as a service under rights licensed by The Commonwealth Fund. The full-text version of this newsletter is available in the newsletter archive.
The Senate, followed by the House, worked together to swiftly approve the payroll tax legislation blocking the 27 percent Medicare doctor payment cut scheduled for Jan. 1. President Obama signed the measure. Read more »
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last week that its program to promote team-based care in traditional Medicare will launch with 32 "pioneer" accountable care organizations in 18 states, serving up to 860,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Read more »
While the proportion of people reporting problems paying their medical bills stayed relatively stable between 2007 and 2010, there also could be fewer people seeking care, the Center for Studying Health System Change concluded in a study released last week. Read more »
Seven senators from both sides of the aisle are asking the Institute of Medicine to do a thorough review of the nation's system of graduate medical education that funds medical residencies. Read more »
A poll released by the Harvard School of Public Health found that 67 percent of Americans believe the government or health insurers refuse to pay for expensive treatments because of cost, while only 38 percent of people in the United Kingdom say that's the case in their country, even though some in the United States have criticized the British system as one that rations care. Read more »
Democratic members of the Texas congressional delegation urged the Department of Health and Human Services to turn down a request from their state's insurance officials for a phase-in of medical loss ratio regulations. Read more »