federal government

Retail clinics have "disruptive" potential
Everyone in the industry has an eye on retail clinics, the number of which should grow explosively in coming years. These clinics could have a major disruptive effect on the health system, suggests Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute in a recent editorial. However, chances are that the federal government will enact regulations which will slow this momentum, she contends. Article

You probably won't be surprised to hear that the president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is hoping to foster cost-effective medical practices. What's a bit more unusual, however, is his proposal for making that happen. BCBSA head Scott Serota--and others--would like to see the federal government, rather than commercial health plans, play the central role. Article

Leavitt: State-level reforms better
Healthcare reform is all well and good, but should be handled by states rather than the federal government, according to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. Leavitt would like states manage the process of expanding health insurance access, with the federal government stepping in only to subsidize coverage for those who can't afford it. He'd also like to see market-based alternatives to expanding SCHIP funding. Article

> Will the federal government be able to keep funding Medicare? Not much longer, say fund trustees. Article

> Keeping its dukes up amidst continuing legal problems, UnitedHealth Group has hired a new chief legal officer. …

Florida hospitals stand to lose $300 million a year if changes proposed by the federal government are passed. The state is in the paradoxical position of having done too well financially last year, having made good money with sales taxes and document stamps. Now, under the new rules, the feds would cut back the percentage of the state-federal split that they pay into the low-income pool, ultimately leaving state hospitals having to absorb a $209 million shortfall. The state's public …

Healthcare was on the minds of politicians this week. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed his …

Today the House of Representatives is set to pass a bill (H.R. 4) that would allow the federal government to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Under the original Medicare law, the federal government was not allowed to bring its considerable bargaining power to the table in order to push down the cost of prescription drugs. Many critics felt that special interest--in the form of drug companies--used their influence to keep drug prices artificially high. …

It's 2007, and universal healthcare is in the air. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has called for the federal government to follow Massachusetts' example and extend healthcare to all Americans. Kennedy recently assumed the role of chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which deals with a number of health-related issues. In his first day on the job, Kennedy called in …

Under the original Medicare law, the private insurers who offer Medicare Part D coverage negotiated prices with drug companies; the federal government was not allowed to bring its considerable bargaining power to the table in order to push down the cost of prescription drugs. Opponents have strenuously objected to this arrangement, saying that drug companies are reaping billions in profit because the federal government isn't forcing them to lower their prices. Many critics felt that …

Medicare should help fix disparities
Sometimes, the reach and power of the federal government can do things private industry can't. That, at least, is the conclusion drawn by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), which just released a report suggesting that the Medicare program should take a far more active role in fixing known ways in which care lags …