News From Around the Web
> Whistleblowers and consumer advocates say Kaiser Permanente has reserves of $21.7 billion more than the state of California requires, but continues to cut patient-care services and raise premiums, according to an announcement from National Nurses United. Announcement
> Tariq Mahmood, M.D., a former Texas hospital-chain owner, will take a plea deal on charges he defrauded the government of healthcare funds, according to a blog post from the Dallas Morning News. Post
Health Finance News
> Healthcare spending, which was mostly in check, hovering close to the general inflation rate in recent years, may be on the rise again--or not. Article
> The Service Employees International–United Healthcare Workers West labor union officially shelved two ballot initiatives it sponsored to limit what not-for-profit hospitals in California could charge patients and pay their executives, the Los Angeles Times reported. Article
> Hospital-acquired and owned oncology practices contribute to the ever-rising costs for cancer drugs, according to a new report issued by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Article
And Finally… Not that mobile. Article