Posts Tagged as ‘Medicare’

December 14, 2009

Cheaper Drugs, More Medicare: The Policy & Practice Podcast

The health reform battle slogged on last week, with new proposals emerging to break the stalemate: allowing reimportation of drugs from other countries, and ditching the public option in favor of expanding Medicare to include people aged 55-64. Meanwhile, physicians were left wondering whether Congress was going to act to stave off an impending 21% [...]

November 2, 2009

High Stakes for Physicians: The Policy & Practice Podcast

From press conferences, interviews, and more around Washington, D.C.
Physicians have a lot riding on what happens in Congress this year. After months of wrangling over health reform, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) will try to get her version of the health overhaul bill through the chamber. The bill includes a public plan whose rates [...]

August 19, 2009

How Much Would You Pay For Better Medicare?

About two weeks ago I received my Social Security statement in the mail – you know, that bland-looking government document that’s an accounting of lifetime earnings, how much Social Security and Medicare taxes have been paid into the system, and, most importantly, what percent of an individual’s income goes to fund the retirement and health [...]

August 10, 2009

The War at Home: The Policy & Practice Podcast

From press briefings and goings-on around Washington, D.C.
Lawmakers returned to their districts last week for their month-long break and health reform was pretty much at the top of the agenda for meetings with constituents.  Right away, it was clear that this was not going to be an ordinary summer recess, however.  Many representatives and Senators [...]

August 3, 2009

Town Hall Time: The Policy & Practice Podcast

from Congressional hearings and press events in Washington, D.C.
House members have gone home for August and Senators are close behind. Health reform closure? Um, not so much. Take a listen to this week’s Policy & Practice Podcast to learn about the delays and divisions on health reform.
Policy & Practice Podcast August 3, 2009

As Congress recesses [...]

July 21, 2009

One Vote Down, Many to Go: The Policy & Practice Podcast

From Congressional hearings, press briefings, and related health care events around Washington, D.C.
Technical quirks caused us to miss our Monday post, but here, one day late, is your weekly installment of the Policy & Practice Podcast. Last week, a Senate committee passed its bill, the AMA unexpectedly weighed in, and the President added his two [...]

July 13, 2009

A billion here, a billion there: Soon you’re talking real money

From congressional hearings, press briefings, and assorted heath care events in Washington, D.C.
Pardon the paraphrase of the late Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.), the Grammy-winning orator who eventually lent his name to a Senate Office Building, but health reform last week focused on billions and billions of dollars. Where will they come from? How will we spend them? 
Want to [...]

June 24, 2009

Because You Just Can’t Get Enough About Health Reform

From press conferences, briefings, and hearings in Washington, D.C.
Sure, we promised you another installment of the Policy & Practice Podcast on Monday. But we’re so excited that we felt the need to post another one today. Listen here: Policy & Practice Podcast 6/24
Today’s installment covers the President’s visit to the AMA, primary care wants and woes, [...]

April 1, 2009

Splashy Statisticians in Spotlight at ACC ‘09

 
From the annual scientific assembly of the American College of Cardiology, Orlando
Many of the biggest ooh’s and ah’s at this meeting were directed not at new blockbuster megatrial findings–those were in limited supply–but rather at groundbreaking study methodologies so dazzling even nonstatisticians were awed. It’s been a rare chance for the statisticians to take center stage and accept [...]

March 25, 2009

Get Rrrrready to Rumble!

From the Second Annual Joint Surgical Advocacy Conference, Washington, DC
It’s increasingly obvious that a line in the sand is being drawn, and we’re not talking about one in the desert.  Primary care physicians and specialists appear to be headed for a smackdown, aided and abetted by a Congress that’s going to have to figure out [...]