Once again, trustees forecast that Medicare’s hospital fund would begin to run out of money beginning in 2024, but, overall, the outlook for the social insurance program that covers nearly 50 million elderly and disabled people was only slightly worse than findings from last year.
Articles on: Conflict of interest on FDA panels. Radiology residents charged with cheating. Why dentists oppose allowing mid-level dental practitioners provide care in rural and other underserved areas.
Federal funding for medical research, disease prevention and a host of public health initiatives could be sharply reduced if the congressional super committee fails to agree on a deficit-reduction package, triggering automatic cuts.
Breast cancer has become a big business. Healthcare and the poor in Texas. A place of the autistic in the adult world. Taming the Medicare ‘monster.’ Living longer, but better?
Plan cuts $320 billion from Medicare and Medicaid, by changing how the government pays providers, slashing payments to drug companies, and changing the way it splits the Medicaid costs with the states.
Lately you’d think President Obama was threatening to push Granny off the cliff. But most of the outrage assumes — incorrectly — that any cuts would necessarily be aimed directly at Medicare patients. History suggests otherwise.
President Obama said he is “willing to look at” a number of ways to reduce health care spending, including provider cuts and changing the eligibility age for Medicare. But he dismissed the Republican approach, saying “it’s not necessary to completely revamp” Medicare to deal with the deficit and the debt ceiling.
“[It] is possible for us to construct a package that would be balanced, would share sacrifice, would involve both parties taking on their sacred cows, would involve some meaningful changes to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, that would preserve the integrity of the programs and keep our sacred trust with our seniors . . .
Rep. Jim McDermott has some advice for Democrats who support Medicare and Medicaid cuts as part of a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling: Beware of the 30-second television spot.
The Obama administration’s bid to slash funding for training pediatricians at children’s hospitals is provoking intense protests from medical educators and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
For the past few years, community services for the aged and disabled have been facing big state budget cuts, layoffs of key personnel and an increasing demand for services. And the situation has done nothing but get worse.
Washington State would see a 26 percent cut in funding for Medicaid — the least of any state.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
View Calendar
✔ Subscribe
Add to Google
Seattle Times Health News
Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
Recent Comments