By one vote, Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a bill to shave billions of dollars from health plans that contract with the federal Medicare program and avert a pay cut for doctors. Reuters Health Information
Private health plans contracting in the federal Medicare program have underestimated profits, which could inflate government reimbursement, a congressional watchdog group said on Wednesday. Reuters Health Information
A bill with about $13 billion in cuts to private health insurers in Medicare is expected to face a vote in the U.S. Senate as early as Thursday, as backers work off momentum from an unexpected victory earlier this week. Reuters Health Information
Learn about initiating insulin therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes, identifying barriers to treatment, and managing weight gain associated with therapy. Medscape Diabetes & Endocrinology
The Iraqi government is trying to entice back hundreds of doctors who fled the country because of rampant violence, and says improved security is already leading some to return. Reuters Health Information
Members of the U.S. Senate sought on Thursday to pass bipartisan legislation to more than triple funds to fight AIDS in Africa and other countries, but some Republican foes vowed to block it because of its cost. Reuters Health Information
A U.S. judged dismissed on Wednesday a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that claimed the government was failing to meet the mental health needs of former troops, who have a rate of suicide far higher than the general population. Reuters Health Information
Healthcare providers should include progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in the differential diagnosis of immunosuppressed patients presenting with focal neurologic symptoms. Medscape Medical News
What are the ethical and policy issues that arise in debates on public newborn screening programs? The experience in Mississippi serves to highlight an important ethical issue in child health policy. The Hastings Center Report
The U.S. government proposed payment changes in the Medicare health insurance program on Monday that could impact reimbursement of medical imaging, diagnostic testing and dialysis providers. Reuters Health Information
