Stories by Week

(MEDICARE) Health Reform Cuts to Medicare are Less Than Typical 'Tune Up' Measures While critics of healthcare reform try to frighten seniors into believing they will lose Medicare coverage or face skyrocketing premiums, in realty Medicare cost-saving measures proposed in healthcare reform legislation are similar to ongoing "fine tuning" the program routinely faces as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act -- and none of those cuts have been paticularly detrimental to seniors. Login to see complete story
12/10/2009 11:42 AM

(SENATE) Procedural 'Hold' Stops Senate Action on Rx Drug Importation Bill Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), a member of the Finance Committee, has thrown up a procedural roadblock preventing his colleagues in the Senate from voting on a bipartisan proposal to lower prescription drug prices for millions of Americans. Login to see complete story
12/11/2009 4:23 PM

Capitol Hill

(HOUSE) Lawmakers OK $447 Billion Omnibus Spending Bill for FY 2010 The House has approved a massive $447 billion omnibus funding measure which combines six separate appropriations bills, including the one providing federal funds for the Departments of Education, Health & Human Services and Labor. Login to see complete story
12/11/2009 09:24 AM

(SENATE) Key Lawmaker Beefs Up Effort To Pass Rx Drug Import Bill Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is intensifying efforts to pass legislation designed to put downward pressure on prescription drug prices. The bill, called the Pharmaceutical Market Access & Drug Safety Act, could be included as an amendment to the healthcare reform legislation now being debated in the Senate. Login to see complete story
12/07/2009 11:21 AM

Funding Opportunities

(GRANTS) Health Centers Eligible for $88M in Recovery Act Funds The Department of Health & Human Services' Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) is making some $88 million available under its Health Information Technology Implementation for Health Center Controlled Networks program. The deadline for applications is Feb. 5, 2010. Login to see complete story
12/09/2009 11:47 AM

(GRANTS) Med Students Can Apply for Geriatric Research Program Medical schools can boost their research capacity by encouraging students to apply for the 2010 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program. The application deadline is Feb. 5, 2010. Login to see complete story
12/09/2009 11:44 AM

(GRANTS) NIH Has Millions Available for Transformative Research Projects A major goal of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to foster bold and creative investigator-initiated research. In pursuit of this goal, the Transformative Research Projects Program has been created under the auspices of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research to enhance submission and support of exceptionally innovative, high risk, original and/or unconventional research that has the potential to have a profound impact in clinical, basic, and or behavioral/social science arenas. This is an ideal funding opportunity for gerontology-related entities engaging in "out of the box" research projects. Login to see complete story
12/11/2009 12:50 PM

(GRANTS) Tufts Funds Senior Health & Wellness in Mass., R.I. The Tufts Health Plan Foundation takes seriously its mission to promote healthy lifestyles and the delivery of quality healthcare in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with a focus on improving the lives of people age 60 and older. Login to see complete story
12/08/2009 1:49 PM

(GRANTS) Walmart Gearing Up for New Grants in February One of the foundation's key priorities is Health & Wellness. Through this priority, the foundation aims to (1) improve access to healthcare, (2) reduce healthcare disparities and (3) promote healthy lifestyles. Examples include food distribution programs (such as Meals on Wheels), immunization clinics, health education organizations and personal health record technology. Login to see complete story
12/09/2009 4:47 PM

Healthcare Reform

(SENATE) Web-based Resources Available on Medicare Buy-In for Older Adults Managers of agencies and organizations providing services to older adults may be hearing from clients who are suddenly asking a lot of questions about a Medicare-related legislative proposal now being debated in the Senate -- one that would allow people 55- to 65-years old to buy in to Medicare. The Commonwealth Fund has created a Web-based resource page of research on this very topic. Login to see complete story
12/10/2009 2:52 PM

Medicare/Medicaid

(APPEALS) CMS Revises Medicare Appeal Procedures The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revises its regulations, and lays out a final rule, for its Medicare appeals process, which allows beneficiaries and, under certain circumstances, providers and suppliers of healthcare services to appeal adverse determinations regarding claims for benefits under Medicare Part A and Part B. Login to see complete story
12/09/2009 11:42 AM

(HIV/AIDS) Medicare to Cover HIV Screening Effective immediately, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expands its list of covered services to include voluntary HIV screening services for Medicare beneficiaries who are at increased risk for the infection, including women who are pregnant as well as Medicare beneficiaries of any age who voluntarily request the service. Login to see complete story
12/09/2009 11:39 AM

Nursing Homes

(MEDICAID) Payment Gap Between Seniors' Actual Care Cost and Provider Reimbursement Most Problematic in 10 States The study finds seniors in 10 states -- New York, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, California and Wisconsin -- will bear the brunt of the underfunding burden at a time when they and many other states are already suffering from rising pressure on state Medicaid budgets. Login to see complete story
12/10/2009 3:26 PM

Research and Reports

(CAREGIVING) Report Details Prevalence, Implications, Caregiving Costs, Demographics of Caregivers Caregiving is still mostly a woman's job, and many women are putting their careers and financial futures on hold as they juggle part-time caregiving and full-time job requirements. This is the reality reported in Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, the most comprehensive examination to date of caregiving in America. Login to see complete story
12/08/2009 10:14 AM

Retirement

(RETIREE BENEFITS) Advocates Rail Against Elimination of Rx Drug Subsidy Since the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, 28% of retiree drug plans have been subsidized by the federal government. By removing the subsidy to lower the cost of healthcare reform, lawmakers erroneously estimated revenue which will never materialize because of the resulting increase in the cost of the Medicare Part D program to cover retirees who will be bumped from their employer-sponsored plans, retiree advocates say. Login to see complete story
12/11/2009 11:57 AM

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