I am pleased to inform you that following your many calls and final action by Congress last night, the President [Obama] has signed legislation postponing the 21.2% Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut retroactive to April 1 through May 31. The Senate voted 59-38 to pass the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4851) after […]
Archive | Political | Legal
Federal Judge Invalidates A Gene Patent To The Surprise Of Many
A recent 3 part series discussed the pros/cons of the current medical patent system (Are Patents Impeding Medical Care and Innovation? Part 1, 2, 3). In Part 1, the practice of patenting natural cellular processes were called into question and whether this meant that the patent holder (i.e., often a company) then owned parts of […]
Medicare 21 Percent Physician Payment Cut To Go Into Effect On April 15
“Because of Congress’s inability to find answers to the ongoing Medicare physician payment dilemma, physicians across the country are unable to accept and treat new Medicare patients,” Joseph W. Stubbs, MD, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) declared today as he considered the impending effects of the cut to the Sustainable Growth […]
Survey Shows Healthcare Reform Important Even To Those Who Want The New Law Repealed
Fifty-eight percent of Americans (96 percent of Republicans, 10 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Independents) support repealing the health care reform legislation that was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March, according to a new national survey conducted April 6 – 10 by researchers from Indiana University’s Center for Health Policy […]
Senate Moves Forward On Temporary Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Measure
The Senate returned from recess on April 12 and voted 60-34 to end debate (invoke cloture) and move forward with consideration of the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4851). The bill includes a provision that would postpone the 21.2% Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut, which took effect on April 1, retroactively through April […]
Delayed Retirement Among Americans May Bolster Future Of Social Security And Medicare
An unprecedented upturn in the number of older Americans who delay retirement is likely to continue and even accelerate over the next two decades, a trend that should help ease the financial challenges facing both Social Security and Medicare, according to a new RAND Corporation study. (read the full story)
Are Patents Impeding Medical Care and Innovation? (Part 3)
Part 3 brings about the final perspective on this hopefully interesting series. Obrinski, Logan, and N-Maranid discuss how, in their opinion, medical patents skew biomedical research toward problems of the rich world. Readers are encouraged to first read Part 1 and Part 2 to gain a more complete understanding of the issues that surround medical […]
Are Patents Impeding Medical Care and Innovation? (Part 2)
Part 2 continues along with a new viewpoint from Warren Kaplan on the benefits and drawbacks of medical patents, as well as a brief discussion about the bewildering practice of gene patents. Although Part 2 can be considered a standalone story, readers may also want to first peruse Part 1 which provides an introductory discussion […]
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