The News

nytimes.com — Congress returns to work with Medicare high on the agenda and Senate Republicans under pressure after a barrage of radio and television advertisements blamed them for a 10.6 percent cut in payments to doctors who care for millions of older Americans. The advertisements, by the American Medical Association, urge Senate Republicans to reverse themselves and help pass legislation to fend off the cut. Just before the recess, the House passed a bill to prevent the Medicare pay cut by a vote of 355 to 59. In the Senate, Republicans blocked efforts to take up the bill, so the cut took effect on July 1, as required by the formula. But the Bush administration has delayed processing of new claims to give Congress time to come up with a compromise.

Read Full Article »

ft.com — Since 2000, premiums have risen 91 percent on average, while wages have risen 24 percent, and there are now 47 milliion people — 16 per cent of the population — without insurance for all or part of the year. Just as worrisome is what' happening to the 25 million-strong "under-insured," whose plight is taking the health care crisis to the heart of the middle class. This category includes people who have insurance but are being hit by out-of-pocket medical expenses that consume a disproportionately large slice of their income. Their ranks have risen by a "startling" 60 percent in five years, according to the Commonwealth Fund, the health research foundation, as small employers, in particular, curtail coverage in the face of rising premiums.

Read Full Article »

usatoday.com — Swamped by debt and rising medical bills, elderly Americans have been seeking bankruptcy-court protection at sharply faster rates than other adults. From 1991 to 2007, the rate of personal bankruptcy filings among those ages 65 or older jumped by 150%, according to new research from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, released by AARP. The most startling rise occurred among those ages 75 to 84, whose rate soared 433%. The study did not address the specific reasons behind the trend. But experts say medical bills have played a major role in the debt that has forced many elderly Americans into bankruptcy proceedings.

Read Full Article »

ft.com — The number of U.S. adults underinsured for health care jumped by a "startling" 60 percent between 2003 and 2007, up from 16 million to more than 25 million, according to a new report by a leading health research foundation. Together with those who have no health insurance, or who go without health cover for part of the year, 75 million people, or 42 percent of the adult population, were either uninsured or underinsured last year, the Commonwealth Fund reported.

Read Full Article »

nytimes.com — Race and place of residence can have a staggering impact on the course and quality of the medical treatment a patient receives, according to new research. The study, by researchers at Dartmouth, examined Medicare claims for evidence of racial and geographic disparities and found that on a variety of quality indices, blacks typically were less likely to receive recommended care than whites within a given region. But the most striking disparities were found from place to place.

Read Full Article »

armytimes.com — In a revised request for supplemental war funding for fiscal 2009, defense officials have asked Congress to appropriate $3.69 billion for all fuels, a $2.2 billion increase over their initial request. According to Pentagon budget documents, the request would support a crude oil price of $97.19 per barrel — and also assumes that the military's overall fuel costs will drop by 4.8 percent. The current world price, however, is hovering around $120 per barrel, and many analysts think rising global demand and other factors will keep prices high.

Read Full Article »