Contraception Compromise?: The Obama administration is looking for possible compromises on a policy that requires most religious employers to offer health plans that cover the cost of contraception for their workers, the WSJ reports , citing people familiar with the discussions. One possible model: Hawaii, where employees of religious organizations can enroll in a lower-premium plan and pay the insurer directly for additional contraception coverage if they want it. Working on a Doc Fix: In an exercise that has become all-too-familiar, Congress is scrambling to figure out how to prevent a 27% cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians scheduled to go into effect next month, the New York Times reports . The problem, as always, is how to pay for the so-called “doc fix.” House Republicans are proposing to lower certain Medicare payments to hospitals, while Democrats and Republican Sen. Jon Kyl want to use funds saved from the reduced military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the NYT

says. Bleeding Risk: Merck said an experimental anticlotting drug, vorapaxar, reduced serious heart events in a trial but also produced a significant increase in bleeding, the WSJ reports . Results from the trial will be presented at a meeting in March, and the company said it will review the data to analyze its risks and benefits in certain subgroups of patients “and to determine next steps, including potential regulatory filings,” the paper says. Alzheimer’s Plans: The Obama administration is designating $130 million in extra funding for Alzheimer’s research over two years that, if approved, would significantly add to the NIH’s current $450 million annual budget for the disease, Kaiser Health News reports . About $26 million of the $80 million being requested in President Obama’s budget for fiscal 2013 would “support care and outreach to people with the disease and their caregivers,” KHN says. Image: iStockphoto

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A.M. Vitals: Room For Compromise on Contraception Coverage?