The Kaiser Family Foundation counts 21 provisions taking effect next year. See more here: The Health-Care Law Provisions Taking Effect in 2011  Read More →

Also: Medicaid awards for enrolling kids in public insurance; end-of-life discussions under Medicare; California posts nursing-home ratings. See the original post here:  A.M. Vitals: Consequences of Mental-Health Parity Law  Read More →

The story so far in Massachusetts: State implements near-universal health insurance coverage; costs rise sharply; state panel calls for replacing fee-for-service payments with fixed, per-patient payments. The latest development: Doctors’ and hospital... 

Paying doctors and hospitals for high-quality care, rather than for volume of care , is central to slowing the growth of health costs, lots of health wonks say. But figuring out how to do that is really tough. Latest example: A provision in the health-care... 

A year ago, eight companies, including several fierce rivals, announced plans for an unusual $100 million study to address a huge question plaguing the market for artery-opening devices called coronary stents: How long do patients need to take blood-thinning... 

If you think U.S. health-care spending is out of control today, just wait a decade. A View original post here: Report Paints Dark Picture of Health-Care Costs in 2019  Read More →

All of the drugs approved to treat multiple sclerosis are given by injection, which is less comfortable and less convenient than taking a pill. Novartis is one of several drug makers working on pills to treat the disease, and the company said today that... 

As expected, the Senate Finance Committee just rejected two amendments that would have created a new, government-backed health insurance plan to compete against private insurers. In other words, the public option. All of the panel’s Republicans... 

Here are a few of the stories on the health-care overhaul that caught our eye this morning: Abortion continues to play a role in the health care debate, the New York Times reports . The issue is dividing Dems, the article says. Some argue that the current... 

A story in this morning’s WSJ calls attention to a strange alignment of stars in the DC firmament: Democrats and many business leaders are calling for changes to the health-care system that Republicans largely oppose. “The status quo is a...