Blacks Shift To Obama, Poll Finds - washingtonpost.com

The opening stages of the campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination have produced a noticeable shift in sentiment among African American voters, who little more than a month ago heavily supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton but now favor the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama.

Lobbying law misses some K St. numbers

Scritics believe that the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the law that defines what activities a firm must report annually to Congress, hasn’t kept pace with the industry’s evolution. Firms now have public relations, strategic consulting, grassroots and federal marketing arms — all of which have the potential to influence public officials, but which often take place outside the public eye.

Feb. 5 national primary

Pressure from the leading presidential candidates has set the stage for a Feb. 5 national primary that will likely include 20 states, possibly more.

Medtronic unveils succession plan

Medtronic Inc. announced Wednesday the implementation of a succession plan developed by the board of directors over the past several years for its chief executive officer and chief operating officer positions.

Governor searches Congress for help

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made the rounds on Capitol Hill on Tuesday seeking help for his universal health care plan and lecturing Washington lawmakers about cooperating on immigration, infrastructure and other issues.

In their own words: What govs would tell feds

Stay out of my business” was the tart advice from Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D).

CA Senator to again push single-payer health plan

Undeterred and surrounded by union supporters and fellow liberal lawmakers, the leader of the single-payer movement, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, announced Tuesday that she's trying again. With Schwarzenegger still wielding a veto pen and pushing his own sweeping health reform plan, Kuehl is under no illusion about the likelihood of success this year.

Governor claims to have no post-term plans

Citing his movie and business experience, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday explained why he doesn't know what he will do at the end of his term in 2010 -- and why he likes it that way.

Monitoring Your Heart via the Internet - WSJ.com

Is American medicine ready for a device that's surgically implanted, costs thousands of dollars -- but delivers absolutely no therapy? That question will be on the table tomorrow when a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel considers whether the FDA should approve one of the first of a coming wave of implantable sensors now being developed. Specifically, the agency is set to review a diagnostic-only device called the Chronicle from Medtronic Inc. that would be used by very sick patients with heart failure, in hopes of keeping them out of the emergency room.

CryoCor Forecasts August Device Approval - Forbes.com

Medical device maker CryoCor Inc. said Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration cancelled an advisory panel meeting while it reviews additional information on the company's atrial flutter treatment.

Kodak's RFID Moment

The company recently filed a patent for a digestible radio frequency identification tag, which would monitor the ingestion of medicine, but Kodak won't divulge its commercial intentions.

Web gives patients negotiating power - Bargaining Down That CT Scan Is Suddenly Possible - New York Times

The average provider — doctors or hospitals — has between 5 and 100 reimbursement rates for the exact same procedure,” said Timothy Cahill, president of My Medical Control (mymedicalcontrol.com). “A hospital chain with multiple locations may have 150 rates for the same procedure. Consumers don’t know this.”

California Stem Cell Research Is Upheld by Appeals Court - New York Times

California’s stem cell research program is legal, a state appeals court ruled Monday in a decision that could hasten the day when the state’s $3 billion research effort can get fully under way.

Asians Flex Muscles in California Politics - New York Times

If you look back a decade or two ago, there was a considerable amount of talk about Latinos being the sleeping giant in politics, that they’d reached a certain level of potentially having impact,” said Paul Ong, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written about Asians’ growing influence in the state. “Asians are at that point.”

Romney Tries to Overcome Inconsistencies - New York Times

epublican Mitt Romney titled his book on how he saved the scandal-ridden 2002 Olympics ''Turnaround.'' Now, as he runs for president, he's trying to fight the perception that he's committed a few too many turnarounds.

US Business and Labor square off on bills

Business and labor lobbies square off this week over a House measure that would make it easier for workers to form unions, which have struggled for years with declining membership.

CA Nurses go to the airwaves to attack Schwarzenegger health plan

This week the nurses have launched a statewide radio and mail campaign that rips the governor's health care plan as a 'windfall for big insurance companies' that could also jeopardize health care benefits to millions of workers. The effort is set to coincide with Tuesday's reintroduction of state Sen. Sheila Kuehl's bill aimed at creating a single payer health care system in California -- a bill that the nurses strongly support.

Governors Seek More Money for Children's Insurance - washingtonpost.com

Governors from both parties appealed yesterday for the Bush administration and Congress to provide more money for a health-care program that insures millions of children.

Sharpton's Ancestor Was Owned by Thurmond's - washingtonpost.com

The Rev. Al Sharpton, the prominent civil rights activist, is descended from a slave owned by relatives of the late senator and one-time segregationist Strom Thurmond, a genealogical study released Sunday reported.

Expense forces longshot Vilsack out of presidential race - Los Angeles Times

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack abruptly quit the Democratic race for president today, citing the difficulty of waging a longshot campaign under a nominating system that has grown so heavily front-loaded and expensive.

As Candidate, Obama Carves Antiwar Stance - New York Times

Senator Barack Obama is running for president as one of the few candidates who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, a simple position unburdened by expressions of regret or decisions over whether to apologize for initially supporting the invasion.

Medtronic investors see no silver lining

Shares of Medtronic plunged this week immediately after the company reported third-quarter ICD sales came in at $711 million, off by 2 percent. Less impressive to investors, evidently, was that the company's earnings beat analyst expectations and surpassed results from the year-ago quarter.

CA Sen. Kuehl wants bigger revenues for state's stem-cell institute

A bill expected to be introduced as early as today would require companies doing business with California's $3 billion stem-cell institute to give the state a larger portion of their revenues than the institute has proposed. The bill by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles and Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, would require firms that make products based on the institute's stem-cell grants to pay the state up to 5 percent of the product's lifetime revenues.

Health care to top govs' meeting in D.C.

With proposals to provide health care to the uninsured sprouting in statehouses and President Bush trying to drum up support for his own plan to make insurance more affordable, health care is certain to dominate discussions at a meeting of the nation’s governors that opens in Washington, D.C., this weekend.

Health care costs likely to keep rising / One federal forecast says spending will nearly double by 2016

Several reports released this week put a spotlight on rapidly rising health care costs, suggesting they will keep climbing in the foreseeable future. That could be a signal that employers and consumers will see increases in health insurance rates, economists warn.

Clinton and Obama camps trade opening salvos

The presidential campaigns of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) traded shots Wednesday over remarks Obama-backer and media mogul David Geffen made regarding the Clintons. Geffen, quoted in a New York Times op-ed, took several swipes at Clinton, and her camp fired back in the direction of Obama. Geffen said Clinton would be the easiest Democrat to defeat in a general election, adding that while everyone lies in politics, the former first family does so with 'such ease.'

MA State eyes hospital infection reports - Local & Regional - BostonHerald.com

Patients may soon be able to shop for the safest hospitals thanks to a new $1 million public health plan that will make rates of deadly infections at Bay State medical centers readily available to the public for the first time.

FDA asserts need for more user fees

There should be no confusion about who FDA serves … It’s important to get drugs rapidly to market, but rapid does not mean reckless …We’re not focused on where our resources come from — only on what they allow us to do!” These assertions, taken from FDA commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach’s opening remarks at a public meeting to discuss reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA 4), betray a clear sensitivity to charges that the integrity of the regulatory process has been compromised by FDA’s increasing reliance on user fees provided by the regulated industry.

Romney Mounting an Early Presidential Ad Campaign - New York Times

Mitt Romney, who entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination last week, will run television advertisements in five states starting Wednesday, the latest sign of how quickly the 2008 campaign is moving.

Merck to Halt Lobbying for Vaccine for Girls - New York Times

Reacting to a furor from some parents, advocacy groups and public health experts, Merck said yesterday that it would stop lobbying state legislatures to require the use of its new cervical cancer vaccine.

Lawmakers bring aches, pains to debate - National Politics - BostonHerald.com

Most members of Congress are distant from the experience of earning minimum wage or having kids in a rundown school. But when it comes to health care, they bring their own aches and pains to the table.

Travel rules eased in new guidelines

The House and Senate have approved internal rules banning most lobbyist-funded travel for members and their staffs. But lobbyists can still underwrite one-day trips for lawmakers to visit a site, give a speech, attend a forum or sit on a panel.

Grassroots campaigns poised to gain by ethics rule changes

When Congress reeled in traditional lobbyists in January, it gave a boost to lobby firms and trade associations that specialize in swaying lawmakers by stirring public sentiment in their districts.

Congress Finds Ways to Avoid Lobbyist Limits - New York Times

Instead of picking up the lawmaker’s tab, lobbyists pay a political fund-raising committee set up by the lawmaker. In turn, the committee pays the legislator’s way.

McCain plays up his right side - Los Angeles Times

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has vowed that if elected he would appoint judges who 'strictly interpret the Constitution of the United States and do not legislate from the bench.'

In S.C., Sen. Clinton Targets Black Vote - washingtonpost.com

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York courted black voters, considered crucial to securing the Democratic presidential nomination, in a series of campaign stops in South Carolina on Monday in which she cast the 2008 election as a chance to make history.

Obama, in S.F., decries Bush policies

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, on his first Bay Area swing since announcing his bid for the presidency, said Monday that the nation's most vital division is ``between the American people and their government.''

CMS announces plans to publicly report physician performance

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced plans on Thursday for reporting physician performance to Medicare beneficiaries. CMS intends to make the public reports by combining Medicare data with data from private insurers.

Bernanke-Market forces could lower healthcare costs | News | Bonds News | Reuters

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday told lawmakers that increasing the influence of market forces could help lower healthcare costs. "I think markets could have a useful role to at least control costs," he told the House Financial Services Committee after testifying for a second day on the health of the economy.

CA Gov.'s plans stir up business rift - Los Angeles Times

Proposals on issues such as healthcare have executives at odds. Some election allies fear a switch of positions. As the 2007 Legislature dives into another session of lawmaking, business lobbyists are on alert. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is offering sweeping proposals on universal healthcare, global warming, transportation and prison construction this year, and some in the business community who last year embraced him during his election campaign now have their doubts.

MEDTRONIC DEFIBRILLATOR SUITS DOUBLE, RAISING RISKS

The number of heart patients suing Fridley-based Medtronic over faulty defibrillators almost doubled in the past two months, raising the company's risk of getting hit with damage awards.

As expected, Boston Sci workers get layoff slips

Several hundred employees at Boston Scientific Corporation's campus in Arden Hills received their layoff notices Thursday. The news wasn't unexpected. The Natick, Mass.-based medical technology company said in early January that it would lay off 500 to 600 people at its troubled cardiac rhythm management division, formerly Guidant Corp.

CA Drive seeks to revamp term limits - sacbee.com

An initiative drive launched Thursday would reduce the total years California lawmakers may serve but could let Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata remain in office long after they are scheduled to leave.

CA Senate panel warned on health plan's cost - sacbee.com

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have underestimated the cost of his health care overhaul by $150 million to more than $3 billion, the Legislature's nonpartisan budget adviser said Thursday.

No Joke, Al Franken Is Running for Senate - washingtonpost.com

Comedian Al Franken said yesterday that he will run for the Senate in Minnesota, giving Democrats the possibility of a celebrity candidate to face Sen. Norm Coleman, considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in 2008.

Giuliani Says He Is Running for President in ’08 - New York Times

Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday removed any lingering doubts that he was running for president, and, without mentioning President Bush by name, offered pointed criticism on how the Iraq war has been handled.

Reagan Library schedules GOP debate

Ten GOP presidential hopefuls, including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have been invited by former first lady Nancy Reagan to a May 3 presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

When legislation makes people giggle / Bid to ban spanking, incandescent bulbs gains national notice

When 'Saturday Night Live' wanted an opinion about a proposed bill in California that would outlaw spanking young children, the show turned to an actor playing a short-tempered, cigarette-smoking nanny whose child-rearing skills are summarized in her book, 'I Will Beat Yo Ass.'

CA Governor's health plan faces tough judge today - sacbee.com

Wielding the gavel at the Health Committee hearing will be a member of the Legislature who believes many of the governor's ideas won't work.

Senators question HHS chief about health IT issues (2/13/07) Government Executive

The head of the Health and Human Services Department was grilled Tuesday about the swelling medical costs to citizens.

Senators take health plan to Bush

A group of 10 senators - five Republicans and five Democrats - told President Bush on Tuesday that they have agreed on a blueprint for increasing health insurance coverage, and they would like to work with him on it.

Mitt Romney Joins 2008 Presidential Race - washingtonpost.com

With a call for 'innovation and transformation in Washington,' Mitt Romney formally stepped into the Republican presidential field on Tuesday morning, accelerating a race that is almost at full speed nearly a year before the nominating process starts.

Burdened by healthcare costs, US businesses seek a shift | csmonitor.com

The message comes from Wal-Mart, but it reflects a view that's increasingly common in corporate America: The US healthcare system needs to be fixed. Big business can help, but don't expect us to shoulder the whole burden.

States and U.S. at Odds on Aid for Uninsured - New York Times

In the absence of federal action, governors and state legislators around the country are transforming the nation’s health care system, putting affordable health insurance within reach of millions of Americans in hopes of reversing the steady rise in the number of uninsured, now close to 47 million.

Campaign for 2008 kicks off in Bay Area

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Tom Vilsack are all making the rounds over the next week. On Presidents' Day, next Monday, Obama, the Illinois senator, will make his first trip to the Bay Area since his weekend declaration that he's running. The following Friday, Clinton is scheduled for a private visit at Google.

McCain, Romney Vying for Support Of Conservatives - washingtonpost.com

McCain and Romney have significant hurdles to overcome if they are to win the support of conservative Christians, who by one estimate make up a quarter of the electorate and at least 40 percent of the Republican base.

Capitol goal: Top billing - sacbee.com

for many legislators, the battle to pass new laws isn't just about crafting public policy. It's about crafting public policy with their name on it.

Majority of Drug-Coated Stent Use Not Approved by FDA - Forbes.com

Majority of Drug-Coated Stent Use Not Approved by FDA - Forbes.com: "About 60 percent of the drug-coated stents that have become the center of intense controversy are being used in cases not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, studies show."

Politics - Núñez ready to rumble for revised term limits - sacbee.com

The Los Angeles Democrat is promoting a plan to alter term limits by allowing lawmakers to serve up to 12 years in the state Assembly or Senate, or a combination of both.

Doctors and Drug Makers: A Move to End Cozy Ties - New York Times

With a $6 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the organizations plan a national campaign calling for restrictions on the interactions between doctors and drug companies, and urging doctors to base their prescription writing more on medical evidence than on marketing.

China Detains Ex-Official in Inquiry on Fake Drugs - New York Times

High-level Chinese authorities ordered detention for the former head of the nation's State Food and Drug Administration, which is under investigation as part of a wider probe into corruption in the country's pharmaceutical industry. The government is investigating whether Zheng Xiaoyu, SFDA chief from 1998 to 2005, took bribes from Chinese drugmakers in exchange for approving manufacturing licenses.

Americans have adopted heart-healthier diets | Health | Reuters.com

Between 1980 and 2002, Americans ate more fruit and vegetables, total grain and whole grain, and less total fat, saturated fat and trans fats, and cholesterol. They also drank less alcohol, researchers report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

ADVAMED EXPRESSES SUPPORT OF FDA FUNDING INCREASES, CONCERN ABOUT MEDICARE CUTS

Medical device industry trade association AdvaMed's reaction to the President's budget proposal was mixed. AdvaMed President Steve Ubl said, "We are pleased that the President’s budget increases funding for the FDA . . . [but] are concerned, by the breadth and the depth of the Medicare cuts included in the budget. The Administration’s proposal to establish a competitive bidding program for diagnostic tests is particularly troubling."

Lasik Tests Shop-Around Health Plans - WSJ.com

According to a report from Health Affairs, a health policy journal, researchers found that despite heavy competition and mass marketing, healthcare comparison shopping is limited. It is difficult to obtain comparable prices, they said. In lieu of any standardized way to evaluate results, the majority of patients surveyed rely on word of mouth as an imperfect proxy for quality.

AtriCure gets FDA OK for ablation device

AtriCure said that the Food and Drug Administration granted marketing clearance to its Isolator Synergy bipolar ablation system for the ablation, or scarring, of soft tissue. AtriCure said the device is not cleared for use on heart tissue. The company expects to launch the device during the third quarter.

Patient, protect thyself - USATODAY.com

Hospitals around the country are taking steps to reduce medical mistakes. But with so much at stake, many experts say patients and their families also need to take a larger role in ensuring their safety in the hospital. The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals, has launched a program called Speak Up to encourage patients to follow Trumbull's example.

Edwards' stiff healthcare medicine: taxes - Los Angeles Times

Betting that voter concern over healthcare outweighs disdain for higher taxes, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday proposed repealing President Bush's tax cuts on high-income Americans to finance a universal healthcare plan.

As New ‘Cop on the Beat,’ Congressman Starts Patrol - New York Times

Representative Henry A. Waxman, the California Democrat who is the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is promising the sort of oversight that the Bush administration has not experienced before.