Medicare financial alarm sounded - Los Angeles Times

Medicare financial alarm sounded - Los Angeles Times: "Trustees warn that the program's mammoth hospitalization trust fund is projected to run a deficit in 2019."

House aide admits Abramoff bribes - Los Angeles Times

House aide admits Abramoff bribes - Los Angeles Times: "A former senior staffer on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the public by steering potential clients and inside government information to disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff in return for cash, gifts and the promise of a high-paying job."

AdvaMed 2007 Announces Medtech Business Partnering Program

AdvaMed 2007 Announces Medtech Business Partnering Program: "“The AdvaMed 2007 partnering program enables companies to profile their products and technologies, request one-on-one meetings with companies of their choice, and optimize business development opportunities during their conference stay in Washington,” said AdvaMed President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl. “We expect AdvaMed 2007 to serve as host for nearly 1,000 business development meetings over three days. It is clearly an efficient way to maximize and target business development efforts.”"

Steven Pearlstein - Hospitals Check Their Charts - washingtonpost.com

Hospitals Check Their Charts - washingtonpost.com: "The only way American health care is going to get better and more affordable is with a single-minded focus on protocols known to work. However imperfect they may be, hospital scorecards are crucial to making that happen, creating the competitive 'race to the top' that health reformers have dreamed of for decades."

TheHill.com - Obama closes the gap in national polls

TheHill.com - Obama closes the gap in national polls: "Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has harnessed a wave of positive fundraising press and parlayed it into a small but consistent surge in nationwide polls, creating what is looking more and more like a dual-frontrunner race for the Democratic nomination for president."

Edwards reimbursing his campaign for pricey haircuts - USATODAY.com

Edwards reimbursing his campaign for pricey haircuts - USATODAY.com: "Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards is trying to get out of a hairy situation, reimbursing his presidential campaign $800 for two visits with a Beverly Hills stylist. Two $400 cuts . . . showed up on Edwards' campaign spending reports filed this weekend. Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz said it never should have been there."

Republicans Block Medicare Drug Price Bill - washingtonpost.com

Republicans Block Medicare Drug Price Bill - washingtonpost.com: "Senate Republicans blocked legislation yesterday that would have allowed the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, denying Democrats a victory on their 2006 election vow to lower prescription costs for senior citizens."

G.O.P. All Ears as Ex-Senator Weighs Bid - New York Times

G.O.P. All Ears as Ex-Senator Weighs Bid - New York Times: "Former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee is not a declared presidential candidate, but he demonstrated his political star power Wednesday by drawing an audience of dozens of House Republicans searching for an alternative to their party’s current presidential field."

Lofgren opposes state commission for redistricting / She says that most colleagues favor a national standard

Lofgren opposes state commission for redistricting / She says that most colleagues favor a national standard: "The head of California's congressional delegation said Wednesday she and most of the state's representatives would oppose proposals being floated by state politicians and several interest groups to change the way legislative districts are drawn. "

Patently at Odds - washingtonpost.com

Patently at Odds - washingtonpost.com: "Sponsors in both the House and Senate plan to unveil patent reform bills today, according to congressional officials. The measures would address the mounting litigation over disputed patents -- lawsuits have doubled in the past decade -- and the difficulty of ensuring accurate decisions by patent agency examiners."

TheHill.com - Panel poised to OK medical-device regulations

TheHill.com - Panel poised to OK medical-device regulations: "A Senate committee is set to advance sweeping legislation regulating medical-device approvals within days of the panel’s receiving the government-industry joint proposal that forms the basis of the bill. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlined its agreement with the medical-device industry to the panel late Friday, weeks after it originally was expected and five days before the panel was scheduled to mark up a large prescription-drug and medical-device user-fee and safety measure."

Drug-Safety Bill Would Limit Direct-to-Consumer Advertising - WSJ.com

Drug-Safety Bill Would Limit Direct-to-Consumer Advertising - WSJ.com: "Pharmaceutical companies could be prohibited from advertising new drugs directly to consumers for the first two years they are on the market under a bill moving through Congress this week."

Two quit stem cell panel after dispute - sacbee.com

Business - Two quit stem cell panel after dispute - sacbee.com: "The president of California's stem cell agency and the chair of a key subcommittee have resigned, following a contentious meeting Friday over plans to issue hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for new lab space."

San Jose Mercury News - Assembly panel advances public funding of elections

San Jose Mercury News - Assembly panel advances public funding of elections: "As lobbyists shuffled in and out of the corridors of the state Capitol Tuesday, a bill to cut into their influence sailed through an Assembly hearing."

Bitter Pills - WSJ.com EDITORIAL

Bitter Pills - WSJ.com EDITORIAL: "The Senate is scheduled to vote today on legislation to allow the government to negotiate drug prices under the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill. Democrats and such liberal interest groups as AARP claim this would save money for seniors and taxpayers, but the more likely result is that seniors would find that fewer of their therapies are covered."

Presidential Election of 2008 - The Unsure Bet of the Heir Presumptive - New York Times

Presidential Election of 2008 - The Unsure Bet of the Heir Presumptive - New York Times: "After watching Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton take their hits, it seems fair to ask whether the era of the inevitable candidate has now passed, the victim of an increasingly chaotic campaign environment that defies management by even the most expert campaign. Indeed, the real question may be, why would any candidate even want to be viewed as inevitable today?"

TheHill.com - Act now on lobbying reform, watchdogs tell the House

TheHill.com - Act now on lobbying reform, watchdogs tell the House: "Growing nervous over possible further delay, ethics reform groups have stepped up their pressure on the House to introduce its companion piece to the Senate’s lobbying reform bill."

AdvaMed reacts to Medicare's proposed inpatient rule for FY2008

AdvaMed reacts to Medicare's proposed inpatient rule for FY2008: "The measured approach taken by CMS this year is good news for seniors and disabled Americans, but the final rule needs to address the long-standing problem of charge compression."

Medicare bill would require drug comparisons - Los Angeles Times

Medicare bill would require drug comparisons - Los Angeles Times: "The government would have to study the effectiveness of treatments and medications under legislation in the Senate."

Medical Device Firms to Pay More - Los Angeles Times

Medical Device Firms to Pay More - Los Angeles Times: "The medical device industry would pay 31 percent more in fees next year to defray the cost of having its products reviewed by the government, under a proposal released Monday."

San Jose Mercury News - California campaign finance advocate tries again with third bill

San Jose Mercury News - California campaign finance advocate tries again with third bill: "Hancock's efforts already have been thwarted twice, and that's not counting the separate campaign finance ballot measure that deep-pocketed opponents helped defeat five months ago. Undeterred, Hancock, a Democrat, is again pushing a bill, AB583, that would provide public dollars to candidates who refuse to accept private donations. "

Three legislative overhauls in single package - sacbee.com

Three legislative overhauls in single package - sacbee.com: "Voters could alter term limits, change how legislative districts are drawn and tighten political fundraising rules under one catch-all ballot measure proposed Monday."

G.O.P. Candidates Lay Into Democrats, Not One Another - New York Times

G.O.P. Candidates Lay Into Democrats, Not One Another - New York Times: "A parade of Republican White House candidates appealed for support from over 1,000 Iowa Republicans on Saturday, with two of their leading candidates — Senator John McCain and Rudolph W. Giuliani — assailing Democrats in Washington for pressing legislation that would set a timetable for bringing American troops back from Iraq."

Boston Scientific Resolves Heart-Rhythm Warning Letter - WSJ.com

Boston Scientific Resolves Heart-Rhythm Warning Letter - WSJ.com: "Medical-device company Boston Scientific Corp. said Monday that all restrictions associated with a Food and Drug Administration warning letter covering a company heart-rhythm device plant in Minnesota have been lifted, after the company fixed issues cited by the agency in late 2005."

Debate Builds Over Drug Companies' Fees to FDA - Yahoo! News

Debate Builds Over Drug Companies' Fees to FDA - Yahoo! News: "Opinions about PDUFA, which has to be renewed every five years and is set to expire Sept. 30, vary. They range from those who think the user fees make the FDA too cozy with the drug companies, leading to compromised drug safety, to those who believe the funds are essential to the FDA. Still others think that more of these funds should be spent on drug safety than is currently planned by the FDA."

DTC advertising for joint replacements concerns some

DTC ads for joint replacements concern some: "A study released at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' annual meeting in February found that 77 percent of surgeons had concerns about patients being confused or misinformed by ads."

CMS proposed rule to change Medicare device and hospital payments

CQ: CMS proposes rule to change Medicare device and hospital payments "On average, Medicare inpatient rates for hospital operating expenses would rise 3.3 percent in fiscal 2008 for hospitals that report data on quality of care to CMS. Altogether, the 3,500 acute care facilities subject to the proposal would receive an added $3.3 billion because of the increase. "

Next week on vacation

The "editors" (Barry) of this news service will be out on vacation next week (4/9-4/13), so there will be no news updates during that week. News monitoring will resume on Monday, 4/16.

CMS announces measures for P4P reporting amid industry concerns

CMS announces measures for P4P reporting amid industry concerns: "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released information this week on how doctors will be measured for quality performance under the voluntary 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The 74 measures include aspects of treatment and screening for Medicare patients with diabetes, heart disease, depression, stroke, glaucoma, cataracts, osteoporosis, melanoma, end stage renal disease, asthma and pneumonia. "

New Urgency in Debating Health Care - New York Times

New Urgency in Debating Health Care - New York Times: "Since Hillary Rodham Clinton’s effort to overhaul the nation’s medical system was rejected in 1994, most big employers have stayed out of the debate on health care reform. But with their medical costs ballooning, top executives of large companies are starting to speak up again — and many are calling for a national approach to fixing health care."

`Post-partisan' tone lifts rating of Schwarzenegger to three-year high

San Jose Mercury News - `Post-partisan' tone lifts rating of Schwarzenegger to three-year high: "Schwarzenegger's approval ratings hit a nearly three-year high in a Field Poll released Thursday, at 60 percent, a carry-over from his landslide re-election victory in November, experts said, and approval of the 'post-partisan' tone he first struck with his inaugural speech earlier this year."

Term limits change has initial support - sacbee.com

CA Term limits change has initial support - sacbee.com: "California voters at least initially support a plan to reduce overall legislative tenure by two years but to allow some termed-out lawmakers to retain power beyond 2008, including Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, according to a Field Poll released Thursday."

TheHill.com - Waxman requests e-mail from RNC servers

TheHill.com - Waxman requests e-mail from RNC servers: "House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) Wednesday requested e-mails from Republican National Committee servers that could help the panel in its investigation into whether administration officials used federal resources for political purposes. "

Politics - Field Poll: Bush's ratings hit Nixon-era depths - sacbee.com

Politics - Field Poll: Bush's ratings hit Nixon-era depths - sacbee.com: "President Bush's approval rating in California has sunk to a new low for his presidency and reached a depth not seen since President Nixon, largely due to voter dissatisfaction with the Iraq war, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday."

State leaders play, others pay - Los Angeles Times

State leaders play, others pay - Los Angeles Times: "Tax-exempt groups whose donors include big corporations with business before the state pick up the tab for lavish overseas travel."

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado Enters G.O.P. Presidential Race - New York Times

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado Enters G.O.P. Presidential Race - New York Times: "Representative Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who has challenged his party to take a stronger stance against illegal immigration, formally declared his presidential candidacy in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday."

McCain Revamps His Fund-Raising - New York Times

McCain Revamps His Fund-Raising - New York Times: "Lagging in fund-raising and under fire for his support of the Iraq war, Senator John McCain is overhauling his campaign finance operation and delaying the official announcement of his candidacy, his aides said Tuesday."

Obama's Total Rivals Clintons - New York Times Blog

Campaign Cash: Obama's Total Rivals Clintons - New York Times Blog: "Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign announced today that it had raised at least $25 million in the first quarter of the year, a tally that is tantalizingly close to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s fundraising in the same period."

A Panoply Of Polling Numbers

A Panoply Of Polling Numbers: "A panoply of public polls today, as it were. The new Field Poll shows Rudy Giuliani with a big lead in the California Republican presidential primary, 36% to 24% over John McCain, with big-time fundraiser and conservative candidate Mitt Romney way behind with only 7%."

U.S. Companies Race to Fill Quota of Coveted Technology Worker Visas - washingtonpost.com

U.S. Companies Race to Fill Quota of Coveted Technology Worker Visas - washingtonpost.com: "Immigration lawyers predicted that the quota of 65,000 professional visas, known as H-1B, would be claimed in just one day, reflecting increased demand. That would be the fastest the visas have ever been depleted. Last year, the supply lasted two months."

Romney is top GOP fundraiser - Los Angeles Times

Romney is top GOP fundraiser - Los Angeles Times: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney emerged as the Republican fundraising front-runner Monday, building a significant lead over Sen. John McCain, the choice of many Republican stalwarts."

CA Term limit measure could be confusing / How it's pitched will determine whether it passes, experts say

Term limit measure could be confusing / How it's pitched will determine whether it passes, experts say: "The success of an expected February 2008 ballot measure to change term limits will probably hinge on a key factor: whether California voters see it as a way to get legislators out of Sacramento sooner, a series of new polls shows. "

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson says he is running for president in 2008 - Los Angeles Times

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson says he is running for president in 2008 - Los Angeles Times: "Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson today joined the crowded field of Republicans running for the White House in 2008 and proclaimed himself the 'reliable conservative' in the race."

Clinton raises record campaign funds - Los Angeles Times

Clinton raises record campaign funds - Los Angeles Times: "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton raised $26 million in the first three months of the year, more than three times the amount raised by the most successful Democratic fund-raiser four years ago, her aides announced today"

Stent maker commits $40m to post-op kits - The Boston Globe

Stent maker commits $40m to post-op kits - The Boston Globe: "Boston Scientific Corp. plans to spend up to $40 million on a campaign to educate patients who receive the company's heart stents about the importance of sticking with the blood-thinning drugs they are prescribed after surgery."

Inquisitor Cong. Waxman has pit-bull reputation

Inquisitor Cong. Waxman has pit-bull reputation: "'I think I'm a nice guy,' Waxman said, flashing a disarmingly toothy grin. 'I'm not a scary guy, unless somebody has some reason to be frightened of Congress looking into what they are up to.' "

Politics - Family leave may expand - sacbee.com

CA Family leave may expand - sacbee.com: "Pending legislation would expand a 3-year-old, state-run program that provides temporary pay for bonding with a new child or caring for an ill parent, child, spouse or domestic partner."