Thompson wants to be 2008's outsider - USATODAY.com

Thompson wants to be 2008's outsider - USATODAY.com: "Politician-turned-actor Fred Thompson has been coy with audiences as he flirts with a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. In an interview with USA TODAY, however, the former Tennessee senator not only makes it clear that he plans to run, he describes how he aims to do it. He's planning a campaign that will use blogs, video posts and other Internet innovations to reach voters repelled by politics-as-usual in both parties."

Fiscal fears recede in poll - sacbee.com

Fiscal fears recede in poll - sacbee.com: "Californians are feeling better about the state's fiscal health than they did three years ago, but that might be because they know little or nothing about how the state is handling their money, according to a survey released Wednesday."

Ads prod Capitol on health care plans - sacbee.com

Ads prod Capitol on health care plans - sacbee.com: "The debate over health care change in California has entered the campaign phase with major players in the state's nearly $200 billion industry advertising on television, radio and newspapers to protect their turf."

Over Cigars, Schwarzenegger, Speaker Build Unlikely Bond - WSJ.com

Over Cigars, Schwarzenegger, Speaker Build Unlikely Bond - WSJ.com: "How Núñez Helped Drive
Governor's Left Turn"

FDA Head Defends Working With Companies - Forbes.com

FDA Head Defends Working With Companies - Forbes.com: "The head of the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday deflected criticism of his agency's coziness with industry and defended a recent decision not to require new warning labels on a GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug that may substantially raise the risk of heart attack."

Clinton Secures Endorsement of the Mayor of Los Angeles - New York Times

Clinton Secures Endorsement of the Mayor of Los Angeles - New York Times: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton have delivered another one-two punch that reflects their combined political power: corralling the endorsement of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, one of the most powerful Democrats in California and among the most influential Hispanics in the nation."

Obama outlines healthcare plan - Los Angeles Times

Obama outlines healthcare plan - Los Angeles Times: "Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday offered an ambitious plan to curb healthcare costs and expand insurance coverage, in the latest example of Democratic presidential candidates honing strategies to achieve coverage for all."

Critical Care Without Consent - washingtonpost.com

Critical Care Without Consent - washingtonpost.com: "The federal government is undertaking the most ambitious set of studies ever mounted under a controversial arrangement that allows researchers to conduct some kinds of medical experiments without first getting patients' permission."

Workers' comp rate reduction pushed - Los Angeles Times

Workers' comp rate reduction pushed - Los Angeles Times: "California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner recommended Tuesday that insurers slash the rates they charge businesses for workers' compensation coverage by 14.2%, topping the 8% cut proposed by the largest insurer."

Congress to consider "Health Courts"

Congress to consider "Health Courts": "The Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act would give 10 states grants to establish special health courts devoted specifically to resolving medical malpractice claims. Instead of jury trials in regular court, malpractice cases would be heard by medical experts in a setting similar to small-claims court. "

Doctors' list puts a price on care - Los Angeles Times

Doctors' list puts a price on care - Los Angeles Times: "California's largest private physician practice has become one of the first doctor groups in the nation, and almost certainly the largest, to make prices for its medical procedures widely available to consumers."

Congress Approves Minimum Wage Hike - washingtonpost.com

Congress Approves Minimum Wage Hike - washingtonpost.com: "With little fanfare, Congress yesterday approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in nearly a decade, voting to boost wages for America's lowest-paid workers from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years."

Politics not his game, Gore says - Los Angeles Times

Politics not his game, Gore says - Los Angeles Times: "Like an actor polished by constant interviews on a marathon movie junket, vice president turned Hollywood darling Al Gore has mastered the art of (not) answering the most obvious question: Is he running for president in 2008?"

House tightens rules for lobbyists - Los Angeles Times

House tightens rules for lobbyists - Los Angeles Times: "The House approved an overhaul of lobbying rules Thursday aimed at reining in the influence of special interests and fulfilling a Democratic campaign pledge to 'drain the swamp' of scandals. The measure would require lobbyists to disclose campaign contributions that they raise from clients, friends and relatives — a priority of government watchdogs who want to illuminate the shadowy world of Washington's lobbyists. "

ContraCostaTimes.com - Blue Cross ad upsets governor

Blue Cross ad upsets CA governor: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing in Sunnyvale on Thursday with dozens of high-tech executives, accused the state's largest health insurance company of trying to scare people about his effort to overhaul the state's health care system. The Republican governor's comments came the same day that Blue Cross of California launched a $2 million ad campaign comparing the debate in Sacramento over health care to the electricity deregulation debacle that wracked the state six years ago."

Blue Cross funding campaign against CA governor's health reform

Blue Cross funding campaign against CA governor's health reform: "California's largest health insurer has set aside $2 million for what is likely to be a deep-pocketed campaign to undermine the health care reforms being pushed by Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "

TheHill.com - Clinton lays out healthcare plan

TheHill.com - Clinton lays out healthcare plan: "Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) took aim at the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries in a major policy speech Thursday and outlined a plan she claimed would cut healthcare spending by $120 billion a year. "

Clinton Camp Resists Aide’s Advice to Skip Iowa - New York Times

Clinton Camp Resists Aide’s Advice to Skip Iowa - New York Times: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign has considered — and rejected — a plan to stop competing in Iowa, the traditional kickoff state in the nominating process, and to concentrate instead on later states, including the 20 or so that are slated to vote on a single day in early February."

CMS to publish hospital survival rates - USATODAY.com

CMS to publish hospital survival rates - USATODAY.com: "The CMS is on track to post the first broad comparison of death rates for heart attack and heart failure on its Web site this June. An exclusive USA TODAY analysis shows that just 17 of 4,477 hospitals had heart attack death rates that were better than the national rate."

TheHill.com - FDA faces more scrutiny amid new warnings on diabetes drug

TheHill.com - FDA faces more scrutiny amid new warnings on diabetes drug: "Troubling questions about the safety of a widely used diabetes medication have given more ammunition to Democrats seeking tougher drug-safety legislation."

Democratic Leaders Find House Ethics Bill a Tough Sell - washingtonpost.com

Democratic Leaders Find House Ethics Bill a Tough Sell - washingtonpost.com: "After scrapping most key elements of an ethics package meant to deliver on Democratic promises to bring unprecedented accountability to Congress, party leaders were still working into the night yesterday to sell their stripped-down bill to the rank and file."

'Job killer' bill battle rages anew after CA Governor promises vetos - sacbee.com

'Job killer' bill battle rages anew after CA Governor promises vetos - sacbee.com: "The 25 bills [identified by the CA Chamber of Commerce] include the Democratic leadership's two health care bills that would be financed with taxes on employers, rollbacks in the workers' compensation reforms that Schwarzenegger pushed through the Legislature three years ago, new environmental regulations, and new development restrictions."

Governor warns of problems in Democrats' health care ideas - sacbee.com

CA Governor warns of problems in Democrats' health care ideas - sacbee.com: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned business leaders Tuesday that Democratic-backed alternatives to his health care plan contain more burdensome requirements than his own controversial payroll fee."

New Mexico Gov. Richardson officially enters presidential race - Los Angeles Times

New Mexico Gov. Richardson officially enters presidential race - Los Angeles Times: "The former congressman and diplomat announces his bid to be the first Latino U.S. president."

Glaxo Gets Googled, Avandia Data Pops Up - WSJ Health Blog

Glaxo Gets Googled, Avandia Data Pops Up - WSJ Health Blog: "Three years ago, GlaxoSmithKline created an online registry to publish basic information about all of its clinical trials. The company had been criticized for publishing favorable results for its antidepressant Paxil, while burying negative data on the drug. Glaxo agreed to start the registry so that doctors and the public could keep tabs on all studies, as part of a legal settlement. One of the doctors who tapped the Glaxo database was Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist. The Glaxo registry turned out to be a key source of information for his New England Journal of Medicine paper that suggested Glaxo’s diabetes blockbuster Avandia increases the risk of heart attacks. Glaxo defended the drug and questioned his findings, but the study sent the company’s stock plunging, prompted the FDA to issue a safety alert and led federal lawmakers to call for a hearing."

Doctors, lawyers support N.C. medical malpractice bill

Doctors, lawyers support N.C. medical malpractice bill: "In a turnaround from previous years, both doctors and lawyers are supporting a bill that would cap monetary damages at $1 million in some medical malpractice cases. Both the North Carolina Medical Society and the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers support a bill, set for House debate Monday night, that caps monetary damages in negligence cases at $1 million, but only for those who agree to go to binding arbitration."

Al Gore, uncensored, in 'The Assault on Reason' - Los Angeles Times

Al Gore, uncensored, in 'The Assault on Reason' - Los Angeles Times: "WHY do our leaders feel that they can speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth only after they have left politics? After spending nearly half his life in public office, from which he was separated involuntarily in the 2000 election, Al Gore knows the answer. As he explains in his new book, the American political system has degenerated into a rigged game that suppresses honesty and rewards deception."

Doctors, Legislators Resist Drugmakers' Prying Eyes - washingtonpost.com

Doctors, Legislators Resist Drugmakers' Prying Eyes - washingtonpost.com: Many doctors and more than a dozen states have expressed concern over drugmaker efforts to track which medicines doctors prescribe and in what quantities. Critics say the purpose is to influence doctors to prescribe more expensive medicines, but the industry says it is just a method of informing physicians about new drugs.

Industry for CT, MRI services could get boost from Congress - May. 21, 2007

Industry for CT, MRI services could get boost from Congress - CNN: "Medical imaging and diagnostics - the high-tech art of peering inside the body to detect disease without invasive surgery - is a fast-growing business that could accelerate in step with the aging population, experts say. But much of the $60 billion industry's success depends on a bill that is currently moving through Congress. Diagnostics companies . . . are hoping that the bill will lift current restrictions that are holding back profitability and making it difficult for patients to access the potentially life-saving technology."

CA Democrats want a different prescription in year of health reform

CA Democrats want a different prescription in year of health reform: "Ambitious plan tests governor's pledge for universal care by upping the costs on small businesses and dropping fees on doctors, hospitals."

ContraCostaTimes.com - Perata seeks overhaul of fiscal system

CA Sen. Perata seeks overhaul of fiscal system: "Analysts agree with bid to fix budget strategy that requires more spending while trimming a flawed revenue-gathering process"

The Best Bets in Bionic Investing

The Best Bets in Bionic Investing: "One trend investors might like to focus on: companies that cater to the health needs of aging baby boomers. Within health care, one subsector well-positioned to gain from this particular population is health-care equipment, which includes companies that produce everything from cardiac devices to artificial joints. "

Capitol Weekly: Calderon, Correa dumped from Approps

Capitol Weekly: Calderon, Correa dumped from Approps: "Two centrist Democrats have been removed from the Senate Appropriations committee, and replaced with two more reliable Democratic votes. The move comes just days after Correa and Calderon voted against a bill by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, that would have created new civil and criminal penalties for hospitals that discharge homeless patients without their consent."

U.S. House Bill Introduced to Fund Comparative Effectiveness Research

U.S. House Bill Introduced to Fund Comparative Effectiveness Research - UPI: "House lawmakers Tuesday unveiled a $3 billion bipartisan plan to fund medical comparative effectiveness research.
A bill co-sponsored by Reps. Tom Allen, D-Maine, and Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., would give the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality additional funding to compare the effectiveness and cost of the treatments available for a particular condition. "

TheHill.com - CMS nominee expected to stay the course on Medicare agenda

TheHill.com - CMS nominee expected to stay the course on Medicare agenda: "Healthcare industry groups are not expecting Weems to unveil large initiatives but instead to carry out the implementation and management of Bush administration priorities already under way. Healthcare industry groups are not expecting Weems to unveil large initiatives but instead to carry out the implementation and management of Bush administration priorities already under way. "

TheHill.com - Lobbying bill could trigger Hill firestorm

TheHill.com - Lobbying bill could trigger Hill firestorm: "The new lobbying reform bill could force grassroots organizations such as the Sierra Club, the National Rifle Association and NARAL Pro-Choice America to disclose large portions of their donor lists, threatening to set of a firestorm on the Hill. "

Wealth Is a Common Factor Among 2008 Hopefuls - New York Times

Wealth Is a Common Factor Among 2008 Hopefuls - New York Times: "Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Edwards reported their assets in personal financial disclosure forms released Wednesday by the Federal Election Commission. Federal election laws require all the presidential candidates to file the forms. Together, they offer a glimpse of the general affluence of all the primary candidates and the truly extreme wealth of a few."

In Bid for Better Care, Surgery With a Warranty - New York Times

In Bid for Better Care, Surgery With a Warranty - New York Times: "Geisinger Health System [now] . . . guarantees its workmanship, charging a flat fee that includes 90 days of follow-up treatment. Even if a patient suffers complications or has to come back to the hospital, Geisinger promises not to send the insurer another bill. "

McCain: Physically fit to serve as president? - Los Angeles Times

McCain: Physically fit to serve as president? - Los Angeles Times: "A host of health issues could be a liability for the 70-year-old Arizona Republican."

Republicans jab each other in the South Carolina debate. - By John Dickerson - Slate Magazine

Republicans jab each other in the South Carolina debate. - By John Dickerson - Slate Magazine: "One of the winners of the second Republican debate was Fox News Channel. The network hosted the most interesting and innovative debate so far in this election season. Moderators asked probing questions of the 10 candidates and pressed those who ducked them. On some issues, this produced genuine moments of drama. "

Democrats prescribe bigger health levy - Los Angeles Times

Democrats prescribe bigger health levy - Los Angeles Times: "Escalating the already tense fight about what financial burden businesses should bear, the Democrats who control the Legislature proposed Tuesday that most California employers be required to spend the equivalent of at least 7.5% of their payrolls on healthcare — nearly twice the amount Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed."

U.S. Health Care Deemed 'Dysfunctional' - washingtonpost.com

U.S. Health Care Deemed 'Dysfunctional' - washingtonpost.com: "The U.S. health care system is 'a dysfunctional mess' and politicians who insist otherwise look ignorant, according to a medical journal essay by a prominent ethicist at the National Institutes of Health. President Bush frequently has said Americans have the world's best health care system, but Emanuel stopped short of calling Bush clueless in his essay and during an interview with The Associated Press. 'I work for the federal government. You can't possibly get me to make that statement,' Emanuel said in the interview."

CQ HealthBeat News - Stark to Seek Wide Range of Medicare Cuts

CQ HealthBeat News - Stark to Seek Wide Range of Medicare Cuts: "House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark will intensify efforts this week to lay the groundwork for Medicare cuts likely to target many sectors in health care. The California Democrat has already clarified that he will try to trim payments to Medicare Advantage plans, but this week he’ll begin turning more of his attention to Medicare payments to hospitals, home health agencies and skilled nursing facilities."

Democrats Under Scrutiny As They Shape Lobbying Bill - washingtonpost.com

Democrats Under Scrutiny As They Shape Lobbying Bill - washingtonpost.com: "House Democratic leaders yesterday discussed key elements of a long-awaited lobbying reform bill, which has been seen as a signal test of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's pledge to bring unprecedented transparency to the Democratic-led institution."

Gingrich Steps Near to Decision on ’08 - New York Times

Gingrich Steps Near to Decision on ’08 - New York Times: " Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, said Monday that there was a good chance he would enter the race for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, but that he would not decide until after September."

19 file for Millender-McDonald seat - Los Angeles Times

19 file for Millender-McDonald seat - Los Angeles Times: "State Sen. Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach), Assemblywoman Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) and Valerie McDonald, Millender-McDonald's daughter, are considered the front-runners in the race to represent the district that encompasses Compton, Carson, much of Long Beach and parts of South L.A."

Governor asks for cuts as state deficit looms - Los Angeles Times

Governor asks for cuts as state deficit looms - Los Angeles Times: "Facing a spring revenue slump for the first time in his tenure, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday proposed filling the gap by selling major state assets and renewing calls for large cuts in programs for the poor, the elderly and public transit. The governor, who presented a $145.8-billion revised budget to lawmakers, said the moves were necessary to tame a projected deficit that had grown by $1.6 billion since January."

U.S. healthcare expensive, inefficient: report: Scientific American

U.S. healthcare expensive, inefficient: report: Scientific American: "Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the most compared to five other rich countries, according to a report released on Tuesday."

TheHill.com - Clinton reaches out to voters with text messages

TheHill.com - Clinton reaches out to voters with text messages: "Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is trying to conquer a campaigning frontier, reaching out to voters via text message. Soon, her supporters will be able to receive messages such as, “OMG, Hillary 4 president is so cool ;)” on their cell phones. "

San Jose Mercury News - Tax windfall spares Schwarzenegger from drawn-out budget battle

San Jose Mercury News - Tax windfall spares Schwarzenegger from drawn-out budget battle: "Just as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's run of financial good fortune seemed to be on the wane, billions of extra dollars unexpectedly flowed into state coffers last month, probably sparing him a protracted budget battle with Democrats that threatened to sidetrack his sweeping agenda this year."

Some doctors don't like this Medi-Cal prescription - Los Angeles Times

Some doctors don't like this Medi-Cal prescription - Los Angeles Times: "Schwarzenegger's plan would tap physicians to help pay for universal healthcare. The issue has left the medical profession increasingly divided."

Cong. Daily - Fee for Service & User Fees Subjects of House Hearings

Cong. Daily - Fee for Service & User Fees Subjects of House Hearings - House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Fortney (Pete) Stark, D-Calif., plans for his panel to take a close look at the accuracy of Medicare payments and possible legislative and regulatory changes in some Medicare fee-for-service payments. Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., will lead a hearing Tuesday on Medicare's low-income subsidy program for prescription drugs, and a hearing Wednesday on reauthorizing the medical device user fee program at FDA. Wednesday's hearing will include testimony from top FDA device officials, consumer advocates and device manufacturers. The Senate passed its own version of the FDA reauthorization bill last week.

CQ HealthBeat News - Medicare May Begin Contacting Inefficient Doctors in Mid-2008

CQ HealthBeat News - Medicare May Begin Contacting Inefficient Doctors in Mid-2008: "The Medicare program has the data and the computer capacity to identify individual doctors who are inefficient compared with their peers and may begin contacting them as soon as mid-2008 to goad them to become more efficient, a top federal official testified Thursday."

TheHill.com - Healthcare funding put on hold amid wrangling over Iraq bill

TheHill.com - Healthcare funding put on hold amid wrangling over Iraq bill: "As congressional Democrats and the White House wrestle over the funding and conduct of the Iraq war, state governors and low-income children could be left in the lurch waiting for money to maintain a popular healthcare program."

Poll: Congress, Bush Share Low Approval - Los Angeles Times

Poll: Congress, Bush Share Low Approval - Los Angeles Times: "People think the Democratic-led Congress is doing just as dreary a job as President Bush, following four months of bitter political standoffs that have seen little progress on Iraq and a host of domestic issues."

Stanford, Davis fight drug-firm influence / 2 schools among best at having codes of conduct

Stanford, Davis fight drug-firm influence / 2 schools among best at having codes of conduct: "A new survey lists Stanford University Medical School and UC Davis School of Medicine among five U.S. medical schools with the strictest rules against drug-company attempts to influence doctors and medical students -- including bans on freebies such as meals and pens emblazoned with brand-name logos. "

TheHill.com - Medicare nominee is unknown to many on nervous K Street

TheHill.com - Medicare nominee is unknown to many on nervous K Street: "Even though he has been at the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) for 24 years, Kerry Weems is a stranger to much of K Street, which makes some healthcare lobbyists anxious about his nomination to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)."

Health Blog : An Insider's Guide to Senate Drug Safety Bill

Health Blog : An Insider's Guide to Senate Drug Safety Bill: "Sponsors of the bill said they intend to add language that would create a pathway for generic biotech drugs to come market. But the bill could ultimately bring other changes as well — more than a dozen amendments were quietly added to the measure. Some are related to drugs. Others, not so much: The “Domestic Turtle Market Access Act,” courtesy of Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu, says the FDA should “allow the sale of turtles less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter as pets, as long as the sellers are required to use proven methods to treat these turtles for salmonella.”"

Senate Approves New Power for F.D.A. on Drugs - New York Times

Senate Approves New Power for F.D.A. on Drugs - New York Times: "By a vote of 93 to 1, the Senate passed a bill this afternoon that gives the Food and Drug Administration sweeping new power to police drug safety, order changes in drug labels, regulate advertising and restrict the use and distribution of medicines found to pose serious risks to consumers."

Politics - Governor may deepen budget cuts - sacbee.com

Politics - Governor may deepen budget cuts - sacbee.com: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is likely to call for state spending cuts beyond those he proposed in January when he presents a revised budget to the Legislature next week, administration officials said Tuesday."

Angioplasty favored over drug treatment - Los Angeles Times

Angioplasty favored over drug treatment - Los Angeles Times: "Angioplasty is significantly better than intensive drug treatment for patients who have had a heart attack and still have partially blocked arteries that impair blood flow to the heart but do not cause symptoms, Swiss researchers reported today."

Poll: Clinton rebounds over Obama - USATODAY.com

Poll: Clinton rebounds over Obama - USATODAY.com: "New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has rebounded to a 15 percentage-point lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken after the candidates' first debate. Among Republicans, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani maintained a 14-point lead over Arizona Sen. John McCain. "

TheHill.com - Leahy calls motorcades ‘out of control’

TheHill.com - Leahy calls motorcades ‘out of control’: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday arrived late at a panel hearing on the Real ID Act and blamed his tardiness on a traffic jam caused by a massive motorcade. Before starting the hearing, Leahy took some time to criticize the prevalence and size of motorcades in Washington, saying, “Somewhere we’ve gotten out of control.” “I recall when I was a law student here at Georgetown, one time up in the Capitol I got on an elevator and stopped because there was then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson and one agent with him,” Leahy said. “He said, ‘Boy, are you getting on or off?’ I said I was getting on, Mr. Vice President. He grabbed me by the belt and pulled me on. He said, ‘Well, get on.’”"

Federal probe: Implant makers bought doctors- NJ.com

Federal probe: Implant makers bought doctors- NJ.com: ". . . Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have been building a case that the nation's largest makers of artificial hips and knees [DePuy, Striker, Zimmer, Smith & Nephew] defrauded the government and taxpayers by paying surgeons to use and promote their products, according to sources close to the probe. The evidence includes statements from prominent doctors around the country who allegedly accepted lavish vacations, gifts and "consulting fees" as high as $200,000 a year from the implant makers for little or no work, said four attorneys who have been briefed on aspects of the case."

Senate Blocks Bid to Allow Drug Imports - washingtonpost.com

Senate Blocks Bid to Allow Drug Imports - washingtonpost.com: "In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices. On a 49-40 vote, the Senate required the administration to certify the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs before they can be imported, a requirement that officials have said they cannot meet."

Fix health care? Mayo's on the case

Fix health care? Mayo's on the case: "The renowned Minnesota clinic is pushing a radical prescription for the ailing system: Pay more to providers who keep people healthiest in the long run. Quit rewarding those who don't."

Thompson's Politics Much Like McCain's - washingtonpost.com

Thompson's Politics Much Like McCain's - washingtonpost.com: "Fred Thompson fervently backed the Iraq war, railed against an expanding federal government, took stands that occasionally annoyed his party and rarely spoke about his views on social issues during his tenure as a senator from Tennessee or in his writings and speeches since leaving office. In short, the man some in the GOP are touting as a dream candidate has often sounded like the presidential hopeful many of them seem ready to dismiss: Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)."

Senate weighs drug imports amid veto threat - washingtonpost.com

Senate weighs drug imports amid veto threat - washingtonpost.com: "U.S. senators will return to an FDA reauthorization bill [that includes MDUFMA] on Monday and consider a drug importation measure that the pharmaceutical industry opposes and the White House has threatened to veto. Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican and the bill's co-author, said Senate deliberations may continue through next Thursday."

FT.com / World - Universities drive biotech advancement

FT.com / World - Universities drive biotech advancement: "Universities and public research institutes, rather than companies, are driving advances in biotechnology, according to a worldwide patent analysis released on Monday at the Bio conference in Boston. However, there is a global disparity in academic patenting activity, with the US and Japan well ahead of Europe."

Healthcare reform's unlikely ally: big business - Los Angeles Times

Healthcare reform's unlikely ally: big business - Los Angeles Times: "Abandoning the business lobby's traditional resistance to healthcare reform, a new coalition of 36 major companies plans to launch a political campaign today calling for medical insurance to be expanded to everyone along lines Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing for California."

State is sued over term limit ballot wording - Los Angeles Times

State is sued over term limit ballot wording - Los Angeles Times: "A lawyer for U.S. Term Limits, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., said Brown's office wrote an 'intentionally inaccurate and misleading' summary suggesting that the initiative would strengthen the 17-year-old term limits law."

Companies Shift More Donations To Democrats - WSJ.com

Companies Shift More Donations To Democrats - WSJ.com: "For the new Democratic bosses in the House, power has quickly translated into money, as many big companies have shifted more of their campaign contributions to the new congressional majority, and away from longtime Republican allies."

Reforming the F.D.A. - New York Times

Reforming the F.D.A. - New York Times: "The New York Times praises a Senate bill that would step up FDA oversight of postmarketing adverse drug effects but criticizes its dependency on user fees. The newspaper said in an editorial the FDA is becoming increasingly dependent on fees from the industries it regulates and urged reauthorizing the fees for just two years instead of five while it finds another solution."

Sen. Kerry: Government needs to share burden in health care costs - The Boston Globe

Sen. Kerry: Government needs to share burden in health care costs - The Boston Globe: "This week, Senator Kerry will introduce the Healthy Businesses, Healthy Workers Reinsurance Act, a bill that will make government a partner in helping businesses with the heavy financial burden of those catastrophic cases: those that use over $50,000 in a single year in healthcare costs.""

Survey: Medtech Companies Meeting Challenge of Ethics Standards

MX: Survey: Medtech Companies Meeting Challenge of Ethics Standards: "Results of a recent survey indicate that while medical device companies are making progress toward compliance with industry standards for sales and marketing ethics, they are also continuing to encounter challenges along the way."

In a Reversal, U.S. Says Medicare Won’t Cover Stents for Neck Arteries - New York Times

In a Reversal, U.S. Says Medicare Won’t Cover Stents for Neck Arteries - New York Times: "Responding to criticism from surgeons, the government has dropped its previously announced plans to expand Medicare coverage for the use of stents to prop open neck arteries to prevent strokes. . . . That is a far more conservative stance on stenting than has been taken by the Food and Drug Administration . . ."

AHA charges CMS rules changes will cost $25 billion

AHA charges CMS rules changes will cost $25 billion: "Changes in Medicare contained in a massive proposed federal rule will result in nearly $25 billion in reductions in hospital payments over five years, a national advocacy group is charging. "

RFID tracks hospital's devices

RFID tracks hospital's devices: "The system essentially automates the tracking and cataloging of almost all of the hospital's most expensive equipment. Experts say the system improves patient care, streamlines inventory, makes it easier to handle recalls and cuts costs. "

Income tax revenue rebounds - sacbee.com

Politics - Income tax revenue rebounds - sacbee.com: "State personal income tax revenues rebounded in April after falling behind expectations for the past several months, officials said Monday.
Before the April tax-filing season, revenues had been running about $1.6 billion below projections, possibly spelling trouble for this year's budget and for the $103 billion general-fund spending plan that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed in January."

Senate Takes Up Bill to Change Drug Agency Operations - New York Times

Senate Takes Up Bill to Change Drug Agency Operations - New York Times: "The Senate began debate on Monday on a bill that could fundamentally change the way the Food and Drug Administration operates by giving it more power and money to ensure that drugs are as safe as advertised. "