Medtronic Dispute Shows Need for Device Registry - NYTimes.com

Medtronic Dispute Shows Need for Device Registry - NYTimes.com: "Conflicting data this week about the failure rate of a critical and widely used Medtronic heart device has set off a debate among researchers who want to understand the discrepancies and the implications for patient care."

Obama Proposes $634 Billion Fund For Health Care - washingtonpost.com

Obama Proposes $634 Billion Fund For Health Care - washingtonpost.com: "President Obama is proposing to begin a vast expansion of the U.S. health-care system by creating a $634 billion reserve fund over the next decade, launching an overhaul that most experts project will ultimately cost at least $1 trillion."

MDT Buys 2 Heart-Valve Co.s - NYTimes.com

Medtronic to Buy 2 Heart-Valve Tech Makers - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com: "Medtronic said on Monday that it is buying two privately held makers of heart-valve technologies, paying about $1.03 billion in cash for both. Both CoreValve, based in Irvine, Calif., and Ventor Technologies, based in Netanya, Israel, make technologies that allow heart valves to be replaced using a catheter, instead of through surgery."

Leavitt says taking on Medicare is key to reform - Modern Healthcare

Leavitt says taking on Medicare is key to reform - Modern Healthcare: "Former HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt told a panel of U.S. governors that tackling the misaligned incentives and almost invisible cost and quality data within the Medicare program is key to healthcare reform, but added that individual states should ultimately be allowed to tailor their own programs."

Health Care Industry in Talks to Shape Policy - NYTimes.com

Health Care Industry in Talks to Shape Policy - NYTimes.com: "Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation’s long-running health care debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, with the blessing of the Senate’s leading proponent of universal health insurance, Edward M. Kennedy, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate."

Lawmakers Seek to Return Right to Sue Device Makers - NYTimes.com

Lawmakers Seek to Return Right to Sue Device Makers - NYTimes.com: ". . . [A] Supreme Court decision last year stands as a barrier against suing medical device companies — an obstacle that some members of Congress want to remove. "

In California, Pricey Health Insurance Plans Get Pricier-WSJ Health Blog

In California, Pricey Health Insurance Plans Get Pricier-WSJ Health Blog: "Two California health insurers have been overcharging patients for a special type of coverage for people with pre-existing health problems, the Los Angeles Times reports."