The city of Memphis will reduce a planned health care premium increase for city employees and non-Medicare retirees.

In June, the council approved raising rates employees and retirees pay to 28.5 percent of costs, up from 27 percent.

However, Memphis officials and the city's health care consultant, Mercer, since discovered that the existing rate was 26 percent, not the 27 percent they reported during budget discussions.

The city is now proposing to increase the rate to 27.5 percent in January, which could cost the city an additional $600,000.

Deputy finance director James Stokes said the health care fund for the previous fiscal year could produce a surplus of $400,000 and that the city might make up the rest of the deficit after the middle of the fiscal year.

"Because we were given incorrect information, the increase was higher than we intended," said council budget committee chairman Jim Strickland. "It's disappointing that we get incorrect information because we make decisions that affect taxpayers and employees, and we want to be fair."

City ordinance requires retirees and employees to pay 30 percent of their health care costs, but the city has not imposed that amount for several years.

"We've got to get to 30 percent and we all know that," said Mike Lee, secretary for the Association of Retired City Employees. "But we're in a terrible time of austerity and there has to be fairness to everybody. We're real pleased with what the city is proposing."

City transfers James Lee House

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to transfer the historic James Lee House in Victorian Village to a private developer for $1.

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Memphis lessens health care hike

Just what Congress needs during its year-end tax fight: another tussle over President Barack Obamas health care law.

When lawmakers return to Washington after the November elections, some House and Senate Republicans want the party to fight to repeal billions of dollars worth of new taxes that will take effect next year to help pay for the 2010 health care overhaul.

Id like to think that in theory in the lame duck, everything is on the table, including all of the health care taxes, Ohio Rep. Patrick Tiberi, a senior Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, told POLITICO. The reality is those taxes also have a big impact on Americans.

Tense negotiations between Republicans and Democrats are expected on Capitol Hill during the lame duck session as lawmakers returning from a bitter election must decide what to do with the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, the payroll tax break, emergency unemployment benefits and $1.2 trillion in spending cuts slated to begin in January. In Washington parlance, this unholy tax-and-spending stew is called the fiscal cliff.

Throwing the health care taxes into the mix stands to only increase the chances for gridlock.

Still, some Republicans say the party shouldnt ignore these tax hikes just because Congress already faces a daunting to-do list.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), another Ways and Means member, said the health care levies particularly those on investment income claimed by high earners should be part of the year-end debate.

This tax increase on investment income, along with the dozens of other tax rates set to go up at the end of the year, underscores why Congress must act to stop this massive tax hike from slamming the U.S. economy, Black told POLITICO.

The effort is backed by the National Federation of Independent Business, a trade group that was part of the losing bid earlier in the summer to have the Supreme Court overturn the health care law.

NFIB officials say they are already in communication with congressional leaders on the issue.

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GOP: Let's debate health taxes, too

VOL. 127 | NO. 164 | Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The health care partners whove committed to having a physical presence in the soon-to-be-redeveloped Sears Crosstown Tower say theyre excited about the opportunities to join forces in promoting health and wellness in the Memphis community.

Of the nine founding partners that have committed to having a physical presence in the redeveloped building, five are health care-centered organizations: The Church Health Center, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, The West Clinic, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and St. Judes fundraising arm, ALSAC.

The health care partners will occupy about 60 percent of the 1.5 million-square-foot historic Sears Crosstown Tower, at the nexus of Midtown and the Memphis Medical District at 495 N. Watkins St.

Having been vacant for more than 20 years, the building will be preserved and redeveloped for mixed use.

Its a vertical urban village thats grounded in art, education, health and wellness, said Todd Richardson, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis, whos leading the Sears Crosstown redevelopment project. Its really the combination for these four things that creates the real exciting possibilities that we can have. That synergy of arts, education and health care is something thats completely new, not only to us, but we think nationally.

Richardson said that in addition to housing health care facilities, the building will feature space for medical residents and fellows, which can help attract young health care industry talent to Memphis.

We think that putting all these bright minds and the resident and fellows from St. Jude to the University of Tennessee and from Rhodes in one location, what an incredible cauldron of ideas and relationships that will develop, said Dr. Kurt Tauer, chief of staff at The West Clinic.

Tauer said a move into the Sears Crosstown building would double or possibly triple The West Clinics current Memphis Medical District location at 1588 Union Ave., which he said needs to be upgraded and larger.

Tauer said The West Clinic staff isnt just excited about the concept of sharing space; they look forward to sharing culture with organizations such as the Church Health Center, whose focus on community and mind-body-spirit wellness offers numerous benefits for The West Clinics patients.

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Medical Providers Excited About Crosstown Potential

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A leading advocate of health care expansion says he's optimistic Iowa will expand Medicaid coverage to thousands of uninsured residents under a federal health care law despite opposition by Republican legislators and the governor.

Des Moines Democratic Sen. Jack Hatch tells The Associated Press that after the general election, he'll lay out a plan to Republicans that will be hard to oppose.

Under the federal plan, it would cost state taxpayers $237 million over eight years to insure 182,000 additional people through Medicaid.

The federal government would pick up all costs for three years, with that share dropping to 90 percent by the eighth year.

Branstad and other Republican governors say they won't participate in the program.

Tim Albrecht, the governor's spokesman, says the effort is expensive, unsustainable and inflexible.

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Health Care Advocate Hopeful of Medicaid Expansion

As a pharmacist here in Aroostook, I frequently see heartbreaking examples of people who cant afford to pay for necessary health care. A farmer, worried about his raspy voice, did not seek health care because he had no health insurance. Finally, his wife went to work for Burrelles in order to get insurance. By the time he was diagnosed with throat cancer and started to get treatment, it was too late, and he died within four to six months. Another man without insurance, diagnosed with cancer, decided not to get treatment rather than risk leaving his family with the burden of debt. He, too, died within six months. A young woman disabled by schizophrenia was kicked off Medicaid under new restrictions imposed by the state of Maine. Her mother does not know how the family will pay for her medication, which can cost into the thousands of dollars a month for people with serious mental illnesses. Another fellow with a small-engines repair business works every day, but cant afford the high costs of individual insurance and was dropped from Medicaid as a childless adult. He has serious health problems including diabetes and carotid arteries, and he has to go to Canada to buy medications he can afford.

With such widespread need for affordable health care for everyone, I dont see how Maine can afford to cut Medicaid instead of expanding it as provided for in the Affordable Health Care act. Such an expansion would alleviate some of these problems. Instead of reforming the system to better provide health care that is more affordable, better quality and more efficient, Maine under this administration is taking whole groups of people off DHHS programs who have no other way to pay for health care. The patient with schizophrenia is young. With proper care now, many of these patients will recover enough to go to work and become taxpayers. Without treatment, they are far more likely to remain permanently disabled.

Its the saddest thing to me that Maine is attacking health care to balance the budget and giving tax breaks to the richest 1 percent. At the same time, we are failing to improve our economy. For every dollar spent on Medicaid, the state gets two to three dollars back from the federal government. This money is spent right here in the state and creates jobs in the health care industry, long-term jobs with good benefits, clean jobs that dont pollute the environment. Maine has the oldest population in the nation on average and is very close to having the largest number of retirees with only Florida having more by a small percent. Considering that, you cant find a better job creator than the health care industry.

Ultimately, we need a universal, single-payer system to better compete globally. The Aroostook logging industry suffers in competition with Canada. Their workers can work for cheaper wages and still come out ahead because they have a universal single-payer system. Sixty percent of bankruptcies nationwide are caused by health care problems. Over 50 percent of personal bankruptcies are caused by health care costs. We need a single-payer system to compete globally.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, The United States has the highest per capita health expenditures of any country in the OECD [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development]. The U.S. spends 15.7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care compared to 8.4 percent for the United Kingdom, 8.1 percent for Japan, 10.4 percent for Germany, and 10.1 percent for Canada. Yet all the other countries mentioned have a higher life expectancy at birth and lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. ( http://suite101.com/article/universal-health-care-how-other-nations-compare-to-us-a289836).

All evidence I know of supports that universal health care makes people happier, healthier, less stressed and less prone to violence. If elected to the Maine House of Representatives, I will work for better health care for all because it is the right humanitarian thing to do and because it is the right thing to do for our economy.

Darrell Adams is a 2012 Democratic candidate for District 6 of the Maine State House of Representatives including Blaine, Bridgewater, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill and Westfield.

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Universal health care good for the economy

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. (NYSE: MDF) (the Company), a leading provider of health care services in Florida, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, MetCare of Florida, Inc. (MetCare), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets and assume certain liabilities of Kanner, Shteiman, LLC. (Kanner, Shteiman), an entity that owns two physician practices that currently provide services to MetCare patients under contractual arrangements with the Company.

Kanner, Shteiman is owned and operated by Dr. Steven Kanner and Dr. Alexander Shteiman. Dr. Kanner is a board certified internal medicine physician and a subspecialist certified in geriatric medicine. Dr. Shteiman, a board certified internal medicine physician with over 25 years of experience, joined the practice 12 years ago. The partnership has developed two successful, high quality primary care practices that serve the Palm Beach market. Kanner, Shteiman and its employees have served MetCare customers for over a decade, and its practices currently serve over 1,100 Humana Medicare Advantage members. Kanner, Shteimans Humana membership is already included in MetCares customer base. In addition to the Humana plan members, these practices provide care to several thousand customers not included in the MetCare customer count. These include commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare patients. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close within 90 days, were not disclosed.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jose A. Guethon, MD, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc., stated, We are very pleased to announce that Drs. Kanner and Shteiman have agreed to become full-time members of the MetCare team. These physicians have built successful practices that have served MetCare and other customers in the Palm Beach area very well. By joining MetCare they will be able to leverage the resources of our entire organization as they continue to deliver quality health care services to their patient base.

Acquiring Kanner Shteimans practices is in keeping with MetCares goal of increasing its number of wholly-owned primary care centers. We have been actively pursuing these types of practices and will continue to do so. Through the deployment of our model of care, the strength and efficiency of our administrative infrastructure, and our health care IT systems, we believe we can deliver continued increases in patient outcomes and satisfaction with these acquisitions, while also driving both top and bottom line growth for the Company overall. These types of acquisitions also provide us access to the built-in growth potential of a practice whose fee-for-service patient panel, specifically those outside of the existing Humana Medicare customer base, is significant, Guethon concluded.

About Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc.:

Metropolitan is a growing health care companythat provides and coordinates comprehensive health care services for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and other customersthrough its primary care-centric businesses, MetCare of Florida, Inc., Continucare Corporation, and Symphony Health Partners, Inc. Metropolitan currently owns and operates 33 medical centers and contracts with a network of independent primary care practices.To learn more about Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. please visit its website at http://www.metropolitanhealthnetworks.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements:

Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as will, expect and believe or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, statements we make regarding the expected timing for the closing of the acquisition of Kanner, Shteiman; the ability of Kanner, Shteimans physicians to leverage the resources of our organization; the strategic benefits to us that we believe may result from the acquisition; and our intention to continue to continue to pursue acquisitions of independent physician practices.

Investors and others are cautioned that a variety of factors, including certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These risk factors include, without limitation: (i) the impact of our significantly increased levels of indebtedness on our funding costs, operating flexibility and ability to fund ongoing operations with additional borrowings, particularly in light of ongoing volatility in the credit and capital markets; (ii) our ability to operate pursuant to the terms of our debt obligations; (iii) our ability to integrate the acquired operations of Continucare Corporation and to realize the anticipated revenues, economies of scale, cost synergies and productivity gains in connection with the merger and any other acquisitions that we may undertake, as and when planned, including the potential for unanticipated issues, expenses and liabilities associated with those acquisitions and the risk that Continucare fails to meet its expected financial and operating targets; (iv) the potential for diversion of management time and resources in seeking to integrate the operations of Continucare Corporation; (v) our ability to successfully establish a presence in new geographic markets and the risks involved in our geographic expansion efforts; (vi) our ability to meet our cost projections under various provider agreements with Humana, Inc.; (vii) our ability to reach an agreement to amend our new Medicare Advantage payor contract, pursuant to which we have realized certain operating losses to date, on favorable terms; (viii) our failure to accurately estimate incurred but not reported medical benefits expense; (ix) pricing pressures exerted on us by managed care organizations and the level of payments we indirectly receive under governmental programs or from other payors; (x) our still limited ability to predict the direct and indirect effects of the health care reform laws adopted in 2010; (xi) future legislation and changes in governmental regulations; (xii ) the impact of Medicare Risk Adjustments on payments we receive for our managed care operations; and (xiii) a loss of any of our significant contracts or our ability to increase the number of Medicare eligible patient lives we manage under these contracts. We are also subject to the risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

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Metropolitan Health Networks Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Two Additional Primary Care Practices

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Rationing Health Care More Fairly

by TOM MURPHY - Aug. 20, 2012 06:34 AM AP Business Writer

Aetna will buy Coventry Health Care for $5.7 billion as the insurance industry realigns itself to better navigate the massive government health care overhaul.

The Hartford, Conn., company said Monday that it would pay $42.08 for each share of Coventry stock. That includes $27.30 in cash and a portion of its stock. The price represents a 20 percent premium on Coventry's Friday closing price of $34.94. The deal is valued at $7.3 billion, including debt from Coventry Health Care Inc., which is based in Bethesda, Md.

The acquisition ramps up Aetna's Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug businesses, and it will grow the insurer's Medicaid business. Medicaid is the state-federal program that provides coverage for the needy and disabled that is targeted for expansion under the health care overhaul.

Millions of uninsured Americans are expected to gain coverage starting in 2014 through Medicaid as part of the overhaul, which also will offer subsidies to help more people buy private insurance coverage. States hire insurers to offer Medicaid coverage to their residents.

Medicare Advantage plans are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage for the elderly and also the disabled. Insurers have seen interest in these plans soar in recent years, as the baby boomer generation ages and becomes eligible for the subsidized coverage.

Medicaid and Medicare Advantage represent relatively small slices of Aetna's enrollment. All told, Aetna said the deal will raise the percentage of revenue it draws from government business to 30 percent, from 23 percent.

Shares of Coventry jumped more than 20 percent, or $7.15, to $42.09 Monday in pre-market trading

Big health insurers are turning their focus more to Medicaid.

Last month, Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer WellPoint Inc. said it would spend $4.46 billion to buy another insurer that specializes in Medicaid, Amerigroup Corp. Last year, Cigna Corp. said it would buy HealthSpring for nearly $4 billion as it grabbed for a share of Medicare revenue.

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Aetna to buy Coventry in $5.7 billion deal

I wrote last week about two non-solutions for US health care: emulate the management system of The Cheesecake Factory or introduce private equity. Here’s another non-solution: rely on the competition tooth-fairy.

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Another Non-Solution For US Health Care: The Competition Tooth Fairy

Aetna will buy Coventry Health Care for $5.7 billion as the insurance industry realigns itself to better navigate the massive government health care overhaul.

The Hartford, Conn., company said Monday that it would pay $42.08 for each share of Coventry stock. That includes $27.30 in cash and a portion of its stock. The price represents a 20 percent premium on Coventry's Friday closing price of $34.94. The deal is valued at $7.3 billion, including debt from Coventry Health Care Inc., which is based in Bethesda, Md.

The acquisition ramps up Aetna's Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug businesses, and it will grow the insurer's Medicaid business. Medicaid is the state-federal program that provides coverage for the needy and disabled that is targeted for expansion under the health care overhaul.

Millions of uninsured Americans are expected to gain coverage starting in 2014 through Medicaid as part of the overhaul, which also will offer subsidies to help more people buy private insurance coverage. States hire insurers to offer Medicaid coverage to their residents.

Medicare Advantage plans are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage for the elderly and also the disabled. Insurers have seen interest in these plans soar in recent years, as the baby boomer generation ages and becomes eligible for the subsidized coverage.

Medicaid and Medicare Advantage represent relatively small slices of Aetna's enrollment. All told, Aetna said the deal will raise the percentage of revenue it draws from government business to 30 percent, from 23 percent.

Shares of Coventry jumped more than 20 percent, or $7.15, to $42.09 Monday in pre-market trading

Big health insurers are turning their focus more to Medicaid.

Last month, Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer WellPoint Inc. said it would spend $4.46 billion to buy another insurer that specializes in Medicaid, Amerigroup Corp. Last year, Cigna Corp. said it would buy HealthSpring for nearly $4 billion as it grabbed for a share of Medicare revenue.

Insurers also see growth opportunities in Medicaid due to patients who are eligible for both that program and Medicare. States are starting to move these so-called "dual eligible" residents into managed care programs that coordinate care and cut wasteful spending.

Link:

Health care insurance: Aetna to buy Coventry in $5.7 billion deal

Congratulations, Pennsylvania businesses and residents. Youve just been handed $51.5 million, courtesy of the federal Affordable Care Act.

The health care reform law requires insurers to rebate money spent on excess administrative costs. But even as checks arrived in the mail and credits appeared on statements, the rules governing how the money can be spent are hazy.

Companies received rebates through the beginning of this month in the form of checks or credits toward future premiums. In Pennsylvania, rebates for individuals averaged $238. Statewide, rebates totaled $345,669 for small businesses and $30.5 million for large employers.

Three midstate health insurance heavyweights Capital BlueCross, Highmark and Geisinger Health Plan didnt issue rebates. HealthAmerica reported that it did not issue rebates to customers in HMO and in-area PPO plans but did to out-of-area PPO and individual plans underwritten by parent company Coventry Health and Life Insurance Co.

Highmark has historically operated its business very efficiently, said Vik Mangalmurti, vice president of Highmarks office of health care reform.

Under the ACA, health insurers are required to spend at least 80 percent of revenue from premiums paid by individuals and small employers, or 85 percent from large employers, on health-related benefits. The law defines small employers as those with up to 100 people, although Pennsylvania took the federal option allowing states to set it at 50 or fewer.

Insurers that exceeded the maximum allowed for administrative costs an amount that depended on how many workers were being insured had to rebate a prorated share of the total excess to customers. Administrative costs include salaries, marketing and fraud prevention.

Businesses that receive rebates must, in essence, return the money to employees either outright or through such efforts as wellness programs.

Employers have 90 days after getting the money to decide what to do, but Vince Phillips, lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters in Hampden Twp., said its not clear-cut.

I feel so sorry for employers right now. I really do, Phillips said. Theyve got to try to rebuild their economy, and now theyve got to figure out a labyrinth of federal rules.

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Health care law calls for rebates, but is vague on where they go and how they're spent

SEATTLE, Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Sprig Health, an online health care marketplace that provides customers with direct access to medical care, today announced its service is available in Washington state. Sprig Health provides a pre-paid health care option that gives patients a convenient way to schedule appointments with local doctors and save up to 50 percent below the full market rate of services.

"Not only is the website easy to use, the savings are tremendous," said Kristina McDaniel, a customer of Sprig Health. "After I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, I was overwhelmed with medical costs. Sprig allowed me to get the follow-up treatments I needed at a fraction of the cost compared with going directly through the doctor's office. I truly believe Sprig Health is changing the face of health care."

Sprig Health is available to consumers regardless of insurance coverage and offers discounted rates through a unique "no-insurance" model. Because the system eliminates providers' administrative involvement with billing and insurance paperwork, the health service providers can select to pass the savings on to the patient. Patients book and pay for their visit in advance with a credit card via a secure online transaction at SprigHealth.com. For example, women's wellness exams are available through Sprig for a 50 percent savings when compared to the average market rate of $450 to $600 when booking and paying for an appointment directly with the provider or doctor's office.

"Approximately 14.5 percent of Washington's population is uninsured and those with coverage often face high deductibles to help keep premiums down," said Kris Gorriaran, president of Sprig Health. "We're excited that Via Radiology is bringing their specialized expertise and patient focused approach to individuals seeking state-of-the-art imaging."

Providers are able to maximize appointment books and fill last-minute cancellations, allowing them to maintain and grow their practices. Working with Sprig Health reduces administrative costs and allows doctors an efficient way to attract cash paying patients.

"We are happy to partner with Sprig Health to provide uninsured individuals a convenient and affordable way to obtain health care," said Steve Schreiber, chief operating officer at Via Radiology. "Sprig creates another avenue for patients to gain access to our board-certified subspecialty trained physicians and dedicated staff."

Launched last year in Portland, Oregon, Sprig Health has seen tremendous growth and now has more than 200 participating providers. Recent providers in Washington state include North Creek Medicine, Seattle Naturopathy Acupuncture and Birth Center, and Westside Family Clinic. Sprig is currently recruiting doctors in the Seattle/Tacoma area to offer preventative services, urgent care, complementary care, dental services, diagnostic imaging, pediatric care and more. To sign up as a provider or as a patient, please visit sprighealth.com for more information.

About Sprig HealthSprig Health is a company based in Portland, Oregon, that believes everyone should have access to affordable health care. Sprig offers individuals a simple way to schedule and pay online for a doctor's appointment at savings up to 50 percent below the standard market rate. Its mission is to provide a marketplace that connects cash-paying patients with trusted health care providers. Sprig is a subsidiary of Cambia Health Solutions, a leading health company headquartered in the Pacific Northwest/Intermountain region. For more information about Sprig Health, please visit http://www.SprigHealth.com or call 855-697-7744 (855-MY-SPRIG).

The rest is here:

Sprig Health Extends Services to Washington State

Republican Mitt Romney adamantly denies the health care reforms that he implemented as governor of Massachusetts are similar to the health reforms that President Obama later implemented and Romney has vowed to repeal.

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Ex-Romney aides help set up Obama health reforms

North County's new hospital was set to start receiving patients at 7 a.m. Sunday, altering the region's health care landscape and capping a process that began 18 years ago with a Los Angeles earthquake.

The 1994 Northridge quake ---- which damaged 11 medical centers ---- prompted lawmakers to mandate that all hospitals in California be retrofitted by 2013 to meet tougher seismic standards.

The deadline has been extended for many hospitals. Yet it spurred the leaders of Palomar Pomerado Health to look long and hard at their dated Palomar Medical Center and decide ---- given the work a retrofit would require ---- that it was time to start from scratch. After significant study, they eventually chose a site on a hill in Escondido overlooking Highway 78 and Interstate 15.

At a cost of nearly $1 billion, Palomar officials designed the hospital to take advantage of the latest research in preventing infections, speeding emergency care and helping patients heal more quickly. And administrators also expect such innovations to help the state's largest public health district compete more effectively for doctors and patients in the rapidly evolving health care economy in San Diego County.

The new building's design, with its 11-story, glass "vertical garden" and private patient rooms sporting flat-screen TVs, mirrors the district's goal to transform how a hospital functions.

Central nursing stations have been eliminated in favor of smaller, room-side kiosks where nurses ---- all equipped with smartphones ---- can keep a closer eye on patients and receive instant messages that eliminate the need for noisy intercoms. Sunlight floods into nearly every room, including surgical suites, a feature that experts say promotes healing.

Board Chairman Ted Kleiter said last week that the project was designed for the long haul, for his children and grandchildren.

"We said, We're not going to build a hospital for today. We're going to build a hospital for the next 50 years,' and that's what we did," Kleiter said.

Health care district CEO Michael Covert declined several requests for an interview. In a written statement Thursday, he said that the district had met its goal "... to create a uniquely flexible, future-oriented facility that would combine all of the principles that have been studied for many years to enhance the care and safety and well-being of patients and their families on one site ..."

A long journey

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HEALTH: As hospital opens, officials bet on innovation

What do you think is the most important issue our country is facing?

Jobs? Taxes? Health care?

Now, is this something you can talk to your neighbor about without getting angry?

Most of the time, the answer to this question is: No!

A recent poll shows that the issues Akron-Canton area adults point to as most important can be tough to talk about. More than half of those surveyed said discussions of health care, jobs and government spending/taxes were very likely to spark heated discussions.

This might help explain why civility can be so difficult.

For most people, its harder when they feel strongly about an issue, said John Green, director of the University of Akrons Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. I do think those priorities and the fact they perceive they can cause heated discussions are very likely related.

The Center for Marketing and Opinion Research in Akron recently conducted a poll that asked 600 randomly selected adults in the five-county Akron-Canton area their thoughts about civility and politics. The topics included what issues they think are most important, which issues are likely to promote heated discussions and what can be done to improve political conversations. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll was funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is part of a joint civility project launched by the Bliss Institute, the Beacon Journal and the faith community, aimed at changing the way people talk about tough issues.

Bliss and the Beacon Journal also conducted four weeks of focus groups to get a better understanding of the high level of anxiety in the country. Two Mad as Hell focus groups, one with younger adults and another with older adults, further probed the civility issues explored in the poll.

Read more here:

Poll shows health care, jobs, economy and government stir heated discussions

Narayana Hrudalaya Hospitals Group Chairman Devi Shetty today urged the state government to formulate and enact the Right to Health Care Act to ensure medical treatment to every needy patient.

Talking to the reporters here Dr Shetty said much needed medical care at affordable cost was still out of reach of millions of people in this country due to financial reasons and he had seen even government employees praying for concession or free treatment.

The celebrated cardiac surgeon, also a recipient of Padma Bhushan, said the country had already brought reformist progressive laws like Right to Information, Right to Education Right to Employment(NREGA). The tenactment of Right to Health Care would be very appropriate result yielding step that would also ensure better transparency in the system.

Dr Shetty said, this is a viable and workable suggestion which could be implemented without putting unbearable burden on anyone.

In this direction he had showered praises for steps and actions being taken in Rajasthan and said the state government here was progressive which had done a lot of innovative work in health care sector during past two-three years. "They have done a great job,"he complimented.

Dr Shetty was in the town to celebrate the Joint Commission International(JCI) accreditation accorded to the Group's hospital in Jaipur.

Hailing the feat which symolises high quality and ethical treatment and health/hospital management at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital here, Dr Shetty said, "This makes our Jaipur hospital the first institution in the state to have this highest accreditation for health care/services of international standards." (UNI)

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Enact Right to Health Care law; Dr Shetty

Details Published on Saturday, 18 August 2012 10:39 Written by DrumhellerMail.com

On Tuesday, August 14, Banff-Cochrane MLA Ron Casey hosted a public conversation about health care for the Drumheller and area community at the Badlands Community Facility. Edmonton-Riverview MLA Steve Young and Drumheller-Stettler MLA Rick Strankman were also in attendance.

The whole focus of the meeting was for the provincial government to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of the health care system from the bottom up.

We need to hear issues from those utilizing the system, those working in the system, and just from people on the street, said Ron Casey, MLA for Banff-Cochrane.

He said these sessions are to gather information about whats working in health care and whats not.

There were some really good ideas that came out here today about some things that can make [the health care system] work better, said Casey.

Many issues were discussed during two and a half hours of the meeting.

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Drumheller News, Drumheller Weather, Drumheller Sports

How many doctors are needed to serve the population, and what the impact of health care reform would be on that, are much debated but hard to measure, an economist writes.

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Health-Care Reform and the 'Doctor Shortage'

17-08-2012 12:47 California Congressman Darrell Issa weighs in

Excerpt from:

Sparks fly at health care law enforcement hearing - Video

Re: Ottawa grades poorly in CMAs annual report card on health care, Aug. 13

In response to your news article, I would like to point out several factual errors.

Your article incorrectly claims that Economic Action Plan 2012 contains a bevy of federal health-care spending cuts. This could not be further from the truth. As Minister of Health my priority was to protect frontline health-care services and health transfers. In fact, federal funding for health care will continue to grow from a record level of $27 billion in 201112 to a minimum of $38 billion by 201819.

This is an increase, plain and simple.

In December 2011, we set the future growth path of transfers to the provinces and territories to provide sustainable and predictable funding to support the provision of health care for all Canadians. The Canada Health Transfer will continue to grow by 6 per cent per year for the next five years, and in 2017-18, growth will be linked to nominal gross domestic product growth, but with a guarantee that it will increase by at least 3 per cent per year.

While respecting provincial and territorial jurisdiction, our government plays a leadership role in health and health care, including these major transfers and by investing more than $1 billion per year in health research and innovation. There are currently more than 10,000 health research projects underway that will help improve health care across Canada.

Furthermore, we continue to make targeted investments in priority areas that will help the provinces and territories meet their responsibilities of delivering health care. For example, I recently announced renewed funding of $238 million over three years for the Canadian Institute of Health Information to continue to provide accurate and comparable health data across Canada.

Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, Ottawa

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Funding for health will still grow