Bay State is a template for health care reform again

Posted on by

WASHINGTON Some of President Barack Obama's former advisers are proposing major changes aimed at controlling health care costs as political uncertainty hovers over his health law.

Call it Health Care Overhaul, Version 2.0. Their biggest idea is a first-ever budget for the nation's $2.8-trillion health care system, through negotiated limits on public and private spending in each state.

The approach broadly resembles a Massachusetts law signed this summer by Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick that puts pressure on hospitals, insurers, and other major players to keep rising costs within manageable limits. It could become the Democratic counterpoint to private market strategies favored by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan.

Health costs lie at the heart of budget problems confronting the next president. Health care accounts for 18 percent of the economy and about one-fourth of the federal budget, and many experts believe it can't grow unchecked without harming other priorities. Because the United States spends much more than other advanced countries, there's a consensus that savings from cutting waste and duplication won't harm quality.

"We think of these as the next generation of ideas," said Neera Tanden, who was a senior member of the White House team that helped pass the health law. Tanden is now president of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank close to the administration.

Under the proposal, the major public and private players in each state would negotiate payment rates with service providers such as hospitals. The idea is to get away from paying for each individual test and procedure. Negotiated rates could be based on an entire course of treatment. Payments would have to fit within an overall budget that could grow no faster than the average rise in wages.

The spending limits would be enforced by an independent council, but crucial details need to be spelled out. In Massachusetts, for example, budget-busting providers will be required to file plans with the state laying out how they'll amend their spendthrift ways.

The federal government would provide grants to states interested in developing their plans.

Tanden joined a brain trust of former administration officials floating the proposal recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. The group included Peter Orszag (former budget director), John Podesta (transition director), Donald Berwick (first Medicare chief), Ezekiel Emanuel (Orszag's health policy guru), and Joshua Sharfstein (former No. 2 at the Food and Drug Administration). Also on board was former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., Obama's first pick to shepherd his health care overhaul.

Their proposal includes other ideas, such as a malpractice liability shield for doctors who follow best clinical practices, and competitive bidding for all Medicare supplies and lab tests, not just home health equipment. All of the signers support Obama's health care law, but see cost control as unfinished business.

Excerpt from:

Bay State is a template for health care reform again

Volunteers are Needed for Large Free Medical Clinic for the Uninsured in Dallas

Posted on by

DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is calling on physicians and other health care professionals, as well as non-medical volunteers, to participate in the upcoming large free clinic for uninsured persons at the Dallas Convention Center, Hall A, 650 South Griffin St., on Sept. 29.

The NAFC will hold its latest C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinic in conjunction with the Lone Star Association of Charitable Clinics (LSACC) and the North Texas Association of Charitable Clinics (NTACC).

"We are hopeful that many individuals in the community will volunteer at this one-day, life-altering event," NAFC Executive Director Nicole Lamoureux said. "This C.A.R.E. Clinic is funded and made possible through the generosity of private citizens and sponsors, not one tax payer dollar is being utilized to pay for this clinic. In order for us to provide much needed free health care for as many uninsured patients as possible, we will need 100 doctors, 300-400 nurses and 500 or more non-medical volunteers."

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people in the country with about 26 percent of residents in general and 22 percent of children lacking health insurance. The overall uninsured rate is about the same in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but the situation for children is even worse with 26.4 percent lacking health insurance. Further, among people living in poverty, the rate of being uninsured soars to 46 percent.

"This free clinic is not just for the sick but also for anyone who is uninsured and has not seen a doctor recently," LSACC Executive Director Jody Hopkins said. "Some patients have not seen a doctor in several years, others need follow-ups because they have chronic diseases, and some simply need checkups or physicals. The one characteristic they all share is limited access to get such care. All participants will receive preventive, primary medical care and be connected to the area's safety-net providers and available resources."

Both medical and non-medical volunteers are needed from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on the day of the clinic, Sept. 29, as well as for setup on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 27, and all day Friday, Sept. 28. Medical volunteers needed for the Dallas clinic include doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, emergency medical technicians, medical administrators, licensed clinical social workers and more. Non-medical volunteers are needed to help with documentation, logistical support, patient intake and translation, as well as to be patient greeters and escorts.

Information on the event and how to register is available online at: http://www.nafcclinics.org/. Information on how to donate to support this and future clinics is also available at that website address by clicking on the "Donate Now" button. Patients register for an appointment by calling 800-340-1301.

This will be the 12th in a series of large C.A.R.E. Clinics held around the country to bring together physicians and other health care professionals, as well as non-medical volunteers, to serve the needs of thousands of people who might otherwise go without medical care and to connect them to local safety-net resources. Since September 2009, more than 15,000 uninsured patients have received medical care at C.A.R.E. Clinics throughout the country.

About the Organizations:

The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of more than 1,200 free and charitable clinics and the people they serve in the United States.

Read more:

Volunteers are Needed for Large Free Medical Clinic for the Uninsured in Dallas

Health cost controls follow Mass. lead

Posted on by

WASHINGTON Some of President Barack Obamas former advisers are proposing major changes aimed at controlling health care costs as political uncertainty hovers over his health law.

Call it Health Care Overhaul, Version 2.0. Their biggest idea is a first-ever budget for the nations $2.8-trillion health care system, through negotiated limits on public and private spending in each state.

The approach broadly resembles a Massachusetts law signed this summer by Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick that puts pressure on hospitals, insurers, and other major players to keep rising costs within manageable limits. It could become the Democratic counterpoint to private market strategies favored by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan.

Health costs lie at the heart of budget problems confronting the next president. Health care accounts for 18 percent of the economy and about one-fourth of the federal budget, and many experts believe it cant grow unchecked without harming other priorities. Because the United States spends much more than other advanced countries, theres a consensus that savings from cutting waste and duplication wont harm quality.

We think of these as the next generation of ideas, said Neera Tanden, who was a senior member of the White House team that helped pass the health law. Tanden is now president of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank close to the administration.

Under the proposal, the major public and private players in each state would negotiate payment rates with service providers such as hospitals. The idea is to get away from paying for each individual test and procedure. Negotiated rates could be based on an entire course of treatment. Payments would have to fit within an overall budget that could grow no faster than the average rise in wages.

The spending limits would be enforced by an independent council, but crucial details need to be spelled out. In Massachusetts, for example, budget-busting providers will be required to file plans with the state laying out how theyll amend their spendthrift ways.

The federal government would provide grants to states interested in developing their plans.

Tanden joined a brain trust of former administration officials floating the proposal recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. The group included Peter Orszag (former budget director), John Podesta (transition director), Donald Berwick (first Medicare chief), Ezekiel Emanuel (Orszags health policy guru), and Joshua Sharfstein (former No. 2 at the Food and Drug Administration). Also on board was former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., Obamas first pick to shepherd his health care overhaul.

Their proposal includes other ideas, such as a malpractice liability shield for doctors who follow best clinical practices, and competitive bidding for all Medicare supplies and lab tests, not just home health equipment. All of the signers support Obamas health care law, but see cost control as unfinished business.

Go here to read the rest:

Health cost controls follow Mass. lead

Ukrainian journalists protest as leader hails media freedom

Posted on by

KIEV (Reuters) - A dozen Ukrainian journalists stood up and raised anti-censorship banners when President Viktor Yanukovich hailed his country's march to media freedom at the World Newspaper Congress in Kiev on Monday. "Ukraine has made its way, without exaggeration, from total censorship to an open society," Yanukovich told the conference as his security guards ripped banners saying "Stop ...

View post:

Ukrainian journalists protest as leader hails media freedom

Freedom End Regular Season with Dominating Win

Posted on by

September 3, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Evansville,IN - The Florence Freedom(57-39) dominated the Evansville Otters(45-50) on the final day of the regular season with a 10-1 victory, as the team gears up for its first every playoff game at the Gateway Grizzlies on Wednesday. The game was called in the top of the eighth due to heavy rain.

The Freedom offense hit three homeruns on the night. Jim Jacquot's solo shot to left field in the second inning gave the Freedom a 1-0 lead. It was Jacquot's tenth of the season as he became the fifth player this year to hit ten or more homeruns for the Freedom.

Eddie Rodriguez hit his fifteenth of the season, a two run shot in the fourth giving the Freedom a 7-0 lead.

Ryan Skellie then went deep in the eighth. It was a two run homerun for his second of the year. Skellie finished the game 3-5 with 2 RBI. Stephen Cardullo also went 2-3 with 2 RBI.

Alec Lewis(5-7) picked up the win out of the Freedom bullpen after pitching two innings allowing just one hit and striking out one. Ian Durham started the game pitching four innings giving up two hits with one walk and a strikeout.

The Freedom closed out the regular season on a six game winning streak and winners of thirteen out of their last fourteen.

The Freedom will now have days off Monday and Tuesday before their divisional series opens on Wednesday night in Sauget, Illinois.

RHP Brandon Mathes(4-0, 3.61) will make the start as the Freedom will play their first postseason game in franchise history. The game time is TBA as the game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki on Real Talk 1160 AM and realtalk1160.com For the time of the game stay tuned to http://www.florencefreedom.com.

Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Excerpt from:

Freedom End Regular Season with Dominating Win

Why Net neutrality is incompatible with 'Internet freedom'

Posted on by

The FCC's Net neutrality rules violate the First Amendment, argues a free-market proponent, and are thus antithetical to "Internet freedom."

commentary These two words -- "Internet freedom" -- are ricocheting around cyberspace almost as fast as neutrons and protons bouncing around inside an atom's nucleus. Well, almost as fast.

So, no worries? We're all for "Internet freedom" now?

Not so quick.

I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln's remark: "The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty. We all declare for liberty, but in using the same word we do not mean the same thing." Substitute "Internet freedom" for "liberty," and that's where we are today.

The Republican platform declares:

There is a gulf separating the Democrats' and the Republicans' understanding of Internet freedom. And it essentially comes down to this: Net neutrality regulation is an essential element of Internet freedom for most Democrats. (Note I said "most" because there are certainly individual exceptions, including a number of Hill Democrats; I am referring here mainly to party positions.)

Those favoring net neutrality claim to fear that, without government intervention, Internet service providers might "discriminate" among users or content providers or may block access to web sites. In this view, government must intervene to prevent such discrimination or blocking from occurring.

Those opposing net neutrality fear that the greater threat to Internet freedom arises from giving the government the power -- or, more accurately, the government arrogating unto itself the power -- to determine whether private Internet providers are discriminating among users or content providers, or to force Internet providers to carry content they may prefer not to transmit. This fear is enhanced by the knowledge that net neutrality's "discrimination" prohibition is inherently vague, and, therefore, that the range of bureaucratic discretion is inherently large, if not unbounded.

This divergence is reflected, too, in different understandings of the First Amendment's role. For most who favor net neutrality regulation, including those FCC commissioners who voted for it, such regulation presents no First Amendment free speech problem. The pro-regulatory forces claim that net neutrality mandates are consistent with the First Amendment because the government is merely ensuring that private Internet providers do not interfere with the speech of users and content providers.

Continued here:

Why Net neutrality is incompatible with 'Internet freedom'

Shark sightings shut down Cape Cod beaches

Posted on by

(CBS News) Beach goers in Cape Cod, Mass. found themselves with some unwanted company this Labor Day weekend.

Two sharks were spotted, prompting officials to raise the red flag, banning swimming at some of the areas most popular beaches. From South Beach in Chatham, to the northern tip of Nauset Beach in Orleans, shark sightings are keeping bathers out of the water.

One swimmer said, "Someone told me they can't come close to the edge, but I don't believe that anymore, so I'm just staying out."

The sightings aren't the first of the summer. In July, a man bodyboarding off Truro said he was bitten by a great white shark, the first known attack in those waters in over 75 years. He survived, but the incident led many to question why so many sharks are lurking off the cape.

Biologist and shark expert Simon Thorrold said the sharks are likely responding to an increased number of mammals - but not of the human variety.

"I think we're probably seeing more white sharks in the area at the moment," Thorrold said. "And the white sharks have probably been drawn into the area by a really large increase in the number of grey seals that are in the area."

That suspicion may have been confirmed this week when a family captured dramatic video of a shark attacking a seal off Monomoy Island.

Seals are a staple of a shark's diet. It is estimated 350,000 of them live along the North-Atlantic coast. They have been protected since the 1970s by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

With the resident seal population showing no signs of slowing down, beach goers will have to share the shore with the sharks... at least until the great whites migrate to warmer waters this winter.

For Terrell Brown's full report, click on the video player above.

See the rest here:

Shark sightings shut down Cape Cod beaches

Beautiful beaches come with mulitmillion-dollar price tag, other costs, over years in Martin County

Posted on by

Photo by Photo Provided

File photo contributed by the Martin County Commission Preparations for dredging the St. Lucie Inlet were shown this year in an aerial photograph, which began with the contractor assembling the upland pipe that runs from the inlet 15,000 feet to eventually pump sand into the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge area to the south.

MARTIN COUNTY When it comes to beach restoration, no place on the Treasure Coast comes close to the record of the Town of Jupiter Island, where residents have taxed themselves to pay for 11 beach restorations costing $59.5 million during the past 39 years.

"It's a worthwhile investment," Town Manager Gene Rauth said. "It's to protect beaches that the residents want to enjoy."

Since that first Treasure Coast beach restoration in Jupiter Island in 1973, about $181 million in federal, state and local money has been spent in the three counties to replace sand on beaches, according to figures supplied by officials in Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties and Jupiter Island. This spending counts only large-scale beach restoration projects, not the many more instances when local officials truck or bulldoze sand to smaller erosion hot spots.

The positive effects of wide, sandy beaches on tourism and property values come with multimillion-dollar expenses and environmental risks to sea turtles and nearshore underwater habitat.

Martin County Commissioner Doug Smith said there is a twofold need to restore his county's beaches: It protects the roads and utilities on the barrier island; and beaches are a valuable piece of the local economy.

"When you have beautiful beaches, people come to the state and spend the time, money and energy here that they do," Smith said.

A state-sponsored study of the economic impact of Florida's beaches was published in 2005 by the Catanese Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions at Florida Atlantic University. It presented no separate data for the Treasure Coast's three counties, but included them in an eight-county "Southeast Beach Region" stretching from Brevard County to Key West.

The study stated 25.3 million tourists visited the region's beaches in 2003, spending $9.1 billion and creating 253,000 jobs.

The rest is here:

Beautiful beaches come with mulitmillion-dollar price tag, other costs, over years in Martin County

Astrophoto: Milky Way from Onizuka Astronomy Center, Hawaii

Posted on by

by Nancy Atkinson on September 3, 2012

Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow @universetoday on Twitter

Heres a great view of the Milky Way from the Onizuka Astronomy Center on the Big Island of Hawaii by astronomical artist Fahad Sulehria. To reach the summit of Mauna Kea, where some of the biggest telescopes on Earth reside, visitors must stop at the Onizuka Center for acclimating to the high altitude. The summit is about 4,200 meters (13,796 feet), and the Onizuka Center is located about 2,740 meters (9,000 feet) above sea level. The sky is much clearer and less polluted than most places on Earth, making it an ideal place to do stargazing, writes Sulehria. In the background you see a red glow, which comes from the Halemaumau crater of the famous Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii.

Equipment: Canon 550D with 28-200 mm lens. Exposure: 31s @ ISO 1600/F3.5.

See more of Sulehrias work at his website, Nova Celestia

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means youre giving us permission to post them). Please explain whats in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

Tagged as: Astrophotos

See more here:

Astrophoto: Milky Way from Onizuka Astronomy Center, Hawaii

Waste cooking oil makes bioplastics cheaper

Posted on by

"Bioplastics" that are naturally synthesized by microbes could be made commercially viable by using waste cooking oil as a starting material. This would reduce environmental contamination and also give high-quality plastics suitable for medical implants, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick.

The Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) family of polyesters is synthesized by a wide variety of bacteria as an energy source when their carbon supply is plentiful. Poly 3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is the most commonly produced polymer in the PHA family. Currently, growing bacteria in large fermenters to produce high quantities of this bioplastic is expensive because glucose is used as a starting material.

Work by a research team at the University of Wolverhampton suggests that using waste cooking oil as a starting material reduces production costs of the plastic. "Our bioplastic-producing bacterium, Ralstonia eutropha H16, grew much better in oil over 48 hours and consequently produced three times more PHB than when it was grown in glucose," explained Victor Irorere who carried out the research. "Electrospinning experiments, performed in collaboration with researchers from the University of Birmingham, showed that nanofibres of the plastic produced from oils were also less crystalline, which means the plastic is more suited to medical applications."

Previous research has shown that PHB is an attractive polymer for use as a microcapsule for effective drug delivery in cancer therapy and also as medical implants, due to its biodegradability and non-toxic properties. Improved quality of PHB combined with low production costs would enable it to be used more widely.

The disposal of used plastics - which are largely non-biodegradable - is a major environmental issue. Plastic waste on UK beaches has been steadily increasing over the past two decades and now accounts for about 60% of marine debris. "The use of biodegradable plastics such as PHB is encouraged to help reduce environmental contamination. Unfortunately the cost of glucose as a starting material has seriously hampered the commercialization of bioplastics," said Dr Iza Radecka who is leading the research. "Using waste cooking oil is a double benefit for the environment as it enables the production of bioplastics but also reduces environmental contamination caused by disposal of waste oil."

The next challenge for the group is to do appropriate scale-up experiments, to enable the manufacture of bioplastics on an industrial level.

More information: Dr Radecka's poster presentation "Making bioplastic from different oils" will take place on Monday 3 September at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference 2012.

Provided by Society for General Microbiology

Go here to read the rest:
Waste cooking oil makes bioplastics cheaper

Coconut oil could combat tooth decay

Posted on by

Digested coconut oil is able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay. It is a natural antibiotic that could be incorporated into commercial dental care products, say scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick.

The team from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland tested the antibacterial action of coconut oil in its natural state and coconut oil that had been treated with enzymes, in a process similar to digestion. The oils were tested against strains of Streptococcus bacteria which are common inhabitants of the mouth. They found that enzyme-modified coconut oil strongly inhibited the growth of most strains of Streptococcus bacteria including Streptococcus mutans an acid-producing bacterium that is a major cause of tooth decay.

Many previous studies have shown that partially digested foodstuffs are active against micro-organisms. Earlier work on enzyme-modified milk showed that it was able to reduce the binding of S. mutans to tooth enamel, which prompted the group to investigate the effect of other enzyme-modified foods on bacteria.

Further work will examine how coconut oil interacts with Streptococcus bacteria at the molecular level and which other strains of harmful bacteria and yeasts it is active against. Additional testing by the group at the Athlone Institute of Technology found that enzyme-modified coconut oil was also harmful to the yeast Candida albicans that can cause thrush.

The researchers suggest that enzyme-modified coconut oil has potential as a marketable antimicrobial which could be of particular interest to the oral healthcare industry. Dr Damien Brady who is leading the research said, "Dental caries is a commonly overlooked health problem affecting 60-90% of children and the majority of adults in industrialized countries. Incorporating enzyme-modified coconut oil into dental hygiene products would be an attractive alternative to chemical additives, particularly as it works at relatively low concentrations. Also, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection."

The work also contributes to our understanding of antibacterial activity in the human gut. "Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity. This could have implications for how bacteria colonize the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health," explained Dr Brady. "Our research has shown that digested milk protein not only reduced the adherence of harmful bacteria to human intestinal cells but also prevented some of them from gaining entrance into the cell. We are currently researching coconut oil and other enzyme-modified foodstuffs to identify how they interfere with the way bacteria cause illness and disease," he said.

More information: Dr Brady's poster presentation "Inhibition of cariogenic streptococci using enzyme modified coconut oil" will take place on Monday 3 September at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference 2012.

Provided by Society for General Microbiology

Go here to read the rest:
Coconut oil could combat tooth decay

Tourist tip #38 / Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival

Posted on by

News: Diplomacy and Defense | National | World | Middle East | Features | Opinion | Israel weather

Jewish World: News | Rabbis' Round Table | The Jewish Thinker Culture: Books | Food and Wine | Arts & Leisure

Haaretz.com Blogs: ASpecial Place in Hell | West of Eden | Diplomania | Routine Emergencies | East Side Story

The Axis | Strenger than Fiction | Modern Manna | The Fifth Question | Focus U.S.A.

Haaretz.co.il: | | | 2012 | | | | | 2012 | |

FAQ | Contact us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Employment Opportunities | Advertise on Haaretz.com | People and Departments | Haaretz.com News Widget

Design by Roni Arie | Accelerated by cotendo

Read the original here:

Tourist tip #38 / Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival

NASA Helps Hatch Robots for Drilling Oil Without Humans: Energy

Posted on by

By David Wethe - 2012-09-03T06:12:37Z

NASAs Mars rover has something to teach the oil industry.

Traversing the Red Planet while beaming data through space has a lot in common with exploring the deepest recesses of earth in search of crude oil and natural gas. Robotic Drilling Systems AS, a Norwegian company developing a drilling rig that can think for itself, signed an information-sharing agreement with NASA to discover what it might learn from the rover Curiosity.

The companys work is part of a larger futuristic vision for the energy industry. Engineers foresee a day when fully automated rigs roll onto a job site using satellite coordinates, erect 14-story-tall steel reinforcements on their own, drill a well, then pack up and move to the next site.

Youre seeing a new track in the industry emerging, says Eric van Oort, a former Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) executive whos leading a new graduate-level engineering program focused on automated drilling at the University of Texas at Austin. This is going to blossom.

Apache Corp. (APA), National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV), and Statoil ASA (STL) are among the companies working on technology that will take humans out of the most repetitive, dangerous, and time-consuming parts of oil field work.

It sounds futuristic, says Kenneth Sondervik, sales and marketing vicepresident for Robotic Drilling Systems. He compares it to other areas that have become highly automated, such as car manufacturing or cruise missile systems.

Until recently, robots have been a hard sell in an industry that has long relied on human ingenuity, says Mark Reese, president of rig solutions at National Oilwell Varco.

In the past, its been all about, We need more and more people and experience, and thats the only way to accomplish this task, Reese said.

The 2010 BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico helped shift attitudes, says Clay Williams, chief financial officer at National Oilwell Varco. Eleven men were killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire and sank. Statoil has projected that automation may cut in half the number of workers needed on an offshore rig and help complete jobs 25 percent faster, says Steinar Strom, former head of a research and development unit on automation at the Norwegian company.

More:

NASA Helps Hatch Robots for Drilling Oil Without Humans: Energy

Health Care Heroes: Previous honorees

Posted on by

Health Care Heroes: Previous honorees

This year's event marked the fourth annual celebration of Health Care Heroes.

Past honorees are:

Pete DeBusk, DeRoyal, Lincoln Memorial University;

Bernard Bernstein, Bernstein, Stair & McAdams, University Health System;

Bob Koppel, East Tennessee Children's Hospital

Janell Cecil, University of Tennessee Medical Center;

Dr. Lynn Massingale, TeamHealth;

Joe Dawson, Blount Memorial Hospital

Missy Kane, Covenant Health;

Continued here:

Health Care Heroes: Previous honorees

Former advisers to President Barack Obama seek health care cost control

Posted on by

WASHINGTON Some of President Barack Obama's former advisers are proposing major changes aimed at controlling health care costs as political uncertainty hovers over his health law.

Call it Health Care Overhaul, Version 2.0. Their biggest idea is a first-ever budget for the nation's $2.8-trillion health care system, through negotiated limits on public and private spending in each state.

The approach broadly resembles a Massachusetts law signed this summer by Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick that puts pressure on hospitals, insurers, and other major players to keep rising costs within manageable limits. It could become the Democratic counterpoint to private market strategies favored by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan.

Health costs lie at the heart of budget problems confronting the next president. Health care accounts for 18 percent of the economy and about one-fourth of the federal budget, and many experts believe it can't grow unchecked without harming other priorities. Because the United States spends much more than other advanced countries, there's a consensus that savings from cutting waste and duplication won't harm quality.

"We think of these as the next generation of ideas," said Neera Tanden, who was a senior member of the White House team that helped pass the health law. Tanden is now president of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank close to the administration.

Under the proposal, the major public and private players in each state would negotiate payment rates with service providers such as hospitals. The idea is to get away from paying for each individual test and procedure. Negotiated rates could be based on an entire course of treatment. Payments would have to fit within an overall budget that could grow no faster than the average rise in wages.

The spending limits would be enforced by an independent council, but crucial details need to be spelled out. In Massachusetts, for example, budget-busting providers will be required to file plans with the state laying out how they'll amend their spendthrift ways.

The federal government would provide grants to states interested in developing their plans.

Tanden joined a brain trust of former administration officials floating the proposal recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. The group included Peter Orszag (former budget director), John Podesta (transition director), Donald Berwick (first Medicare chief), Ezekiel Emanuel (Orszag's health policy guru), and Joshua Sharfstein (former No. 2 at the Food and Drug Administration). Also on board was former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., Obama's first pick to shepherd his health care overhaul.

Their proposal includes other ideas, such as a malpractice liability shield for doctors who follow best clinical practices, and competitive bidding for all Medicare supplies and lab tests, not just home health equipment. All of the signers support Obama's health care law, but see cost control as unfinished business.

Continue reading here:

Former advisers to President Barack Obama seek health care cost control