Tom Daschle Has His Own Health Plan
from The Los Angeles Times, Dec. 16, 2008
 By choosing former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head his healthcare reform effort, President-elect Barack Obama got more than an old congressional hand with a policy book on his resume. Obama has also picked up a hardheaded political strategy for his push to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. Daschle, who will lead both the Department of Health and Human Services and a new White House Office of Health Reform, favors moving decisively to seize political momentum and, if necessary, cut off opposition, something he said Clinton failed to do in 1993. He thinks delays by the Clinton administration and soft support from the left in the early 1990s allowed Republicans and industry groups such as insurers to kill the Clinton plan with a well-organized political campaign that made voters afraid of reform. Daschle is urging a far more aggressive push by those advocating systemic change. More
Medicare Pushes Doctors to Prescribe Online
from The Associated Press via Click2Houston.com, Dec. 17, 2008
The push for paperless prescriptions is about to get a boost: Starting in January, doctors who e-prescribe can get bonus pay from Medicare. For patients, the benefits are obvious - from shorter drugstore waits to increased safety, as pharmacists no longer squint to decipher doctors' messy handwriting. But persuading U.S. doctors to ditch their prescription pads for electronic prescribing so far has been a long, uphill battle. Only about 10 percent of doctors are taking the plunge. Still, the movement is gaining steam as Medicare warns that its bonus payments are for a short time only: Holdouts still sticking to paper in 2012 will find their Medicare payments cut. More
University of North Texas Health Science Center’s M.D. Proposal Stirs Debate
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dec. 12, 2008
The University of North Texas Health Science Center could begin offering M.D. degrees within a few years if school officials approve a proposal to add that program to its osteopathic medicine curriculum. Science center President Scott Ransom notified students, employees and alumni this week that the Fort Worth medical school is considering creating the M.D. program. The science center’s 38-year-old Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine now offers a D.O. degree. Most graduates go on to practice primary medical care, such as general internal medicine and pediatrics. "We’re really considering adding an M.D. option. But one thing must be very, very clear: This is in addition to the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine," Ransom said Thursday. "We believe we can enhance that D.O. program, improve the quality, improve the opportunities for students." Osteopathic doctors and allopathic physicians, known as M.D.s, are both licensed to prescribe drugs, perform surgeries and practice the full scope of medicine. But osteopathic medicine, which dates to the 1870s, also emphasizes a "whole person" approach to care. More
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Insurers Seek Presence at Health Care Sessions
from The New York Times, Dec. 17, 2008
When supporters of President-elect Barack Obama hold house parties to discuss ways of fixing the health care system over the next two weeks, they may find some unexpected guests. The health insurance industry is encouraging its employees and satisfied customers to attend. A trade group representing some of the nation’s largest health care businesses, including drug companies, is organizing several meetings. The American Medical Association and other medical societies are encouraging doctors to get involved. The meetings, originally envisioned as a way to make good on Mr. Obama’s commitment to "health care reform that comes from the ground up," could thus turn into living-room lobbying sessions involving some of the biggest stakeholders in the health care industry. More
Gov. Perry Names Zeitler President of Texas Medical Board
from The San Angelo Standard Times, Dec. 11, 2008
Gov. Rick Perry has named Irvin E. Zeitler Jr. of San Angelo president of the Texas Medical Board (TMB) for a term to expire at the pleasure of the governor. The board protects and enhances the public's health, safety and welfare by establishing and maintaining standards of excellence used in regulating the practice of medicine and ensuring quality health care for the citizens of Texas. Zeitler is vice president of medical affairs at the Shannon Medical Center and a staff physician at the Shannon Senior Center, as well as a member of the Texas Medical Association. More
Students Collect Bikes, Helmets for Children
from Burleson-Crowley Connection, Dec. 15, 2008
Nearly 450 children in and around Johnson County will receive bicycles and tricycles at no cost this Christmas because of the fundraising efforts of Mansfield high school students. Ben Barber Career Tech Academy’s automotive students raised $20,933 to purchase bicycles and tricycles in this year’s Bikes for Angels program, said Rick Curlee, automotive coordinator and professor at Ben Barber. On Tuesday, Curlee and students gathered in a 200 by 180 foot shop at Ben Barber filled wall to wall with bicycles and tricycles to celebrate the community’s generosity. Angela Donahue of the Texas Medical Association Foundation and Ed Foster of the Mansfield Sunrise Rotary club presented Curlee and students with more than 400 helmets to go with the bicycles and tricycles. More
Necessary Medicine?
from The New York Times, Dec. 13, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama placed a heavy bet last week that the recession-wracked country he is about to inherit has finally reached its tipping point on health care. It might seem counterintuitive to gamble that political and economic forces would converge at such a low point after more than half a century of failure. The Treasury has never been so overcommitted, and providing “affordable, accessible health care for every single American,” as Mr. Obama describes his goal, would require substantial resources up front. But Mr. Obama, like others, sees political opportunity in the country’s economic distress, and he threw in last week with those who argue that the financial crisis has only made it more imperative to remake the health delivery system - that, in fact, economic recovery depends on it. More
Taking It to the Bank: A New Strategy for Health Plans
from American Medical News, Dec. 22, 2008
After dropping non-health-insurance businesses, such as life insurance and reinsurance, years ago, the biggest health plans are rediversifying into the money management and banking businesses. Employer-based health insurance does not appear to be at risk of losing its prime position with health plans, but plans are seeking the health savings account market, and many have started banks to capture it. Though consumer-directed care has taken off more slowly than projected, the growth of high-deductible health plans paired with HSAs has quickened since 2005. There were about $9.4 billion in HSAs at the end of 2007, according to industry estimates. More
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