Across the country, doctors, insurers and healthcare executives are donating much more to Democratic candidates than in past campaigns. Some say the trend is an indication that the industry is ready for major change to the healthcare system.
Caritas Carney Hospital in Boston continues to lose money and its owner, the Archdiocese of Boston, can't keep injecting cash to keep it afloat. Management is considering shuttering, selling, or drastically changing the hospital--and a decision is expected by the end of 2007.
A new advertising campaign seeks to promote a heart stent, the Cypher, to doctors and patients. The campaign has stirred criticism among doctors who oppose direct-to-consumer advertising of drugs and devices, and especially among doctors who contend that stents are being implanted too often in patients who might do better with other treatments.
Insurers UnitedHealth and Humana are betting heavily on the federal Medicare program. In the Medicare sign-up period now under way, Humana hopes to add at least 200,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees, while UnitedHealth already has 1.3 million Medicare Advantage customers and is pushing for more.
According to a study, antibiotics and nasal steroids work no better than a placebo in combating sinus infections. An editorial accompanying the article noted that sinus problems account for 25 million doctor's office visits in the United States each year.