Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, used a national radio address to call on Republicans to back the bill to stave off a 10.6% cut in Medicare payments to doctors. Durbin accused Republicans of putting seniors and military families at risk by siding with President Bush against a measure to prevent the Medicare cuts. Democratic leaders intend to use the an deadline on the cuts to pressure Republicans to switch their votes or be accused of hurting seniors and others.
In a swirl of confusion following the abrupt termination of scores of employees with Children's Hospital Oakland, some children's surgeries were canceled then uncanceled, medical appointments were called off, and clinical staff worried about the future of their patients. County officials also blasted the hospital for the sudden announcement of the layoffs and the planned retooling of outpatient services designed to save $10 million a year at the facility.
Hospital Corporation of America and Children's National Medical Center have announced they will collaborate on staffing, training and equipment for pediatric care at a proposed hospital in Virginia if the project is approved. Children's National will help design Broadlands Regional Medical Center's pediatric emergency room, which will be outfitted with specialized equipment and staff to serve newborns, infants, and teenagers. The partnership comes two months after HCA resubmitted its land-use application to Loudon County, VA, for its planned 24-hour, 164-bed hospital.
A national advertisement by the newly formed group Health Care for America Now will take on insurance companies and argue for comprehensive, affordable healthcare in the United States. Health Care for America Now, an umbrella group of labor unions, healthcare organizations and liberal activists, announced it would spend $40 million to promote affordable healthcare.
If a long-awaited proposal becomes law, people living within the European Union will be able to receive most healthcare treatment anywhere in the 27-nation bloc without getting prior authorization. The plan could extend options to European residents who live in countries where waiting lists are long. It has been postponed for months because of fears in some countries of a large-scale increase in health tourism, but the entitlement applies only to procedures that are publicly financed in European residents' home countries, and reimbursement would be only up to the amount the procedure would cost in that country.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. has announced a lower profit outlook, a restructuring that will trim 4,000 jobs, and a $900 million payout to settle a class-action lawsuit over options backdating. UnitedHealth, the nation's second-largest health insurer, said its restructuring would change operations on every level to focus more on regional coverage. Analysts saw the announcements as perhaps the end of a long rough patch for UnitedHealth.