Senate Democrats are working to pare the costs of legislation to overhaul the healthcare system, and were considering a reduction in proposed subsidies to help uninsured Americans buy coverage. Alarmed by cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, leaders of the Senate Finance Committee delayed releasing a detailed description of their bill for several days, as they tried to cut the price tag.
"Rationing" has become a rejoinder to anyone who says that the U.S. must reduce its runaway health spending, especially by anyone who favors cutting back on treatments that don't have scientific evidence behind them, says David Leonhardt in this article for the New York Times. Leonhardt says that rationing is not really a substantive argument, but instead "a clever set of buzzwords that tries to hide the fact that societies must make choices."
The University of Findlay (OH) has plans to set up hospitals in selected villages in India to provide medical services for rural population on a par with their urban counterparts. The program was revealed by William E Ruse, a member of the Health Care Management Program at the University of Findlay, while speaking during a conference on India-USA global business and networking strategy.
There is a high vacancy rates among the UK's National Health Service informatics staff—a group that includes software designers, helpdesk technicians, health records managers, data analysts, and directors of IT. A survey last year by the Association for Informatics Professionals in Health and Social Care found vacancy rates across the NHS ranging from 16% for clinical informatics staff to 6% at senior level. The health informatics review in England last summer also identified shortages of key professionals, including people who specialize in data security.
Turkey's top business association says the country should seek a bigger share of the fast developing medical tourism industry. Erdal Karamercan, MD, a member of the acting board of Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association, said Turkey should become a strong alternative for international medical tourism, one of the fastest developing sectors in the world. He said private health institutions with strong infrastructure are continuing to grow in number and the Turkish private health sector was able to handle international competition in terms of hospital infrastructure, staff experience, and technology.
Due to a severe nursing shortage, institutions across Czechoslovakia are offering incentives to attract nurses. One private clinic even offered perks that included a range of plastic-surgery options. In the past year alone, nearly 1,200 nurses have migrated to countries like Germany or Britain in search of better wages, according to the Czech Nurses Association.