Amid the work on long-term care reform, legislators passed a welcome bit of legislation on falls prevention.
Bill protects nursing home market basket
By
Liza Berger
Sep 16, 2009
It’s not perfect, but the $856 billion, 10-year bill released today cuts nursing homes some slack. To be specific, the bill, which was released by the Senate Finance Committee, would not reduce the...
Senator calls for Medicare cuts to nursing homes
By
Liza Berger
Sep 09, 2009
Nursing homes have been arguing against Medicare reductions in House healthcare reform legislation. Now they are facing a similar fight in the Senate. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance...
View from a healthcare town hall meeting
By
Brett Bakshis
Sep 02, 2009
“There are certain rules we ask our students to follow during assemblies,” Dr. Nanciann Gatta, superintendent of Illinois School District 219, said before introducing Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s...
Workers, get your flu shots
By
Liza Berger
Sep 01, 2009
This week, an infection control group issued a new, more urgent message about employee vaccinations: Facilities should require flu vaccinations for workers with direct contact with patients. And employees...
Healthcare to miss Kennedy
By
Liza Berger
Aug 26, 2009
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), who died late Tuesday at 77, shepherded pivotal healthcare legislation through Congress. His best accomplishment may have been yet to come, according to the leader of a major...
Longer life expectancy has an underside
By
Liza Berger
Aug 20, 2009
A child born in 2007 can expect to live to nearly 78, according to preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of course, that is good news. Everyone should be entitled to...
Public reactions to healthcare reform depressing, disturbing
By
Liza Berger
Aug 19, 2009
I can’t help but cheer some comments Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) made on Tuesday. In his brash way of speaking, he summed up my sentiments exactly. On Tuesday during a town-hall meeting in his state,...
Seniors take Medicare cuts seriously
By
Liza Berger
Aug 11, 2009
Lawmakers should have seen it coming. When they proposed cutting Medicare by the billions over the next decade they should have suspected that seniors would rise up to protest. And that’s exactly what...
Enacting Medicare cuts in name of healthcare reform is reckless, irresponsible
By
Liza Berger
Jul 30, 2009
This healthcare reform debate is swirling faster than a Tilt-A-Whirl at an amusement park. It has been swinging from a move toward the removal of a public option to reports of senators still bogged down...