Table of Contents  

National Health Financing News

• Congressional Health Care Reform Slows
• Governors Concerned About Medicaid Expansion in Health Care Reform
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Includes FQBHC Definition in Health Reform Bill
• Wal-Mart Reduces Preferred Brand Name Drugs for Employee Benefit Program
• UnitedHealth to Acquire Some of Health Net
• Segal Company Releases State Employee Health Benefits Report
• Article Assesses the Effects of Medicare Part D
• U.S. PIRG Releases Small Business Health Care Survey
• Gallup Releases Well-Being Poll
• RWJF, KFF, and Rasmussen Release Health Reform Polls
• Commonwealth Report Examines the Individual Insurance Market
• KFF Report Outlines Strategies to Simplify Medicare Advantage Market

Table of Contents  

National Health Financing News

• House Democrats Release Health Care Reform Bill, Senate HELP Committee Approves Bill, and Senate Finance Committee Nears Bi-Partisan Agreement
• Obama Administration Proposes Changes to Medicare Payment Oversight
• President Obama Nominates Benjamin as Surgeon General
• HELP Committee Approves 12-Year Exclusivity Period for Biologics
• CMS Awards MAC Contract for Jurisdiction 7 to TrailBlazer
• Aetna and UnitedHealth Win DoD Contract, Replace Humana and Health Net
• Virgin Islands Delegate Sponsors Legislation Requiring the CBO to Consider Broader Implications of Preventative Health Care
• UnitedHealth and Cisco Partner to Create Virtual Clinics
• Unions Appeal Decision Limiting GM Health Care Support to UAW
• Montana, Wyoming Tribes Receive Grant to Curb Alcohol Abuse
• USA Today/Gallup and McClatchy-Ipsos Release Health Care Reform Polls
• PWC Survey Shows Rising Health Care Costs for U.S. Companies
• SCAN Foundation Report Considers Options for Long-Term Care
• Commonwealth Fund Report Examines Administrative Cost Savings in Health Reform
• ACAP Report Says Medicaid Eligibility Tests Lead to Higher Costs
• Families USA Report Provides State-Level Estimates of Health Insurance Loss
• US News & World Report Releases Hospital Rankings

Table of Contents

National Health Financing News

• Health Care Reform Legislation Slows, House and Senate Rework Financing Methods
• Hospitals Reach Health Reform Deal with Obama Administration
• Senate Passes Bill Allowing Americans to Purchase Drugs from Canada Online
• President Obama Nominates NIH Director
• Secretary Sebelius Announces Application Period for SCHIP Grants
• Shriners Hospitals to Remain Open, Accept Insurance
• Citizens for Tax Justice Release Analyses of Health Reform Financing Mechanisms
• Brief Provides ARRA EHR Spending Estimates
• Survey Finds Employers Favor Phasing In Health Reform
• Study Finds Medicare “Part D” Healthy for Enrollees
• Survey Finds Americans Worried and Misinformed About Insurance Coverage
• GAO Report Tracks ARRA Spending, Finds Most is for Medicaid
• CMS Releases New Hospital Readmission Data

Table of Contents  

National Health Financing News

• HELP Committee Democrats Draft Lower Cost Bill With Public Plan
• Wal-Mart, SEIU, and Podesta Author Letter Supporting Employer Health Insurance Mandate
• Center for American Progress Releases Report Outlining Health Reform Financing Plan
• Pharmaceutical Companies Provide Details on Plan to Contribute $80 Billion to Health Reform
• IOM Panel Releases List of Top 100 Priorities for Comparative Effectiveness Research
• UnitedHealth Group Report Suggests IT Improvements to Help Finance Health Reform
• Rep. Davis Reintroduces Bill to Raise Age Limit for Children’s Coverage Under FEHBP
• Rep. Sanchez Proposes Bill to Allow Medicare to Pay for Adult Day Care Services
• Federal Government Releases Funding for Clinic Expansions
• CMS Proposes Reimbursement Increases for Primary Care, Changes Physician Reimbursement Calculations
• HHS Rescinds Three Medicaid Regulations, Delays Another
• Poll Finds Doctors Increasingly Using Online Tools; Online Visits Growing More Slowly
• CNN/Opinion Research Group Poll Finds Slim Margin of Support for Obama’s Plan
• Study Examines Medicare Part D’s Effect on Other Medical Spending
• CDC Reports Analyze Health Coverage Data
• Study Examines Trends in Mental Health Admissions to Nursing Homes
• ComPsych Reports Most Customers Switching to “Full Parity” In Advance of Law
• Survey Highlights IT Gap Between Behavioral Health and General Health Care
• UCLA Releases Reports Examining Recent Health Reform Efforts in States
• AHRQ Releases State Snapshots
• GAO Report Examines Prescription Drug Cost Controls in Federal Programs
• KFF Brief Examines Recent Health Reform Polls

Around the Hill: Hearings on Health Financing                                           

Congress is out of session for the July 4 recess.  The Senate reconvenes at 2 p.m. July 6 and the House reconvenes at 2 p.m. July 7.                        

Around the States: State and Local Behavioral Health Financing News

Because of the July 4 holiday, the coverage period for this issue of SAMHSA’s Weekly Financing News Pulse ends Thursday July 2, 2009. 

Download SAMHSA's Weekly Financing News Pulse: Weekly Financing News Pulse final 200900706.pdf (581.10 kb)