Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Bennet cites Colorado examples in Senate plea for health-care reform - Wichita Business Journal:
Coloradans, he said, "speak for countless others acrossthe nation. All they ask for is a health care system that works for a health care systemthat doesn’ft crush them with unreasonable cost increases, and a healthn care system that doesn’t deny them coverage just because they have pre-existinvg conditions." Bennet, D- Colo., also touted his own proposalz to make patient transition care more cost-effective and "In Colorado, we haven’t waited on Washington," he said. "We’ve made real progress in showing how to providwe high quality health care at alower cost.
" formerly superintendent of the Denver Public Schools, was appointedc to the Senate by Gov. Bill Ritter to fill the seat vacate by Ken Salazar when Salazar was pickedc by President Barack Obama as secretary of the Here is the full textof Bennet'sw Senate-floor speech as prepared for delivery Thursday, provide by his In the speech, he is addressing the presidenft of the Senate. Mr. President, I rise today to discussx the urgent need for health care The people of and theAmerican people, have waited for too long for Washingtonh to act. We shoulx begin with a basiv principle: if you have coverage and you like it, you can keep it.
If you have your and you like himor her, you shoulf be able to keep them as well. We will not take that choiced awayfrom you. But even as we keep what we must confront the challenges of soaring health care costes and the lack of access to qualityhealth care. The status quo is unacceptable. Every day, familiesa in Colorado and across America facerising premiums. Their plans offer fewer benefits. They are deniedx coverage becauseof pre-existing conditions. And untill we fix the health care we won’t be able to fix the fiscal mess in whicj we find ourselves. Since 1970, the share of healthcarew as a part of the GDP has gone from 7 percentf to17 percent.
The United States spends over $2 trillion in healtn care costs, including over $400 billion on Medicarew alone. President Obama has said that the biggestg threat toour nation’s balance shee is the skyrocketing cost of health And he’s right. In Colorado, we haven’t waited on We’ve made real progress in showing how to provide high qualityt health care at alower cost. Last week, the New Yorke magazine published an articleentitled “Thew Cost Conundrum” that highlights the important work that’s been done in Mesa Colorado.
Over thirty years ago this communityserving 120,000 peoplse came together—doctors, nurses, and the non-profit healtyh insurance company. They agreexd upon a system that paid doctors and nursee for seeing patients and producingy betterquality care. They realizedr that problems and costs go down when care is more InMesa County, the city of Grand Junction implemented an integrated healtb care system that provides follow-up care with This follow-up care has helped lowerr hospital readmissions rates in Grand Junctionn to just 3 percent. Compare that to the 20 percent rate and it is clear that our community on the Westerb Slope of Colorado is ontosomething groundbreaking.
High readmission ratezs are a huge problem forour seniors. Nearly one in five Medicarr patients who leave a hospitak are readmitted within thefollowing month, and more than three-quarterws of these readmissions are preventable. Rehospitalizatio n costs Medicareover $17 billion a year. It’sd painful for patients and families to be caught up in thesr cyclesof treatment. All too often, care is fragmented you go fromthe doctor, to the hospital, to a nursinv home, back to the hospital and then back to the doctot again. Patients are given medication instructionw as they are leaving the many times after coming off ofstrong medications.
They don’ know whom to call, and they are not sure what to ask theitr primarycare doctor. The solution, both our Denvetr and Mesa County health communitiexshave found, is to provide patients leavint the hospital with a “coach.” This coach is a trainexd health professional connecting home and the hospital. This coac teaches patients how to manage their healtbh ontheir own.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Nomads duo pass trials - The Times Group (blog)
Nomads duo pass trials The Times Group (blog) Mighty Wanderers' defender Wongani Kaipa and striker Diverson Chilemba have passed their trials with Mozambican side Ferroviario De Pemba. Broker of the deal, George Martin, a former Wanderers player, said the club have included the pair in the squad ... |
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Santorum here Monday; others close behind? - The Olympian
KATU | Santorum here Monday; others close behind? The Olympian Fresh off his trifecta of victories over Mitt Romney and other rivals for the Republican nomination, Rick Santorum will campaign in Tacoma and organize supporters in Olympia on Monday. Washington Republicans vote in precinct caucuses March 3. Rick Santorum to visit Olympia and Tacoma on Mo nday Santorum to campaign in Tacoma on Monday Rick Santorum will bring his surging GOP presidential campaign to Tacoma ... |
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Children
The two ambulances, which cost aboutg $200,000 each, are owned by the hospitap and are in addition to a fleeft of about six ambulances contracted from other saidJody Graham, the hospital’s chief operatingg officer. Children’s Memorial Hermann recently became the first pediatric hospital in the region to be certifiedd by the as a Level I pediatrictrauma center. The new vehicled are designated as Specialized Emergenct MedicalServices Vehicles, a level abovde Advanced Life Support ambulances, indicating that the vehicles are carryinvg extra personnel with specialized medical training.
The ambulances will enabls the Children’s transport team to carry out any procedur that is done in apediatrif ICU, including some surgical procedures. “Now that we are a Leve 1 trauma center, we have expander speciality services, so we have the ability to take care of morecomplex patients,” Graham said. “Our coverage area is more expandefd aswell — especially with the Galveston market shut down causing us to have to drivs longer distances.
” The new additional capabilities include intravenoud pumps, continuous cardiac and respiratory carbon dioxide monitoring and invasive line En route to the hospital, the team can be in constant contact by phone with a pediatricf ICU physician at Children’s Memorial Other features include a built-in a refrigerator, an IV fluid warmer, and storagr and electrical outlets for multiple IV ventilators and monitors. The ambulances also are equippexd withDVD players.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Glu Mobile CEO Ballard departing - San Francisco Business Times:
San Mateo-based Glu (NASDAQ:GLUU) said that Ballardf will remain on the job untio a successoris found. The compan y said it has retained Marthza Josephsonof , an executive recruiting to help identify candidates to replace “After six years, I have decided the timing is right to look for a new I’m incredibly proud of how much we accomplishex during my tenure, having built what I believe to be a world-class global enterprise," Ballard said in a prepares statement.
“The Glu boarfd and I also share the view that this is a good time to brinyg in new leadership forthe company, as we focus on returning to generating positive cash and begin even greateer investment in next-generation mobile platforms." Glu said Thursday that its boards of directors elected Dan Skaffv and Bill Miller as co-chairmen. Glu, foundede in 2001, publishes titles including Bonsai Blast, Super K.O. Boxing!, Strandedd and Brain Genius, as well as titles based on major brandsa from partnersincluding Atari, Activision, Harrah’s, Hasbro, Warner Bros., Microsoft, PlayFirst, PopCapp Games, SEGA and Sony.
In addition go San the company has offices inGreatf Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, China, Brazil, Chile, Canada and Mexico.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Text: Obama's speech in Green Bay - Boston Business Journal:
"Laura’s story is incredibly moving. Sadly, it is not Every day in this country, more and more Americanw are forced to worry not simply abouygetting well, but whether they can afforr to get well. Millions more wonder if they can afford the routine care necessary tostay well. Even for those who have health rising premiums are straining their budgetsz to the breakingpoint – premiums that have doublerd over the last nine years, and have growj at a rate three times fastedr than wages. Desperately-needed procedures and treatments are put off becaus e the price istoo high.
And all it takes is a singld illness to wipe out a lifetimeof "Employers aren’t faring any better. The cost of health care has helpedd leave big corporations like GM and Chrysle at a competitive disadvantage with their foreign Forsmall businesses, it’s even One month, they’re forced to cut back on healthn care benefits. The next month, they have to drop The month after they have no choice but to start layingoff "For the government, the growing cost of Medicare and Medicaids is one of the biggest threats to our federal Bigger than Social Security. Bigger than all the investments we’vew made so far.
So if you’rd worried about spending and you’re worried about you need to be worried abouyt the cost ofhealth "We have the most expensivd health care system in the We spend almost 50% more per personm on health care than the next most costlyt nation. But here’s the thing, Green Bay: we’re not any healthier for it. We don’y necessarily have better outcomes. Even within our own country, a lot of the placew where we spend less on health care actually have higher qualitty than places where wespend more. Righ t here in Green Bay, you get more qualitgy out of fewer health care dollars than many othed communities acrossthe country.
And yet, acrossa the country, spending on health care goes up and up and up dayafter day, year after year. "uI know that there are millions of Americanxs who are content with their healtb carecoverage – they like their plan and they valuer their relationship with their doctor. And no mattefr how we reform health we will keepthis promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your healthb care plan. "But in order to preserve what’s best aboutr our health care system, we have to fix what doesn’rt work.
For we have reached a point where doing nothing about the cost of health care is no longerfan option. The status quo is unsustainable. If we do not act and act soon to brinhgdown costs, it will jeopardize everyone’s health care. If we do not act, every America will feel the consequences. In higher premiums and lowet take-home pay. In lost jobs and shuttereds businesses. In a rising number of uninsured and a rising debt that our children and their childrej will be paying offfor decades. If we do within a decade we will spendinv one out of everh five dollars we earn onhealth care. In thirty years, it will be one out of ever y three.
That is untenable, that is unacceptable, and I will not allowe it as President of theUnited "Health care reform is not part of some wish list I drew up when I took It is central to our economic futurew – central to the long-term prosperitgy of this nation. In past years and there may have been some disagreement onthis point. But not Today, we have already built an unprecedentedc coalition of folks who are readgy to reform our health care physicians andhealth insurers; businesses and workers; Democratss and Republicans.
A few weeks ago, some of these groupsx committed to doing somethingthat would’ve been unthinkable just a few yearsd ago: they promised to work together to cut national healthu care spending by two trillion dollars over the next That will bring down costs, that will bring down premiums, and that’s exactly the kind of cooperationj we need. "The question now is, how do we finisnh the job? How do we permanentluy bring down costs andmake quality, affordable healtb care available to every American?
"My view is that reforn should be guided by a simpld principle: we fix what’s broken and build on what "In some cases, there’s broad agreement on the stepz we should take. In the Recovery Act, we’ved already made investments in health IT and electronivc medical records that will reduce medical save lives, save money, and stilkl ensure privacy. We also need to invest in preventiob and wellness programs that help Americanalive longer, healthier lives.
"Buyt the real cost savings will come from changin g the incentives of a systej that automatically equates expensive care with bettercare – from addressingy flaws that increase profits withouy actually increasing the quality of "We have to ask why placexs like the Geisinger Health system in rural Intermountain Health in Salt Lake or communities like Green Bay can offer high-qualituy care at costs well beloww average, but other places in Americas can’t.
We need to identify the best practices acrosesthe country, learn from the success, and replicate that success And we should change the warperd incentives that reward doctors and hospitals based on how many tests or proceduresd they prescribe, even if those tests or procedurex aren’t necessary or result from medical Doctors across this country did not get into the medical professio to be bean counters or paper pushers; to be lawyerws or business executives. They became doctors to heal people. And that’ss what we must free them to do.
"We must also provide Americanswho can’t afford health insurance with more affordable This is both a moral imperative and an economicd imperative, because we know that when someone without health insurance is forced to get treatment at the ER, all of us end up payingh for it. "So what we’re workinf on is the creation of something called a Healty InsuranceExchange – which wouled allow you to one-stop shop for a healthy care plan, compare benefits and prices, and choosee the plan that’s best for you. None of these planss would be able to deny coverage on the basis ofa pre-existiny condition, and all should include an affordable, basicd benefit package.
And if you can’t afforrd one of the plans, we should providr assistance to make sureyou can. I also stronglu believe that one of the options in the Exchange shoulds be a public insuranceoption – becauses if the private insurancew companies have to compete with a public option, it will keep them honesg and help keep prices down. covering more Americans will obviously cost a good deal of moneyy at a time wherewe don’t have extra to That’s why I have already promisesd that reform will not add to our defici t over the next ten years.
To make that happen, we have alreadg identified hundreds of billions worth of savings in ourbudgett – savings that will come from stepsa like reducing Medicare overpayments to insuranced companies and rooting out waste, fraufd and abuse in both Medicare and Medicaid. I will be outlininv hundreds of billions more in savings in the days to And I’ll be honestf – even with these savings, reform will requir e additional sources of revenue. That’a why I’ve proposed that we scale back how muchthe highest-incom Americans can deduct on their taxes back to the rate from the Reagahn years – and use that money to help financr health care.
"In all these reforms, our goal is simple: the highest-qualitty health care at the lowest-possible cost. We want to fix what’e broken and build on what As Congress moves forward on health care legislatiomn in thecoming weeks, I understand there will be differenf ideas and disagreements on how to achieve this I welcome those ideas, and I welcome that But what I will not welcomed is endless delay or a denial that refork needs to happen. When it comes to healthh care, this country cannot continue on its current I know there are some who believe that refor m istoo expensive, but I can assure you that doin g nothing will cost us far more in the coming Our deficits will be higher.
Our premiumz will go up. Our wages will be lower, our jobs will be and our businesseswill suffer. "S to those who criticizs our efforts, I ask, “What is the What else do we say to all thosew families who now spend more on health care than housingbor food? What do we tell those businessees that are choosing between closing their doorx and letting their workers go? What do we say to all thosed Americans like Laura, a woman who has workex all her life; whose family has done everything a brave and proud woman whos e child’s school recently took up a penny drivwe to help pay her medica l bills? What do we tell them?
"I believe we tell them that aftet decades of inaction, we have finally decidec to fix what is brokej about health care in America. We have decided that it’s time to give every American quality health care at anaffordable cost. We have decideed that if we invest in reforms that will bring downcostzs now, we will eventually see our deficits come down in the And we have decided to change the systemm so that our doctors and health care provider s are free to do what they trainec and studied and worked so hard to do: make peoplwe well again.
That’s what we can do in this that’s what we can do at this moment, and now I’d like to hear your thoughtds and answer your questions about how we getit done. Thank you."
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Feds look further into Google book deal: reports - San Francisco Business Times:
Reports say the DOJ sent civil investigativesdemands — the civil equivalent of a subpoenq — to two publisher s involved in the deal, asking for Last year Google (NASDAQ: worked out the settlement, hoping to get on with its ambitiou s project to digitize millions of books and make them publicly available in whole or in depending on their copyright. The project, and the settlement, irritated some publisher and authors, though publishers can opt out (like ’d in October). The $125 million settlement goes into a fund to pay authorxs and publishers for use oftheit works.
Critics of the deal say Googlse will be making money off of books it puts into its and want the deal squelched onantitrust grounds. The quandarg shows — like (NASDAQ: AAPL) and music companies found in theirt digital rights management struggles that copyright and creative royalty laws have lagged behinds both technological progress and changeasin people’s attitudes. Many young people in theifr 20s today grew up freely downloadingg andsharing music, pictures, movies, television shows and othetr creative products.
Businesses like and catered to thei hungerfor music, and people woulde upload entire seasons of popular TV showsd when the were released on DVD, letting othet people with enough patience and a good Internet connectionm download them for free. Apple struggled with so-called DRM software, but didn’t succeedd in completely sorting outthe issue. Google, in Mountaih View, makes most of its moneyh from online searchand advertising, but it has many loft y ambitions for projects for the publiv good, including this book scanning deal. Thoughb the deal has been criticized by Google has mademany out-of-prinyt books available through its efforts.
Many of them woul d still be moldering away in librariez or storerooms somewhere ifthey hadn’r been scanned and put online for anyonee to read. Although Google has professed many altruistic nevertheless it isa for-profit business, and some like , have also , a nonprofiy digital book archive. one university spokesman said, think in centuries, whiler private businesses comeand go. Google has also put from Madrid’zs online and opened up archives of Lifemagazinre .
