Uninsured RX

The "demands imposed by the retirement of millions of baby boomers will consume the federal budget and blight the prospects of the next generations" without efforts to address problems with the long-term financial stability of Medicare and other entitlement programs, columnist David Broder writes in the Washington Post. According to Broder, [click link for full article]

Four pharmacy chains and one pharmaceutical wholesaler on Monday filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories over the price of its antiretroviral drug Norvir, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the suit, the companies -- Safeway, Walgreen, [click link for full article]

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt next month will travel to Switzerland and the Netherlands to examine their health care systems, the New York Times reports. Under the systems, all residents must obtain health insurance or pay a fine. [click link for full article]

Massachusetts health care officials this month are boosting efforts to enroll low-income residents in subsidized health insurance plans as the state approaches the Dec. 31 deadline for all residents to obtain coverage or face tax penalties, the Boston Globe reports. [click link for full article]

Summaries of recent developments in the presidential campaign related to health care appear below.Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.): Biden on Friday at a Manchester, N.H., forum sponsored by Divided We Fail, a campaign launched by [click link for full article]

Presidential candidate New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) on Thursday announced a health care proposal that aims to increase the number of insured state residents, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports (Terrell [1], Santa Fe New Mexican, 10/26). [click link for full article]

The following summarizes recent newspaper coverage of efforts by employers to implement wellness programs and other health initiatives for employees.Chronic disease: Many Kansas employers are "intrigued by the potential savings from in-house wellness programs," as the costs for treating preventable illnesses in the state are on the rise, the Wichita Eagle reports. [click link for full article]

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Democratic Caucus Chair Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) on Monday met with a group of Republican lawmakers to discuss whether a new compromise can be reached on revised legislation that would reauthorize and expand SCHIP, CongressDaily reports (Johnson, CongressDaily, 10/30). [click link for full article]

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday delayed a grand jury investigation of abortion provider George Tiller and his Wichita, Kan.-based clinic until it determines if the panel should convene, the AP/Guardian reports (Manning, AP/Guardian, 10/27). [click link for full article]

AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said that the recent announcement by the Government to introduce more GP training places is proof that the Health Minister has been listening to the medical profession about solutions to medical workforce shortages. Dr Capolingua said the AMA welcomes the Government's acknowledgement of the crucial and central role played by general practice in the health system. [click link for full article]