Free Republic

A recent uptick in health care costs could start ballooning some insurance premiums for Minnesota workers this summer. Medica, one of the state's three largest health insurers, is seeking an average rate increase of 13 percent for about 5,000 people covered through their small-business employers when they renew policies in July. If approved by state regulators, the proposed increase could affect future premiums for an additional 65,000 people in small-business accounts with the Minnetonka-based health insurer. Medica covers about one-fourth of the state's "small group" market -- meaning small businesses with 50 or fewer employees -- and the actual premium...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) cut provisions from his healthcare reform bill that would have given doctors a temporary hike in their Medicare fees, a move he said was actually urged by physician lobbyists. The version of the bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee would have given the doctors a 0.5 percent pay raise next year. Because of chronic flaws in the statutory formula used to calculate how much Medicare pays doctors, they're on the hook for a 21.5 percent pay cut next year. But the doctors didn't want the Senate to pass a one-year fix because they...

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2009 – Coalition forces in Iraq increasingly are working to develop the country’s nonmilitary capabilities, such as its criminal justice and medical systems. In recent weeks, that has meant training the Iraqis in forensic science and medical practices. Capt. Ghissan K. Towman, police department forensic examiner in Hillah, Iraq, dusts a CD for fingerprints under the supervision of Jessica D. Janisch, Joint Expeditionary Forensics Facility 1 certified latent print examiner, during training at the station in southern Iraq, April 2, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Troops...

A Laurel doctor who performed more than 35,000 abortions because he needed the money to pay expenses and educate his children has been indefinitely suspended from practicing medicine in Mississippi. The state medical board took the action Thursday against 54-year-old Dr. Malachy Dehenre. The Laurel resident testified that he did not like performing the abortions but did so because he needed the work. During Thursday's hearing, Dehenre asked for forgiveness, saying: "I don't want to be an outcast. I want to be among the medical community." The state of Alabama took similar action last year after a woman died 18...

WASHINGTON -- The federal government has begun making billions of dollars in payments to bolster private Medicare insurance plans, raising the question: Is it fair to spend substantially more money on some beneficiaries than others? The additional payments, included in the huge overhaul of Medicare that Congress passed last year, have received far less attention than the much-discussed prescription-drug discount card, which went into operation June 1.