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Lobbyists Swarm Around Health Reform Activity
NPR began a series of reports on the health care lobbyists who attend Congressional sessions as part of their campaign. Richard Miller, a "longtime lobbyist for the American Chiropractic Association, says it"s important that the chiropractors keep on top of the health care overhaul legislation - and also take pains to make sure that senators and staff see them doing that, because the chiropractors are small dogs in a big fight." President Barack Obama "certainly sees Washington"s lobbyists as an obstacle to change. He"s tried limiting their access to the executive branch, but that runs into the constitutional question." Lobbying is on the rise: "Between 1998 and 2008, the number of registered lobbyists on health care more than doubled, to 3,627, according to the Center for Responsive Politics." Spending also increased: "Organizations lobbying on health care spent $484.4 million in 2008, more than two and a half times the spending in 1998." The project includes an interactive panoramic photo of lobbyists in the Senate HELP Committee hearing room and asks readers to help identify the players (Overby and Seabrook, 6/25).

University Of Queesnland's Speech Pathology Students Teach The Art Of Smooth Talking, Australia
A group of UQ speech pathology students recently ran an intensive treatment program for people who stutter.
News of the day
House Ways And Means Panel Rejects Amendments To Exclude Abortion Coverage From Health Reform
The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday voted 23-18 to approve its health care reform bill (HR 3200) after rejecting dozens of Republican amendments, including attempts to exclude abortion coverage from the essential benefit package created in the legislation, CQ Today reports. An amendment offered by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) was rejected in an 18-23 vote; Reps. Bill Pascrell (N.J.), Earl Pomeroy (N.D.) and John Tanner (Tenn.) were the only Democrats to support the amendment. The amendment included exceptions for abortion to save the woman"s life or in cases of rape or incest. Committee members voted 19-22 to reject a similar amendment by House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.).The House health reform bill would establish a panel to set a minimum benefits package that health insurers must offer. The bill aims to expand health insurance coverage by mandating that individuals obtain insurance, requiring employers to offer workers coverage or pay a fine, and establishing a health insurance exchange where people could compare and purchase plans. The exchange would include a government-run health insurance option that would compete with private plans (Rubin, CQ Today, 7/17).
Endocrinology

Philadelphia Area Increases Inpatient Hospice Care

A new market emerges for special end-of-life care that is inpatient and offers quiet rooms, home-like settings and high-tech alternatives. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: "For most people, hospice is a collection of services -- and an attitude -- that helps the terminally ill die comfortably at home. But as the number of patients entering hospice grows and as the drugs and technology used to ease pain become more sophisticated, some hospice providers say they"re seeing more patients who need more care than their families can provide at home. That need, combined with the availability of some empty hospital buildings, has led to the creation, since November, of three new inpatient hospice units in this area." The paper reports: "Most hospice patients still die at home, but the percentage who die in an inpatient hospice unit grew from 14 in 2003 to 19.2 in 2007, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). The symptom-management units are meant for short stays, and not all patients who go there die there. Medicare began covering hospice services in 1982, with the idea that hospice was both a better and cheaper way to die than the all-out medical assault many encounter in hospitals. That year, only 25,000 people received hospice services, NHPCO says. In 2007, 1.4 million people were in hospice. ... Hospice experts think health reform may lead to even faster growth as the nation turns to palliative care as a way to rein in the cost of end-of-life treatment" (Burling, 7/12). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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