Continue reading Dendreon Sinks on Lengthy Medicare Timeline

Dendreon Sinks on Lengthy Medicare Timeline originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of CardioNet (BEAT) were punished Monday morning after an unfavorable decision from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The administrative group proposed that the reimbursement rates on the technical component of mobile cardiovascular telemetry should stay carrier-priced for 2011, defying CardioNet's wishes to obtain a national reimbursement rate for the technology.

Now, CardioNet will attempt to lobby CMS during the public comment period prior to the final ruling, which is due by Nov. 1. "We will work diligently during the public comments period to request that CMS change its recommendation to one that is more beneficial to Medicare recipients who depend on" devices containing CardioNet's technology, explained CEO Joe Capper.

Continue reading CardioNet Collapses on Medicare Disappointment

CardioNet Collapses on Medicare Disappointment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

President Obama plans to hold a health care summit to try and piece back together fractured health care legislation. He is expected to announce that it would include denying or rolling back unwarranted increases by health insurance companies.

Here are some key points to his proposal:

• Most Americans would buy health insurance with federal subsidies to help them afford premiums.
• It would bar insurance companies from denying coverage to people with medical problems or charging them more.

Continue reading President's Health Care Summit to Limit Insurance Price Hikes

President's Health Care Summit to Limit Insurance Price Hikes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been overlooked -- it's received scant coverage by the popular press -- but it's worth repeating: one benefit of the health care reform legislation will be enhanced employee mobility.

Don't misunderstand: a bill that prohibits discrimination by insurance companies due to medical condition/history, provides substantial subsidies for those who don't have health insurance from their employer, and that also offers much-needed tax breaks for small businesses who do provide coverage, is a major accomplishment. It's big change and it's big news. If the health care reform bill passes, it would be the biggest social policy advance by the United States since the passage of Medicare in 1965, and it would rank third behind the latter and the establishment of Social Security in 1935 in terms of social safety net significance.

Continue reading Employee Mobility, Options Would Increase Under Health Care Reform Bill

Employee Mobility, Options Would Increase Under Health Care Reform Bill originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The U.S. Senate voted along party lines, 60 to 39, to proceed with debate on health care reform.

The last two holdouts, Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana decided to finally vote with the majority.

Details of the bill are sketchy at this point. The Senate version would require most everyone to purchase health care. Coverage would be extended to an additional 30 million persons. Coverage could not be denied for preexisting conditions.

Continue reading The U.S. Senate votes 60 to 39 for health care debate

The U.S. Senate votes 60 to 39 for health care debate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Reid eyeing 0.4%-0.5% Medicare payroll tax hike for health care reform

Reid eyeing 0.4%-0.5% Medicare payroll tax hike for health care reform originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Health care reform update: Look for an overhaul that gives Congress flexibility

Health care reform update: Look for an overhaul that gives Congress flexibility originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Some advice: if health care reform doesn't pass, become a doctor, nurse, or health care employee

Some advice: if health care reform doesn't pass, become a doctor, nurse, or health care employee originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading What's the outlook for health care costs in the years ahead?

What's the outlook for health care costs in the years ahead? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When an analyst causes the rally (BEAT, SCHW, CIT, DELL, GS, POT)

Closing Bell: When an analyst causes the rally (BEAT, SCHW, CIT, DELL, GS, POT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When my son had a huge boil under his arm, it turned out that it was filled with the killer staph, MRSA. It also turns out that my (otherwise) great doctor used a traditional lab to process the test, which took a week to determine it was MRSA.

Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD) manufactures the equipment and test that takes just two hours to do the same thing -- and is better and cheaper than traditional tests. CPHD wins 90%-plus of all competitive bids and its test could be available in low-tech facilities, such as doctor's offices or nursing homes, next year.

The big catalyst for this stock, however, is that Medicare will stop paying for all hospital-acquired infections except MRSA in October. So institutions need a quick test if they are going to be reimbursed for treatment.

The stock has fallen from $30 to under $9. It's worth $20 - $22 to an acquirer.

Your best strategy for life-changing profits?

Buy the call options.

Next: Biotech Stock #4

Continue reading Biotech stock #3: Cepheid (CPHD)

Biotech stock #3: Cepheid (CPHD) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Humana (HUM) plummets on Medicare warning

Humana (HUM) plummets on Medicare warning originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wellpoint (WLP) forced to halt Medicare marketing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In this series, we take a look at the 25 stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) that have turned in the worst performance during the past decade -- what went wrong, and what happens next.

Former hippies might notice that the ticker symbol for Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) is also the acronym for the active compound in marijuana, but this apparent inattention to detail is likely the least of the company's concerns. When Tenet was formed in 1995, it was born out of a merger between American Medical International and scandal-plagued National Medical Enterprises. Executives at the newly reborn healthcare services company hoped that its new name would help erase any unpleasant investor associations with its previous incarnation.

What went wrong? At number 19 on our list of SPX losers, THC shed 73% of its value during the 10-year period ending June 30, 2008. Prior to a stomach-churning sell-off in the fall of 2002, the shares were entrenched in a near-vertical uptrend that peaked at $52.50. It seems that a seedy healthcare services company by any other name ...

October 2002 marked the stock's peak, as well as the beginning of its steep descent. First, the company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that surpassed analysts' estimates by 2 cents per share. A few weeks later, Tenet was named co-defendant in a lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who'd accepted an artificial heart, which she alleged "stripped him of his human dignity." This relatively minor suit, worth just $100,000, wouldn't break THC -- but it nonetheless heralded the beginning of the end. Toward the end of the month, the shares tumbled sharply after an analyst downgraded Tenet and warned that it was too dependent on Medicare reimbursements from the government.

Continue reading Worst 10-year performers: Medicare fraud accusations catch up with Tenet Healthcare

Worst 10-year performers: Medicare fraud accusations catch up with Tenet Healthcare originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Housing sector slump seen decreasing some Baby Boomers' nest eggs

Housing sector slump seen decreasing some Baby Boomers' nest eggs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

UnitedHealth (UNH) drops on potential Medicare bill originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading The economics of Social Security, Medicare, and you

The economics of Social Security, Medicare, and you originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While it comes as no surprise, both Medicare and Social Security are financial disasters waiting to happen. In a report issued today by trustees of these two large government programs, while the dates of bankruptcy are unchanged, the date of the programs being cash flow negative have moved up to a date closer than was previously thought.

According to an AP report: " The first year that payments will exceed income for Social Security will occur in 2017, just nine years from now, reflecting growing demands from the retirement of 78 million baby boomers. Medicare is projected to pay out more than it receives in income starting this year.

"The financial difficulties facing Social Security and Medicare pose enormous challenges," the trustees said in their report. "The sooner these challenges are addressed, the more varied and less disruptive their solutions can be."

Continue reading If you are under 40 forget about getting Social Security

If you are under 40 forget about getting Social Security originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Bush announces new $3.1 trillion budget plan

Bush announces new $3.1 trillion budget plan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Age discrimination tested in Medicare decision originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.