WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama could
seek common ground with Republicans in the looming battle over
Medicare spending by broadening the debate over entitlement
reform to encompass the spiraling healthcare costs that confront
a wide range of Americans.

In recent public remarks the president has identified the
U.S. healthcare system’s sky-high price tag – by far the highest
in the world – as a driving force for Medicare reform.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. drug regulator on Wednesday urged state officials to help close regulatory loopholes involving the safety of compounded drugs, such as the tainted steroid injections at the center of a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak.

At a day-long meeting with officials from all 50 states, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg called for new regulations to head off future public health disasters.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fourteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia so far have told the federal government they plan to operate healthcare exchanges under President Barack Obama’s reform law, leaving Washington with the daunting task of creating online marketplaces for at least two-thirds of the country.

On the eve of a federal deadline for states to say whether they will run their own exchanges, a top U.S. healthcare policy official told lawmakers that the exchanges will start enrolling eligible families starting on October 1, 2013.

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Only 15 U.S. states have told
the federal government they plan to operate health insurance
exchanges under President Barack Obama’s reform law, leaving
Washington with the daunting task of creating online
marketplaces for two-thirds of the country.

On the eve of a federal deadline for states to say whether
they will run their own exchanges, a top U.S. healthcare policy
official told lawmakers that the exchanges will start enrolling
eligible families starting on Oct. 1, 2013.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Only 15 U.S. states plan to operate health insurance exchanges under President Barack Obama’s reform law, leaving Washington with the daunting prospect of creating and operating the new online marketplaces in at least two-thirds of the country.

On the eve of a federal deadline for states to say whether they will run their own exchanges, 11 other states have informed the administration that it should plan to be heavily involved in setting up private health insurance markets within their borders, said Gary Cohen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Only 15 U.S. states plan to
operate health insurance exchanges under President Barack
Obama’s reform law, leaving Washington with the daunting
prospect of creating and operating the new online marketplaces
in at least two-thirds of the country.

On the eve of a federal deadline for states to say whether
they will run their own exchanges, 11 other states have informed
the administration that it should plan to be heavily involved in
setting up private health insurance markets within their
borders, said Gary Cohen, director of the Center for Consumer
Information and Insurance Oversight, on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts voted against recommending Zogenix Inc’s Zohydro painkiller for FDA approval on Friday, citing concerns about the danger of addiction posed by the drug class known as opioids.

But FDA officials said the regulatory agency could still approve the drug for sale in the United States by imposing restrictions on its sale to protect public safety.

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – With rival Democratic and
Republican deficit plans increasingly focused on Medicare,
experts say the two sides could be edging toward common ground
on important changes to the popular health insurance program for
seniors and the disabled.

None of the changes are assured and any specific decisions
would come only after resolution of the “fiscal cliff,” the
combination of tax hikes and spending cuts that’s driving the
discussion.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at bolstering federal oversight of compounded drugs like the tainted steroid injections blamed for a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak.

But the legislation is not likely to move forward in the Republican-controlled chamber. In fact, aides from both parties said neither the House nor the Democratic-led Senate is expected to vote on meningitis legislation this year, given the little time remaining and the overarching focus on so-called “fiscal cliff” deficit-reduction talks.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Dick Durbin, a senior Senate Democrat and close ally of President Barack Obama, urged fellow liberals on Tuesday to consider reforming Medicare and Medicaid, the U.S. healthcare programs they have long fought to shield from spending cuts.

The timing of his message – just as Democrats and Republicans struggling to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” looming early next year – and its prominence may signal that Democratic leaders and the White House will discuss social programs at the fiscal policy negotiating table.