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Senate to sidestep abortion fight in funding bill

Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate, hoping to avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown when federal funding runs out at the end of the current fiscal year, are likely to advance a stop-gap spending bill that abandons attempts to halt funding for Planned Parenthood, Senator John Cornyn said on Tuesday. “Given the president’s opposition and Democrats’ opposition, at some point I anticipate there will be a clean CR,” Cornyn, the

Democrats block defense spending bill in Senate

Democrats blocked the fiscal 2016 defense spending bill in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, amid a fierce fight with Republicans over tax and spending policy days before a potential Oct. 1 government shutdown. The vote was 54-42, largely along party lines with Republicans voting yes and Democrats no. It meant the appropriations measure failed to achieve the 60-vote majority needed to advance to final passage in the 100-member Senate. Congressional

Exclusive: Americans overpaying hugely for cancer drugs – academic study

Americans are paying way over the odds for some modern cancer drugs, with pharmaceutical companies charging up to 600 times what the medicines cost to make, according to an independent academic study. The United States also pays more than double the price charged in Europe for these drugs – so-called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), a potent class of cancer pills with fewer side effects than chemotherapy.     The analysis by pharmacologist

How Medicare’s 'chronic care management' payments could affect primary care

By Will Boggs MD (Reuters Health) – Medicare’s new “chronic care management” (CCM) payment program could make it more financially feasible for physicians to deliver services between visits. Under the new program, Medicare could reimburse primary care practices about $40 month for such things as medication management and communication with other doctors for patients who have two or more chronic medical conditions. CCM has the potential to organize the coordination

Verse team face Leger appeal

The disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority will on Wednesday hear the appeal by connections of Simple Verse against the decision to demote the filly from first place in the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.