The Senate adopted its fiscal 2010 budget resolution after a day of considering dozens of amendments. The vote was 55-43, with no Republicans supporting the plan and two Democrats--Evan Bayh of Indiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska--voting against it. Read more »
Senate confirmation of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the Department of Health and Human Services probably won't take place until after the coming two-week recess because at least one senator has objected to an expedited procedure to move the nomination. Read more »
Almost one-fifth of Medicare beneficiaries who are discharged from a hospital are readmitted within 30 days, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more »
Health care experts at a forum debated such questions as how payments to medical providers might be structured and how Medicare's administrative costs compare with those of private health insurers. Read more »
The biggest question facing both the budget resolution and this year's health care debate is whether lawmakers will use a fast-track parliamentary maneuver known as reconciliation to pass the health care bill. Read more »
Research into the comparative effectiveness--and cost--of different medical treatments, a key issue in the health care overhaul debate this year, jumped to the fore during Senate debate of the fiscal 2010 budget resolution. Read more »