Gifts, big and small, can have an impact on how we feel and what we do. We all know it. When your co-worker unexpectedly gives you a holiday box of chocolates, you feel guilty and petty about snubbing him because he stole your stapler. And no one knows mo

Many of us in the advocacy world have been quick to point out examples of things we’d rather re-gift this season. But, as the days start to get longer, it’s worth acknowledging a big win for consumers in 2011 – the preservation of the medical loss ratio

Last week Community Catalyst and six California-based senior and consumer groups wrote to the California delegation of the U.S. House in support of a federal system to track the authenticity of prescription drugs. The letter expressed support for the lead

Two important pieces of news on the health access and transparency front arrived in time for the holidays: Modern Healthcare’s analysis of non-profit hospital tax reports shows, for the first time ever , what hospitals spend nationally on charity care,

After caving in to a rebellion from the tea-party wing of the House Republican caucus, Speaker Boehner has pulled the plug on a bipartisan agreement to do a two month extension on a number of expiring federal policies -- including a patch on the Medicare

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Attorney-General’s office announced a $24 million dollar settlement resulting from an investigation of pricing fraud in state programs by fourteen different drug makers. This settlement follows a ground-breaking lawsuits file

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Attorney-General’s office announced a $24 million dollar settlement resulting from an investigation of pricing fraud in state programs by fourteen different drug makers. This settlement follows a ground-breaking national settl

Last Friday, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a bulletin, sub-regulatory guidance, on the essential health benefits (EHB) package. This highly anticipated guidance was a bit of a letdown—kind of like the ugly reinde

Viewed through the lens of the approaching holidays, the spending bill Congress wrapped up last weekend is a mixed bag for the Affordable Care Act and other health programs. Overall, the big gift is that the major health care cuts House Republicans had pr