Four advocacy groups launched a $1 million advertising blitz on Tuesday urging President-elect Barack Obama to focus on healthcare reform during his first 100 days in office.

The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, both long-term care groups, praised President-elect Barack Obama Monday for promoting an economic-stimulus package that includes needed Medicaid funds for states.

The current U.S. Senate should consider the $61 billion economic stimulus package that the House passed earlier this fall, suggested House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a press conference this week.

Tom Daschle and Howard Dean are rumored to be possible choices for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in president-elect Barack Obama's administration.

President-elect Barack Obama has laid out ambitious proposals in the area of healthcare reform. But such reform initially might be put on the back burner because of pressing economic concerns, industry observers say.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama last night was elected the next president of the United States. His proposals for long-term care include financing reform.

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey told a panel of state and federal long-term care policy experts to push Congress to pass a stimulus package before the new Congress convenes.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has failed to adequately protection patient information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), according to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt in a speech Wednesday said continued preparation for a global flu pandemic should be a priority of his successor.

A new Democratic initiative to spur the adoption of healthcare information technology will be a top priority of the next Congress, said a top health policy adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) this week.