The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations Thursday explored new worrisome findings regarding rate-setting and claims-settling practices in the long-term care insurance industry.

A new bill introduced in Congress this week would help small businesses, including independent nursing homes and other healthcare providers, form health insurance cooperatives to provide their employees with affordable health insurance.

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) this week touted a second possible stimulus package that would contain a temporary increase in Medicaid spending.

The American Health Care Association asked Congress to help improve the tracking of sex offenders and develop a definition of "sex offender" in an effort to improve residents' safety.

A bill authorizing more than $560 million in grants and loans to encourage the use of electronic health records passed through the House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday.

The amount of financing placed in seniors housing dropped by a precipitous 60% in the first quarter of 2008, according to data released this month from the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry. That could lead to an easing up on new development.

Adding a long-term care benefit to the Medicare program would be a favorable way to help address the impending challenges related to the aging baby-boom generation, healthcare experts say in a new Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare survey.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial Law and Administrative Law Tuesday approved the Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act, which would outlaw signing an arbitration agreement as a prerequisite to admission in a nursing home.

The False Claims Correction Act (H.R. 4854) Wednesday made its way to the House Judiciary Committee for deliberation and a markup.

President Bush today may veto H.R. 6331, a measure that would temporarily delay the full implementation of therapy caps and a 10.6% cut in Medicare physician pay.