2009 May Health Care News: Will Stimulus Bill Lead to Rationing?

The May 2009 issue of Health Care News analyzes the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Research, a provision of the stimulus bill that some policy analysts fear will give government bureaucrats the authority to decide who gets what health care treatments when.

Also in this issue:

* President Barack Obama’s nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Health and Human Services secretary has received mixed reactions in the public policy community.

* Obama’s approval of SCHIP expansion surprised no one but raised plenty of concerns.

* Louisiana legislators have put on hold Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Medicaid reform proposal until midsummer.

* An Indiana state senator has offered a bill calling for stiffer regulation of retail clinics in pharmacies, shopping malls, and big-box retailers.

* The Supreme Court’s ruling that FDA approval of a drug warning label is no defense against state-level liability suits is likely to increase drug costs, decrease innovation, and cause a surge in lawsuits.

* Children are spending less time outdoors in activities other than team sports, a Colorado study reports, while obesity is increasing.