Health Bill May Mean Lower Medicare Premiums The new healthcare overhaul championed by President Obama may result in lower Medicare premiums for seniors and a more sustainable Medicare program, according to an analysis of the legislation issued Thursday night by independent actuaries at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Los Angeles Times). Military' Health Care Costs Booming Military health care spending is rising twice as fast as the nation's overall health care costs, consuming a larger chunk of the defense budget as the Pentagon struggles to pay for two wars, military budget figures show (USA Today). Exclusive: WellPoint Routinely Targets Breast Cancer Patients One after another, shortly after a diagnosis of breast cancer, each of the women learned that her health insurance had been canceled. First there was Yenny Hsu, who lived and worked in Los Angeles. Later, Robin Beaton, a registered nurse from Texas. And then, most recently, there was Patricia Relling, a successful art gallery owner and interior designer from Louisville, Kentucky (Reuters/The Washington Post). Court Backs Maine Rate On Insurance A state court upheld a Maine official's decision to deny a profit margin for a WellPoint Inc. unit in a health-insurance rate request??”a ruling that may resonate in other states where regulators are battling premium hikes (The Wall Street Journal). Florida: Health Overhaul On November Ballot Voters will decide this fall whether to ban health insurance mandates, including those required by the federal health care overhaul (The New York Times).

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