"Health Information Technology is a Vehicle, Not a Destination: A Conversation with David J. Brailer," Health Affairs: In the interview, David Brailer, adviser to the Bush administration on health information technology and consumer issues, discusses his tenure as national health information technology coordinator, IT's potential effect on the health system, other countries' experiences with health IT, the role of federal programs and consumers in health IT adoption and other issues (Milstein, Health Affairs, 2/15).

"Medicaid Revisited -- Skirmishes Over a Vast Public Enterprise," New England Journal of Medicine: The report examines the major Medicaid-related provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which aims to reduce federal spending by $99 billion over the next 10 years, with about one-quarter of that total coming from Medicaid. The act in part allows states to alter benefits and cost-sharing requirements, limits Medicaid payments for certain prescription drugs and also increases drug company rebates to the program, and increases penalties for individuals who transfer assets to qualify for Medicaid nursing home benefits. According to the report, the changes from the act amount to less than 1% of Medicaid's costs, signifying that "more changes certainly lie ahead," particularly as Democrats review the act and recommendations from the federal Medicaid task force (Iglehart, NEJM, 2/15).

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