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I don't often practice reading too much into anything and jumping to conclusions, but this statement that just arrived in my email box from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) would lead me to believe that bipartisan talks at the Senate Finance Committee level are breaking down? Or, perhaps Democrats are just getting impatient, and Sen. Grassley is just saying everything's going to be alright, just give us some time?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) delayed implementation of its anti-identity theft regulations, the so-called "Red Flag Rules," until Nov. 1. The rules were set to go into effect Aug. 1.

Giving an independent board such as the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) the power to set prices would yield $2 billion in savings over 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports. Two-billion dollars is a lot of money, but it's not when considering CMS spends $2 billion in a matter of days.

The Washington-based Politico reports health reform negotiations with moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives broke down Friday afternoon. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calf.), who supports the current House reform bill, says he may bypass his own committee and let the legislation go before the full House.

Voting in the latest Part B News poll question has been pretty steady for the last couple days, showing a majority of you and your peers support CMS's plans to put an end to consultation billing. Yes, these polls are unscientific, but 38 out of 70 people (so far) say "get rid of the consults."

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