HCR Update from Mark Sanna: According to a recent AP poll, the largest generation may now be the fattest generation ever. And that spells trouble for the health care system. Studies show that baby boomers — 81 million born between 1946 to 1964 — are losing the battle of the bulge. About a third of boomers are obese and an additional 36 percent are overweight.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: A study published this month in the Journal of Health Affairs, asked hundreds of physicians and administrators in private practices across the United States and Canada how much time they spent each day with insurers and other third-party payers, tracking down information for claims that were denied or incorrectly paid, resolving questions about insurance coverage for prescription drugs or diagnostic tests, and filing the different forms required by each and every insurance company. American doctors in the study spent far more dealing with multiple health plans: more than $80,000 per year per physician, or roughly four times as much as their northern counterparts. And their offices spent as many as 21 hours per week with payers, nearly 10 times as much as the Canadian offices.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh vowed to flee to Costa Rica if President Barack Obama's health care reforms took effect. Limbaugh might have overlooked a couple of critical details: Costa Rica's respected universal healthcare system is highly socialized. It's also on the verge of going broke.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: As part of The Lancet's ongoing series on obesity, the authors used a simulation model to project the probable health and economic consequences in the next two decades from a continued rise in obesity in ageing populations. They project millions more cases of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and conclude: "The combined medical costs associated with treatment of these preventable diseases are estimated to increase by $48—66 billion/year in the USA.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: A report published today by the Institute of Medicine found "convincing evidence" that certain vaccines can cause 14 adverse effects — including seizures, brain inflammation and fainting — in rare cases. It also found "indicative though less clear data" linking certain vaccines to four other effects, including allergic reactions and temporary joint pain.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: The Congressional Budget Office projects that rebounding revenue, combined with the force of the debt-reduction deal that became law earlier this month, will reduce the deficit by an estimated $3.3 trillion.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: The deficit panel has already set to work, holding conference calls and using the congressional recess to begin their process. As its members face a Thanksgiving deadline for making their recommendations to find $1.5 trillion in budget savings over 10 years, speculation continues regarding their chances for success.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Texas would be among the biggest beneficiaries of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, standing to gain coverage for nearly 4 million uninsured residents. But according to the AP, Gov. Rick Perry blocked moves to lay the groundwork for that expansion of coverage, and among the alternatives he's supported is an untested regional solution that could prove as controversial as president Obama's remake.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Hospitals are increasingly employing physicians in their efforts to grow market share and revenue yet the practice does not guarantee clinical integration and may lead to higher costs at hospitals, according to a new study from the Center for Studying Health System Change. The center found that hospitals can improve quality by aligning with physicians but employing physicians is not a guarantee of clinical integration.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: As health care costs continue to rise, businesses are increasingly passing on the added burden to their employees. Higher cost-sharing for employees is the primary way in which employers are trying to control their own health care spending, according to a new survey from the National Business Group on Health.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: State policymakers are growing increasingly anxious in the face of administration signals that key guidance on federal exchanges may not be coming until late 2011 or early 2012 — if they're coming at all. The administration appears to have decided that it does not need to issue a rule outlining the operation of a federal fallback exchange.

HCR UPdare from Mark Sanna: Consumers shopping for health insurance will soon get a peek at a new standard form—akin to the nutrition label on food products—that will lay out the details of each policy, from deductibles to how much it might cost to have a baby. Federal regulators are expected to unveil the proposed summary form, part of the health-care overhaul law today.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: American medical care is rife with such treatments, whose usefulness is uncertain not just to the doctors who deliver them but also to the patients who receive them.  These days, however, many people are pinning their hopes on "comparative effectiveness research" as way to solve the dilemma of how best to treat this and hundreds of other common problems in day-to-day medicine.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Friday's federal court ruling against a key provision of the health care reform law makes it almost certain the Supreme Court will decide the law's constitutionality in the 2012 term. The court has very strong reasons to take the case now.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the health care reform law's requirement that nearly all Americans buy insurance is unconstitutional, a striking blow to the legislation. The suit was brought by 26 states — nearly all led by Republican governors and attorneys general. The Department of Justice is expected to appeal.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: The newly appointed members of the budget Super Committee - six Democrats and six Republicans — have received more than $3 million total during the past five years in donations from political committees with ties to defense contractors, health care providers and labor unions. That money went to their re-election campaigns.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: As markets continue to rise and dive in a post-downgrade free-for-all and lawmakers face angst-ridden constituents on the town hall circuit, Capitol Hill is looking at the lineup of the new deficit reduction "super committee" as a critical chance to prove Congress can function during a crisis.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, six in 10 of those surveyed say members of the joint panel established in the debt-ceiling negotiations should be willing to reach an accord, even if it means making major compromises. Just over a third say the members should stand firm on principle, even if doing so blocks an agreement.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Okay, super committee — ready to cut some entitlements? Oh, stop making those excuses. Like, "We haven't been appointed yet." Or, "We like our town halls quiet." The super committee is going to have to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in spending cuts by Nov. 23, and it's going to be awfully hard to get that without dipping into the big health care entitlement programs — Medicare and Medicaid.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: For many consumers, the ultimate test for the embattled health-care law is simple: Will it push down insurance premiums -- or at least slow their relentless rise? It's a pressing question for the Obama administration, which is hoping its signature domestic policy achievement doesn't end up as an election year albatross.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Congressional Democrats successfully opposed cuts to Medicare benefits, but lawmakers didn't completely shield the program. Although there will be no initial reductions, there would be an automatic 2 percent cut to providers if the new joint committee cannot agree on a new deficit reduction package.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Doctors, hospitals, and others in the health care industry are deeply worried about how the debt ceiling agreement — in particular, a second phase of deep spending cuts to be outlined later this year — could impact their financial stability and patients' access to care ... For example, the commission proposed cuts to graduate medical education funding.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: An appeals court panel on Wednesday said that a group of New Jersey doctors don't have the legal right to challenge the health care law and threw out their suit. It represented a small win for the Obama administration in its long slog to defend the law.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Slashes to Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals are among the automatic cuts – along with deep slices from the Pentagon budget – that will occur in December if Congress does not accept $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction proposals from a bipartisan committee that will be free to propose tax hikes or cuts in Social Security.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: The Obama administration issued new standards on Monday that require health insurance plans to cover all government-approved contraceptives for women, without co-payments or other charges. The standards also guarantee free coverage of other preventive services for women, including annual preventative care visits.

HCR Update from Mark Sanna: The Debt-Ceiling deal announced on Sunday by Congressional leaders and the White House would make across-the-board cuts in military spending, education, transportation and Medicare payments to health care providers if Congress does not enact further deficit-cutting legislation by the end of the year.