MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Governor Deval Patrick threw his weight behind a repeal of state’s employer insurance mandate, a move that would eliminate the Commonwealth’s employer insurance rule to leave the less-strict federal mandate in its place.
WellPoint
BSX’s Ray Elliot steps down, Hologic slides on Wellpoint call, AtriCure on the auction block | MassDevice.com +3
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three med-tech stories of the day. This latest feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our three biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else today, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +3.
Hologic slides on Wellpoint call
Hologic (NSDQ:HOLX) shares are down more than 3 percent this morning after a decision by an affiliate of health insurer Wellpoint that its Selenia Dimensions 3D mammography system is "investigational and not medically necessary."
HOLX shares were trading at $15.07 as of about 10:15 a.m. today, down 3.0 percent from their $15.54 close Friday.
Elementary, my dear Watson
Should Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence computer seen on Jeopardy, be classified as a medical device?
We should ask ourselves that question now, especially since your insurer might be using Watson to mine your electronic medical record to determine if your claim will be paid.
Gingrich: GOP’s Medicare plan is “right-wing social engineering”
Conservative icon Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the U.S. House who’s mounting a run at the White House, lambasted a Republican plan to overhaul Medicare over the weekend, calling it "right-wing social engineering.”
Gingrich also voiced his support for the controversial lynch-pin of President Barack Obama’s landmark health care reform law, the so-called individual mandate, which is the object of a slew of constitutional challenges in courts around the country.