Most cancer patients would like to talk about the cost of their care with their doctors, but often don't because they fear the discussion could compromise the quality of their treatment, researchers at Duke Cancer Institute report.
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The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., will hear arguments on Thursday related to the lawsuit brought by the Christian university.
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Today's headlines detail the Senate confirmation of Acting Chief Marilyn Tavenner to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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But Brown vowed to continue to resist pressure from fellow Democrats and interest groups to restore some money to adult dental care and to doctors who treat the poor. … Sacramento will oversee the expansion this year of Medi-Cal, California's health care program for the poor, to more than 1 million Californians who do not have health insurance now.
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Even as the politicized tax enforcement scandal expands, the Internal Revenue Service continues to expand its political powers thanks to the Affordable Care Act. A larger government always creates more openings for abuse, as Americans will learn when the IRS starts auditing their health care in addition to their 1040 next year (5/14).
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The grants will go to 48 organizations to help the state explain benefits, show consumers how to access insurance and encourage small businesses to participate.
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News outlets report on the cost of and questions surrounding Angelina Jolie's decision to have genetic testing and then to undergo a double mastectomy as preventive surgery.
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Roll Call reports that many of the people who sign up for insurance through the exchange might face language barriers or may never have had coverage before. Also, CQ HealthBeat reports that web-based insurance brokers want "a place at the table."
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Today's headlines include reports about how the latest Congressional Budget Office projections could further stall efforts to reach a grand bargain that includes changes to Medicare and other entitlement programs.
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Armed with hefty federal loans, two startup health insurers are jumping into a crowded and confusing Oregon market just as the biggest changes to U.S. health care in generations roll out this fall.
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A new report assessing the economic viability of services provided by practicing midlevel dental providers in the U.S. shows that they are expanding preventive dental care to people who need it most: children and those who can't afford care.
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The Associated Press reports that the overhaul's definition of "American Indian" only includes those tribes that are recognized by the federal government, though more than 100 tribes are recognized by state governments but not that U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Other outlets report on insurance rates under the ACA, doctor-owned hospitals and the much lamented "doc fix" in Congress.
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Congressional Republicans want to know whom she contacted and what other HHS officials are involved, while Sen. Lamar Alexander said he would ask the Government Accountability Office to investigate. A Sebelius spokesman said her actions were legal, and that she had not solicited pharmaceutical and insurance companies regulated by the agency.
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Today's headlines include reports about an Obama administration plan to delay Medicaid DSH payment reductions.
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Blue Assistance, a subsidiary of Reale Mutua Assicurazioni Group the largest Italian mutual insurer, has selected Accenture to provide back office and IT services under a multi-year agreement designed to help support and expand its health insurance assistance services business in Italy.
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Sometimes, someone veers from the script. That seemed to be the case last week when [Mississippi] Gov. Phil Bryant said he would try to run Medicaid even if the Legislature failed to pass bills reauthorizing or funding the program (5/12).
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Obama took a risk and proposed a budget containing cuts to entitlements cherished by his party. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, and his cohorts were unmoved; they wouldn't give an inch on new revenue. Simpson and Bowles gave Obama a pat on the back and largely refrained from criticizing Ryan or House Speaker John Boehner, while corporate leaders ducked.
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The Obama administration has identified specific groups of people it would like to focus on as it promotes enrollment in the state health insurance exchanges next year. The administration plans a localized approach to reach 2.7 million healthy people who are 18 to 35 years old and without health insurance, according to information provided by senior administration officials (Ethridge, 5/10).
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New York City will soon change the way mentally ill inmates are disciplined after breaking rules while in jail, creating alternatives to the more traditional approach of solitary confinement used for most inmates (Yee, 5/12).
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Editorials and columnists in several papers around the country pressed officials toward accepting a Medicaid expansion and offered suggestions about implementation. Also, comments continued about a recent study on Medicaid.
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