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House GOP group drafting health law alternative

Also, Sen. Rand Paul takes aim at President Obama's nominee for surgeon general over the pick's political work, but the Senate may still have a confirmation vote.

28 Feb 2014

New procedure offers benefits for patients with severe asthma

Like millions of people, Jeannine Childs suffers from asthma. But unlike most, her asthma was debilitating. For years she struggled with wheezing, shortness of breath and fits of coughing so severe that they often landed her in the hospital. Nothing was really working – not lifestyle changes, not medications.

28 Feb 2014

Millions of mentally ill will lack coverage in states not expanding Medicaid, report finds

The Washington Post takes a look at the report by a group representing mental health professionals, and also how the issue is playing out in the Virginia legislature, where there is strong support to reform the state's mental health care system following the death of a state lawmaker's son.

28 Feb 2014

Medicare Part D cost-saving plan draws opposition on several fronts

Among other things, the proposal would limit the types of antidepressants -- and other kinds of drugs -- that are available to Medicare beneficiaries. Drug industry and insurer groups are lining up against the change.

27 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 27, 2014

Today's headlines include a number of stories about Obama past and present administration officials -- notably, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden -- who are stepping up to "sell" people on enrolling in new health law insurance coverage.

27 Feb 2014

Poll: Just 12% of parents without coverage take breastfeeding support classes

Just 12 percent of parents without insurance coverage take breastfeeding support classes that can offer crucial support and encourage new moms to breastfeed, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

27 Feb 2014

Report: Spending on health care for children increased between 2009 and 2012

Spending on health care for children covered by employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) increased between 2009 and 2012, rising an average 5.5 percent a year, with more dollars spent on boys than girls, and higher spending on infants and toddlers (ages 0-3) than any other children's age group, finds a new report released today by the Health Care Cost Institute. Per capita spending on children reached $2,437 in 2012, a $363 increase from 2009. The study shows a growth in prescription use by children through age 18, as well as a rise in the number of teens being admitted for mental health and substance use (MHSU) treatment.

27 Feb 2014

NAFC designates Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as Center of Excellence

The National Association For Continence has designated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a Center of Excellence: Continence Care. Anurag K. Das, MD; Roger Lefevre, MD; Janet Li, MD; and Deborah A. Nagle, MD are the principle physicians for this COE.

27 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Health law's forgotten taxes; 'lame documentation' by critics; hospital closing crisis

The Affordable Care Act contains at least two economically distinct taxes on labor market activity. Even the experts on the law have failed to recognize all of them (Casey B. Mulligan, 2/26).

27 Feb 2014

New prostate cancer screening method combines existing tests to increase accuracy

Northwestern Medicine- is the first health care provider in the country to offer a new non-invasive blood test for prostate cancer that is nearly three times more accurate than the current standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Known as the Prostate Health Index (phi), the new test's accuracy will effectively remove the need for many men who test positive for elevated PSA levels to undergo a biopsy to achieve a reliable diagnosis.

27 Feb 2014

Weighing Medicare claims and health law 'job killer' accusations

We have delved into this issue before and find the certainty with which both sides hold their positions to be dismaying. Each side can point to data to make their case, even though the law has only begun to be implemented (Kessler, 2/26).

27 Feb 2014

Researchers use virtual computer environment for distance healthcare education

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have demonstrated the potential of using a virtual computer environment for distance healthcare education for an international audience that often has limited access to conventional teaching and training.

27 Feb 2014

Waiting room time helps in effective screening for depression and anxiety

A new study in General Hospital Psychiatry finds patients visiting the hospital for a variety of ailments can be easily screened for depression and anxiety as they wait for care, information that can then be sent immediately to their doctor to address.

27 Feb 2014

Record $4.3 billion in health care fraud recovered

Federal efforts to combat health care fraud recovered a record $4.3 billion in fiscal 2013 and have recouped more than $8 for every $1 spent on enforcement over the past three years, according to an annual report released Wednesday.

27 Feb 2014

Walgreens at UCSF aims to improve medication use, reduce hospital readmissions

UC San Francisco and Walgreens have opened a unique Walgreens store today on the UCSF campus that aims to improve medication safety, decrease health care costs and help patients use medicines more effectively by offering pharmacist-based patient care and expanded health and wellness services to the community.

27 Feb 2014

Administration may be scaling back estimates of young adult enrollment

CNN reports that the White House tamps down expectations that the exchanges will meet CBO's original projection that 40 percent of enrollees would be between the ages of 18 and 34. Also, Politico Pro looks at the large number of states that are not carrying out health law provision that allows young adults who were enrolled in Medicaid before aging out of foster care to receive coverage through age 26.

27 Feb 2014