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Critics continue efforts to limit health law navigators

In Georgia, some navigator events were canceled after health law opponents held a protest at one and posted other events on its website, urging more protests. In South Dakota, meanwhile, a lawmaker introduced a bill to require state registration and background checks of the insurance guides. And a New Hampshire hospital that was excluded from Anthem's network is in the news because it is challenging that decision.

10 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 10, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about the health law's coverage gap.

10 Feb 2014

DaVita donates $1.2M to charities across United States

DaVita, the kidney care division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, announced that its teammates donated $1.2 million to charities in more than 1,100 communities across the United States as part of the "DaVita Way of Giving."

10 Feb 2014

GOP considers asking for 'doc fix,' other proposals, in return for debt-ceiling raise

House Republicans are considering their options on tying proposals they want to see to passing an increase in the debt ceiling, among them fixing the way Medicare pays doctors.

10 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Health law distorting--or 'undistorting' the labor market; gas stations should follow CVS' lead; ways to fight heroin

On Wednesday, Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, said the obvious: losing your job and choosing to work less aren't the same thing.

10 Feb 2014

Telephone communication in IBD care helps to identify patients at risk of high-cost medical interventions

A comprehensive analysis of patient telephone records at an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinic revealed that 15 percent of patients account for half of all calls to the clinic. Forty-two percent of frequent-caller patients also were seen in the emergency department or hospitalized within the following year.

10 Feb 2014

Research roundup: Value-based insurance; telemedicine in nursing homes; advance care planning

Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

10 Feb 2014

Ipsen’s phase III clinical trial evaluating Decapeptyl in patients with prostate cancer meets primary endpoints

Ipsen today announced that the phase III clinical trial evaluating Decapeptyl (triptorelin pamoate) 11.25 mg administered subcutaneously in patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer has met its primary endpoints.

10 Feb 2014

Study examines risks and benefits of testosterone therapy for older men

According to a statement issued today by the Endocrine Society, the risks and benefits of testosterone therapy for older men with declining levels of the hormone need to be fully evaluated.

10 Feb 2014

After uproar about Obamacare remarks, AOL reverses 401(K) policy

News outlets reported that the company blamed the law and the health costs of two "distressed babies" for a significant change in how it matches 401(k) contributions.

9 Feb 2014

CBO report on Obamacare and jobs still hot-button issue

Republicans and Democrats jumped on the Congressional Budget Office report of the effects of the health law on employment.

9 Feb 2014

Researchers examine link between gender and genetic disorder

A genetic disorder that affects about 1 in every 2,500 births can cause a bewildering array of clinical problems, including brain tumors, impaired vision, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, heart defects and bone deformities. The symptoms and their severity vary among patients affected by this condition, known as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

9 Feb 2014

Family Health Network grows by nearly 15% in 2013

The Family Health Network, a nonprofit health plan serving Medicaid recipients, has seen its network of providers double over the last three years, from 2,078 primary-care physicians, specialists, hospitals and clinics in 2010 to 4,299 at the close of 2013.

9 Feb 2014

New bill would expand health law subsidies for those in high-cost areas

The bill would tie subsidy levels to cost of living around the nation instead of to the national federal poverty level. In the meantime, a lawmaker from Colorado introduces a bill to speed construction of VA hospitals.

9 Feb 2014

New study provides important understanding of what drives appetite

While the function of eating is to nourish the body, this is not what actually compels us to seek out food. Instead, it is hunger, with its stomach-growling sensations and gnawing pangs that propels us to the refrigerator - or the deli or the vending machine. Although hunger is essential for survival, abnormal hunger can lead to obesity and eating disorders, widespread problems now reaching near-epidemic proportions around the world.

9 Feb 2014

N.H. State Senators agree to bipartisan Medicaid expansion compromise

The plan will require three federal waivers, would sunset after three years without continued 100 percent federal contributions and would use private insurance to reach the additional low-income New Hampshire residents. It's similar to the Iowa and Arkansas approaches.

9 Feb 2014

Penn Medicine launches program to improve health of LGBT individuals

Penn Medicine is the first academic medical center in Philadelphia - one among just a handful of academic medical centers in the U.S.—to launch a program across multiple professional schools and affiliated hospitals at Penn to improve the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

9 Feb 2014

Despite jump in enrollment, Aetna says it faces losses from health law marketplaces

Aetna Inc. said it expects to lose money on its business in the health-law marketplaces this year, with the demographics of enrollees skewing slightly more than expected toward people likely to rack up higher costs. The insurer, which is participating in public consumer exchanges in 16 states and the District of Columbia, the most of any carrier, said it has signed up about 135,000 paid members through the end of January (Mathews, 2/6).

9 Feb 2014

Henry Schein and ADA join forces to celebrate annual Give Kids A Smile Day

Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners, together with 26 of the Company's valued supplier partners, join the American Dental Association (ADA) today to celebrate the ADA's annual Give Kids A Smile Day.

9 Feb 2014

Fact checker skewers attack ads 'based' on CBO report on health law

The first ads are already out based on the Congressional Budget Office report on the health law's impact on the labor market, and the Washington Post's Fact Checker finds plenty of distortions. Meanwhile, the White House seeks to persuade Americans that it's a good thing if the health care law means they can work less.

9 Feb 2014