Health Care News and Research

RSS

Two different rulings on health law's contraceptive rule

A judge in Oklahoma ruled against the insurance coverage requirement, while a Washington judge ruled against a Catholic Church challenge.

24 Dec 2013

State highlights: Minn. to cut elderly Medicaid benefits; Calif.'s Insurance Commissioner finds fault with Obamacare, seeks re-election

Starting in January, thousands of low-income elderly Minnesotans could lose government benefits intended to help them stay in their homes and out of nursing care. In an effort to constrain runaway Medicaid spending, Minnesota is implementing stricter rules that will make it harder for senior citizens to qualify for home-based services, potentially leaving them with reduced care or no care at all (Serres, 12/21).

24 Dec 2013

Racial divide for breast cancer survival widens

Despite numerous advances in the screening and treatment of breast cancer, black women are still far more likely to die of the disease than white women.

24 Dec 2013

Gov. Kasich gets green light for Medicaid expansion from state Supreme Court

Elsewhere, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs bill to postpone changes to BadgerCare, and Pennsylvania officials seek support for Gov. Tom Corbett's "Healthy Pennsylvania" plan.

24 Dec 2013

Monday's deadline to buy health law insurance coverage leaves many scrambling

People who want policies in place by Jan. 1 face a deadline today, but a series of changes in how the health law is being implemented has complicated the process for consumers and insurers.

24 Dec 2013

States, feds struggle to enroll consumers in health coverage

Officials attempting to enroll people for coverage through the health law's exchanges are facing education challenges, website headaches and a deadline of today to get people signed up for Jan. 1 coverage. News outlets provide snapshots in Colorado, California, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

24 Dec 2013

Native Americans fight government over hospital compensation

When the federal government reneged on its agreement to fully compensate the Shoshone-Paiute tribes for running a hospital on the Duck Valley reservation, the Washington contracting world barely noticed.

24 Dec 2013

Most frequent reasons for readmission often related to patients' underlying chronic medical conditions

Researchers cite identification and monitoring of known underlying chronic medical conditions as opportunities to reduce readmission rates and improve patient safety.

24 Dec 2013

Hospital-diagnosed maternal bacterial infections during pregnancy increase risk of autism in children

Hospital-diagnosed maternal bacterial infections during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders in children, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published Dec. 23 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

24 Dec 2013

Insurers unnerved by rule changes for consumers with canceled policies

The Obama administration's announcement last week that consumers whose policies had been canceled could buy catastrophic health plans and were also exempt from the law's mandate in the first year spurred handwringing in some quarters.

24 Dec 2013

New CANHEART health index measures behaviours, health factors for optimal heart health

Fewer than 1 in 10 adult Canadians is in ideal cardiovascular health, according to the new CANHEART health index developed to measure heart health published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

24 Dec 2013

Meridian Health and Tilton Fitness now join with network of five fitness centers

Meridian Health, the largest provider of hospital and health care services in Monmouth and Ocean counties, has announced an expansion of its partnership with Tilton Fitness Management, a regional leader in health club operations.

24 Dec 2013

As consumers enroll in marketplace plans, questions remain for many

Questions remain about insurance pricing, the cost of reform to taxpayers, and who is and isn't covered by the employer mandate.

24 Dec 2013

Eating more peanuts during pregnancy associated with lower risk of peanut allergy in offspring

Women need not fear that eating peanuts during pregnancy could cause their child to develop a peanut allergy, according to a new study from Boston Children's Hospital published online Dec. 23 in JAMA Pediatrics.

24 Dec 2013

Keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill

The New York Times reports on the challenge of keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill, while The Wall Street Journal explores the difficulty finding treatment for many people because of a lack of providers in many places.

23 Dec 2013

Hazards of dietary supplements, new birth control device explored

Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries reported by hospitals, according to The New York Times, while a surge in adverse event reports about Essure, a device hailed as next generation birth control, is explored by the Chicago Tribune. NPR looks at the increase in newborn screening tests.

23 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 23, 2013

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine today's deadline for enrolling for health insurance that would begin Jan. 1, as well as a variety of other health law stories and several articles on mental health issues:

23 Dec 2013

Elsevier launches open access journal

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information, products and solutions announces the launch of open access journal, Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management.

23 Dec 2013

Research roundup: ACA 'can survive' low enrollment; rural/urban differences in O.B. Care; teaching residents cost consciousness

The Health Reform Monitoring Survey (HRMS) was launched in 2013 as a mechanism to obtain timely information on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ... HRMS data from summer 2013 show that more than 60 percent of those targeted by the health insurance exchanges struggle with understanding key health insurance concepts.

23 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health announcement creates 'utter chaos;' a serious chip in the individual mandate; law's benefits aren't free

Last night, in a stunning reversal, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that Americans who have had their plans canceled will be exempt from enrolling in the exchanges, "because some consumers were finding other coverage options to be more expensive than their cancelled plans or policies."

23 Dec 2013

Health Care News and Research

Two different rulings on health law's contraceptive rule

State highlights: Minn. to cut elderly Medicaid benefits; Calif.'s Insurance Commissioner finds fault with Obamacare, seeks re-election

Racial divide for breast cancer survival widens

Gov. Kasich gets green light for Medicaid expansion from state Supreme Court

Monday's deadline to buy health law insurance coverage leaves many scrambling

States, feds struggle to enroll consumers in health coverage

Native Americans fight government over hospital compensation

Most frequent reasons for readmission often related to patients' underlying chronic medical conditions

Hospital-diagnosed maternal bacterial infections during pregnancy increase risk of autism in children

Insurers unnerved by rule changes for consumers with canceled policies

New CANHEART health index measures behaviours, health factors for optimal heart health

Meridian Health and Tilton Fitness now join with network of five fitness centers

As consumers enroll in marketplace plans, questions remain for many

Eating more peanuts during pregnancy associated with lower risk of peanut allergy in offspring

Keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill

Hazards of dietary supplements, new birth control device explored

First Edition: December 23, 2013

Elsevier launches open access journal

Research roundup: ACA 'can survive' low enrollment; rural/urban differences in O.B. Care; teaching residents cost consciousness

Viewpoints: Health announcement creates 'utter chaos;' a serious chip in the individual mandate; law's benefits aren't free

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

Latest News