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Diabetes most common among older men and those living in the South

About 8.8 percent of the privately insured population in 2012 had diabetes or was diagnosed as being at high risk for diabetes, up from 8.3 percent in 2011, but the rates of disease varied depending on age, gender and region of the country, says a new report from HCCI. In 2012, over one quarter of men between the ages of 55-64 and nearly one in 10 Southerners had diabetes or were at risk for diabetes.

16 Dec 2013

Groups say Md. health insurance exchange problems could leave people without Jan. 1 coverage

In the meantime, despite considering delaying the launch of the exchange, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Thursday that he is confident that problems with the website will be fixed and that the exchange will meet its goal of enrolling 260,000 by the end of March 2014.

16 Dec 2013

Iowa governor, feds shake hands on Medicaid expansion

The agreement follows the administration's announcement Tuesday that it would permit the state to charge modest premiums to enrollees making more than the federal poverty level. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Republican legislators opposed to Medicaid expansion take their case to court.

16 Dec 2013

Red state residents enrolling in Obamacare at lower rates

People in GOP-controlled states are signing up for coverage in the health law's exchanges at lower rates than those in blue states, reports the Associated Press. Meanwhile, news outlets offer snapshots of how signups are going in Montana, Wyoming, Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state.

16 Dec 2013

NIH Stroke Trials Network includes UC San Diego Health System as grant recipient

A network of 25 nationally recognized stroke centers has been created to rapidly address the three core features of stroke research and care: prevention, treatment and recovery. The regional coordinating centers, working with nearby satellite facilities, will span the country and have teams of researchers representing every stroke-related medical specialty, with the primary goal of bringing new therapies and strategies to the stroke community more rapidly.

16 Dec 2013

Poll: Insured Americans blame health law for rising expenses

The AP-GfK survey finds many people think that their increasing health insurance premiums and deductibles are tied to the health law. Meanwhile, Republican officials say they will continue to seek to defund or overturn the law.

16 Dec 2013

Hockey players who trained with strobe eyewear show improvement in practice drills

Professional hockey players who trained with special eyewear that only allowed them to see action intermittently showed significant improvement in practice drills, according to a Duke University study with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.

16 Dec 2013

HCA renews contract with Florida Blue

Florida Blue and HCA announced today a contract renewal that ensures Florida Blue members will continue to have access to high quality care at HCA's 42 hospitals and 32 surgery centers throughout Florida.

16 Dec 2013

Findings could point the way to new vaccines to prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The lung lesions in an individual infected with tuberculosis are surprisingly variable and independent of each other, despite whether the patient has clinically active or latent disease, according to a new animal study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online today in Nature Medicine, could point the way to new vaccines to prevent the hard-to-treat infection.

16 Dec 2013

Citing security concerns, HHS says 'no' to Issa document demand

Rep. Darrell Issa has issued a subpoena to MITRE, a government contractor, to turn over documents on healthcare.gov security testing. HHS says Issa has already seen the documents he is seeking.

16 Dec 2013

Research suggests new way of treating asthma in obese people

Research conducted at Boston Children's Hospital indicates that obesity might cause asthma via factors in the immune system and suggests a new way of treating asthma in obese people—who often respond poorly to standard asthma medications. The study, conducted in a mouse model of asthma and in human lung fluid, was published online Dec. 15 by Nature Medicine.

16 Dec 2013

Public, patients and doctors confuse palliative care with end of life care, says new review

A new review says palliative care's association with end of life has created an "identity problem" that means the majority of patients facing a serious illness do not benefit from treatment of the physical and psychological symptoms that occur throughout their disease.

16 Dec 2013

Rep. Murphy introduces bill to change mental health treatment

The legislation is a response to the shootings in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 elementary students and six adults.

16 Dec 2013

Already-covered Minnesotans find better coverage on health insurance exchange, but no subsidies

About two-thirds of people who signed up for coverage on Minnesota's health insurance exchange won't get financial assistance, but are still finding better coverage options there. And the director of the exchange comes under fire for a two-week vacation while problems with the website persisted.

16 Dec 2013

New technologies unveiled to provide expert care and streamline the process of treating breast cancer

Breast cancer patients are moms, wives, and caretakers. They are teachers, nurses, physicians and heads of industry. Today, more than ever before, women are delicately balancing the various roles of their lives. A breast cancer diagnosis and the treatment that follows is yet another challenge that unfortunately many women need to accommodate in their already busy schedules. That's why Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center and Riverview Medical Center offer technologies that provide expert care and streamline the process of treating breast cancer.

14 Dec 2013

Insurers, officials try to push through website data problems to enroll new customers

A healthcare.gov website data delivery glitch is keeping insurers from fully enrolling people. In the meantime, HHS is asking insurers to allow consumers to pay premiums late and to let them temporarily see doctors who may not be on their health plans.

14 Dec 2013

Analysis provides first empirical evidence on how shared savings ACO model affect quality of care

Approximately 10 percent of Medicare spending is for cancer care, and Medicare spending is nearly four times higher for beneficiaries with cancer than in those without the disease. Little is known about how to curb spending growth while maintaining or improving quality of care for these high-risk, high-cost patients.

14 Dec 2013

Feds announce steps in effort to smooth transition to health law, avoid coverage lapses

The Obama administration announced Thursday a series of actions -- including giving consumers more time to pay their premiums and an extension of a high-risk insurance program -- to help prevent lapses in insurance coverage as key parts of the health law kick in on Jan. 1.

14 Dec 2013

High-risk pool extension gives sick Americans more time to choose a health plan

The decision will give an estimated 85,000 people who were enrolled in the pre-existing condition insurance plans created by the health law, which were originally scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, an extra month to enroll in new coverage.

14 Dec 2013

Celebrities sell Obamacare using rap, social media

Since spring, the White House has worked with stars like Jennifer Hudson and Amy Poehler to engage 18- to 34-year-olds. Now states like California are also getting into the act, enlisting rap artists and others.

14 Dec 2013

Health Care News and Research

Diabetes most common among older men and those living in the South

Groups say Md. health insurance exchange problems could leave people without Jan. 1 coverage

Iowa governor, feds shake hands on Medicaid expansion

Red state residents enrolling in Obamacare at lower rates

NIH Stroke Trials Network includes UC San Diego Health System as grant recipient

Poll: Insured Americans blame health law for rising expenses

Hockey players who trained with strobe eyewear show improvement in practice drills

HCA renews contract with Florida Blue

Findings could point the way to new vaccines to prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Citing security concerns, HHS says 'no' to Issa document demand

Research suggests new way of treating asthma in obese people

Public, patients and doctors confuse palliative care with end of life care, says new review

Rep. Murphy introduces bill to change mental health treatment

Already-covered Minnesotans find better coverage on health insurance exchange, but no subsidies

New technologies unveiled to provide expert care and streamline the process of treating breast cancer

Insurers, officials try to push through website data problems to enroll new customers

Analysis provides first empirical evidence on how shared savings ACO model affect quality of care

Feds announce steps in effort to smooth transition to health law, avoid coverage lapses

High-risk pool extension gives sick Americans more time to choose a health plan

Celebrities sell Obamacare using rap, social media

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®

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