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Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike are anxious for health law briefings

As a senior White House official heads to Capitol Hill to brief House Democrats on the health law's implementation -- especially the troubled rollout of healthcare.gov, Republicans want the same opportunity.

24 Oct 2013

Obama administration to Loyalists: Help boost the health law

From the White House to Capitol Hill to You Tube, the administration hoping to rally the troops who have supported the health law in the past.

24 Oct 2013

Judge allows Obamacare subsidies lawsuit to proceed, but stops short of imposing injunction

A federal judge Tuesday allowed a legal challenge against the health law's insurance price subsidies to go forward, but stopped short of imposing an injunction that would have halted the subsidies until the legal matter is resolved. At issue is a challenge to how the Obama administration determines who gets what subsidies and the related tax penalties.

24 Oct 2013

Health exchange status update: Two key fixes will take longer than expected

Making the necessary repairs will likely take more talent and more time the online exchange is offline. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by CBS found that very few Americans think the federal online insurance marketplace's launch has gone well.

24 Oct 2013

Calif. marketplace under fire for not providing quality ratings for plans; Obama's characterization of Conn.'s operation not right

California's insurance exchange came under fire for its plan to withhold quality ratings of health plans until late 2015 while thousands of consumers shop for coverage under the federal healthcare law. The state exchange, Covered California, said Tuesday that it had reliable ratings on only four of the 12 participating health insurers primarily because their networks of doctors and hospitals have changed so much for new policies available next year (Terhune, 10/22).

24 Oct 2013

FDA to phase out all inhaler medical products containing CFCs by Dec. 31

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will complete its phase-out of all inhaler medical products containing chlorofluorocarbons by Dec. 31, 2013. This effort is to comply with an international treaty to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the worldwide production of numerous substances, including CFCs, which contribute to ozone depletion.

24 Oct 2013

The White House names Zients to be Heatlhcare.gov fixer

Jeffrey D. Zients, who previously served as the Office of Management and Budget chief performance officer, is already a tested Administration troubleshooter.

24 Oct 2013

Patient assistance programs help breast cancer patients to learn more about adjuvant therapy

Patient assistance programs can help breast cancer patients meet a variety of needs that can interfere with getting recommended adjuvant therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal treatments, according to a study published recently in the online edition of the Journal of Oncology Practice.

24 Oct 2013

Fetal exposure to mycophenolic acid products may increase risk of birth defects

Research suggests that fetal exposure to mycophenolic acid products (MPA)—which are drugs taken by transplant recipients to prevent rejection—may increase the risk of birth defects and spontaneous abortions. Results of this study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

24 Oct 2013

Kaiser Permanente researchers named co-recipients of Drug Therapy Research Literature Award

Three Kaiser Permanente Colorado researchers have been named co-recipients of the prestigious Drug Therapy Research Literature Award, an award presented annually by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Foundation.

24 Oct 2013

Sen. Rubio readies bill to delay insurance mandate penalty

Sen. Marco Rubio is proposing a bill that would delay imposing penalties on people who don't have health insurance until six months after the Government Accountability Office has certified the federal website is functional. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, is calling on President Obama to extended open enrollment beyond March 31, 2014 and to waive penalties for those who are unable to sign up because of technical problems.

24 Oct 2013

Ohio opponents of Medicaid expansion file lawsuit

A group of six Ohio lawmakers, along with two anti-abortion groups, brought suit Tuesday, challenging a legislative board's move to approve that state's expansion of Medicaid under the health law. Other media outlets look at the estimated 5 million Americans who will go without insurance because their states are not expanding the federal-state program for the poor.

24 Oct 2013

Defending health exchange's rollout puts Sebelius in the hot seat

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is being called to Capitol Hill by Republican lawmakers who want her to explain what went wrong with the Oct. 1 unveiling of healthcare.gov. She is also facing calls for her resignation. Still, according to Politico, her job is safe.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers describe why current medications only moderately reduce Fragile X symptoms

When you experience something, neurons in the brain send chemical signals called neurotransmitters across synapses to receptors on other neurons. How well that process unfolds determines how you comprehend the experience and what behaviors might follow. In people with Fragile X syndrome, a third of whom are eventually diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, that process is severely hindered, leading to intellectual impairments and abnormal behaviors.

24 Oct 2013

Doctors-in-training must employ etiquette-based communications to improve medical recovery, patient satisfaction

Johns Hopkins investigators have found that doctors-in-training are unlikely to introduce themselves fully to hospitalized patients or sit down to talk to them eye-to-eye, despite research suggesting that courteous bedside manners improve medical recovery along with patient satisfaction.

23 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 23, 2013

Today's headlines include continuing coverage about the problems with the healthcare.gov website, how Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is in the hot seat and how the White House has called in reinforcements -- a glitch czar.

23 Oct 2013

Complete Care program improves outcomes for Kaiser Permanente patients

Complete Care, a collaborative approach to meeting patient needs, is improving outcomes for Kaiser Permanente patients.

23 Oct 2013

New flu vaccine offers better protection against circulating flu viruses

Last year's flu season was considered one of the strongest and deadliest in recent decades, according to the CDC. In preparation for this year's flu season, Concentra, a subsidiary of Humana Inc., offers a flu vaccine to provide greater protection against circulating flu strains.

23 Oct 2013

A simple blood test may reveal the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer

Reporting on a small preliminary study, Johns Hopkins researchers say a simple blood test based on detection of tiny epigenetic alterations may reveal the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is nearly always fatal because it isn't usually discovered until it has spread to other parts of the body.

23 Oct 2013

UHN, Boehringer Ingelheim partner to improve care, education and support for hepatitis C patients

In a move to address a significant unmet need in hepatitis C in Canada, the University Health Network, together with Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., announced today a multi-year partnership that aims to improve care, education and support for patients with hepatitis C. The program, known as Link-C, aims to improve access to hepatitis C care and treatment in remote areas of Ontario and other parts of Canada.

23 Oct 2013