Health Care News and Research

RSS

States still wrestling with health exchange bugs, challenges

News outlets report on state health exchange operations in California, Kentucky, Maryland, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

5 Oct 2013

Roles of insurance brokers, navigators explored

News outlets examine how brokers, navigators and other counselors are supposed to help consumers understand their coverage options through the online insurance marketplaces.

5 Oct 2013

Researchers receive prestigious European Health Award for project on new psychoactive drugs

The prestigious European Health Award 2013 has been awarded to Dr Ornella Corazza for the Recreational Drugs European Network (ReDNet), a collaborative prevention project on new psychoactive drugs led by University of Hertfordshire researchers Professor Fabrizio Schifano and Dr Corazza.

5 Oct 2013

Shutdown to stop payments to D.C. Medicaid providers

The District of Columbia's payments to medical providers treating more than 200,000 poor people enrolled in Medicaid will stop until the federal shutdown ends, city officials said. In Virginia, GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli called on Congress to reopen the federal government -- and then cut off funding for the health law.

5 Oct 2013

Report: Doctors who abuse prescription drugs often do so for "self-medication"

Doctors who abuse prescription drugs often do so for "self-medication"—whether for physical or emotional pain or stress relief, reports a study in the October Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

5 Oct 2013

Medicaid expansion an unsettled issue for some states

In Virginia, one member of the panel charged with exploring the idea of expanding the health insurance program for people with low incomes said any broadening of the program was unlikely to happen in the near future. In Mississippi, many low-income people will soon realize they won't be eligible for Medicaid because the state opted against the expansion.

5 Oct 2013

Using Botox as weight loss tool in rats

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have had promising experimental results from using Botox as a weight loss tool in rats. The research group hopes to win approval for human testing in the near future.

5 Oct 2013

Insurers see trickle of enrollees from Obamacare exchanges

Insurers report that a small number of people are enrolling in coverage through the federal insurance exchange, but the government has declined to release any numbers. Meanwhile, the federal government scrambles to make fixes as experts debate whether the glitches are a result of the high level of consumer interest or if other issues are at work.

5 Oct 2013

Health law policy issues grab headlines

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel draws parallels between policies included in the health law and some of those that have historically been advanced by conservatives. Meanwhile, other news outlets revisit central issues of the overhaul, including the individual mandate, the costs of coverage borne by businesses and accountable care organizations.

5 Oct 2013

Research: Vaccine against norovirus reduces symptoms of illness by 52%

An investigational vaccine appears generally well tolerated and effective against the most common strain of norovirus, reducing the main symptoms of the gastrointestinal (GI) infection, vomiting and/or diarrhea, by 52 percent, suggests research being presented at IDWeek 2013.

5 Oct 2013

Consumers share tales of success, frustration buying coverage

A couple of consumers vaulted into the headlines as the first to complete the sign-up process for health coverage through new online marketplaces. Other shoppers, including those who have coverage but who are looking for better, lower-cost options, tell their stories, too.

5 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 4, 2013

Today's headlines include continued status reports on state and federal health exchanges as well as the ongoing Capitol Hill budget drama.

4 Oct 2013

State highlights: Calif. hospitals will partner, not merge; states prep for EMS changes; Texas ads to target Wendy Davis

Amid growing health care consolidation as Obamacare rolls out, UC Irvine and MemorialCare Health System have agreed to a partnership deal. The UC Board of Regents said Wednesday it has approved an affiliation between UC Irvine Health and MemorialCare, two major hospital systems in Southern California. It's not a merger and both will remain independent (Terhune, 10/2).

4 Oct 2013

PET/CT imaging provides valuable insight to predict risk of rupture abdominal aortic aneurysms

Several newly identified markers could provide valuable insight to predict the risk of rupture abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), according to new research published in the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

4 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Obamacare's redistribution will 'wreck' U.S. work ethic; health law problems can't obscure pent up demand

A new wave of redistribution will arrive in America on Jan. 1, primarily thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The president's health-insurance plan forces those who hire, work and produce to pay full price for health care, while creating generous discounts for practically everyone else (Casey B. Mulligan, 10/2).

4 Oct 2013

Kessler Foundation and VA New Jersey collaborate to study cognitive fatigue in Gulf War veterans

A major grant totaling $761,222 from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical Science Research and Development, involves a collaboration between Kessler Foundation and the VA New Jersey Health Care System. Glenn Wylie, DPhil is principal investigator for the study, "Examination of Cognitive Fatigue in Gulf War Illness using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging."

4 Oct 2013

Calif. legislator seeks to move all state lawmakers to marketplace; Virginia utility says it will drop coverage for employees because of tax

Republican Assemblyman Brian Nestande doesn't like the health law but says state legislators should have to live with it. Meanwhile Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill easing secrecy around the state agency overseeing the health law. In Virginia, Fairfax's water authority says taxes on generous health plans will cause it to drop coverage for workers.

4 Oct 2013

The parts played by Boehner and Reid roles in the shutdown, the health law defunding, and party dynamics

Media outlets examine how House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have contributed to the Capitol Hill tensions surrounding the government shutdown and Obamacare fight-- both in their relationship with each other and their places within their respective parties.

4 Oct 2013

President says he'll negotiate budget only after gov't reopens without changes to health law

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he will only compromise on the federal budget -- including addressing long-term Medicare and Medicaid costs -- after Republicans agree to reopen the federal government without changing the health law. Republicans may shift their focus to these budget battles and seek savings in entitlement programs and tax reform.

4 Oct 2013

States' refusal to expand Medicaid will prevent millions from getting coverage

The New York Times reports that the decision by about half the states to not expand Medicaid coverage will prevent two-thirds of poor black consumers and single mothers and more than half of low-wage workers from getting insurance.

4 Oct 2013

Health Care News and Research

States still wrestling with health exchange bugs, challenges

Roles of insurance brokers, navigators explored

Researchers receive prestigious European Health Award for project on new psychoactive drugs

Shutdown to stop payments to D.C. Medicaid providers

Report: Doctors who abuse prescription drugs often do so for "self-medication"

Medicaid expansion an unsettled issue for some states

Using Botox as weight loss tool in rats

Insurers see trickle of enrollees from Obamacare exchanges

Health law policy issues grab headlines

Research: Vaccine against norovirus reduces symptoms of illness by 52%

Consumers share tales of success, frustration buying coverage

First Edition: October 4, 2013

State highlights: Calif. hospitals will partner, not merge; states prep for EMS changes; Texas ads to target Wendy Davis

PET/CT imaging provides valuable insight to predict risk of rupture abdominal aortic aneurysms

Viewpoints: Obamacare's redistribution will 'wreck' U.S. work ethic; health law problems can't obscure pent up demand

Kessler Foundation and VA New Jersey collaborate to study cognitive fatigue in Gulf War veterans

Calif. legislator seeks to move all state lawmakers to marketplace; Virginia utility says it will drop coverage for employees because of tax

The parts played by Boehner and Reid roles in the shutdown, the health law defunding, and party dynamics

President says he'll negotiate budget only after gov't reopens without changes to health law

States' refusal to expand Medicaid will prevent millions from getting coverage

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