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States continue to wrestle with health law implementation issues

Even as an Arkansas effort by a private group to block the health law appears to be falling short, states like Missouri continue to contemplate expanding Medicaid, and, in California, the health exchange experiences growing pains.

16 Aug 2013

Talking up the health law to educate consumers

News outlets report that a variety of health law advocates -- ranging from federal, state and local officials to retirees and grassroots volunteers -- are hitting the streets and knocking on doors to inform people about the law and counter what some say is "misinformation."

16 Aug 2013

Health law promises to be a boon for advertisers

Already, TV executives expect insurers alone to spend as much as $1 billion. Meanwhile, the pro-health law group Organizing for Action released its latest spot.

16 Aug 2013

DOD says same-sex spouses to get benefits in early September

By early September, gay spouses of military members will get full benefits, including health care coverage. The Department of Defense said the benefits will be retroactive to the Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act in June.

16 Aug 2013

Critical-access hospitals would face funding trims under new plan

The proposal, advanced as part of a report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, would curb enhanced payments to as many as two-thirds of these facilities.

16 Aug 2013

Market trends: Super-sized hospitals and the emergence of free-standing ERs

The New York Times reports on the current wave of hospital mergers while NPR notes that the emergency room experience is getting a makeover.

14 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Gov. Jindal skeptical of navigators program; scare tactics against Obamacare growing

By August 15, the Obama administration is expected to spend $54 million of our tax dollars to hire community organizers to push this law on the American people. ...

14 Aug 2013

Heightened race consciousness linked to higher blood pressure in black Americans

Black patients preoccupied with racial concerns have higher blood pressure than those who aren’t, according to results of new Johns Hopkins-led research. The findings suggest that heightened race consciousness could at least in part account for the disproportionately high rate of hypertension in black Americans — the highest prevalence of any group in the United States and one of the highest rates in the world.

14 Aug 2013

Administration delays health law's limit on some out-of-pocket consumer costs

The New York Times reports that the change was included in a Department of Labor rule issued in February. Also in the news, KHN details the complex choices the overhaul presents for people with disabilities and Bloomberg notes a ruling by a U.S. District Court judge allowing Oklahoma's legal challenge to the law to proceed.

14 Aug 2013

MOOCs courses offered by JHUSON concentrate on Dementia and TB

An aging population and an old health scourge are the driving forces behind two massive open online courses (MOOCs) being offered this fall by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON).

14 Aug 2013

State highlights: Texas waits for feds' ok on higher Medicaid payments

California schools may give students insulin injections and other medications without having to call in licensed nurses, the state's highest court ruled Monday. … The unanimous decision was a defeat for the powerful California Nurses Assn., which had argued that only licensed health care workers could administer medicine under a state law that bars the unauthorized practice of nursing (Dolan, 8/12).

14 Aug 2013

The countdown's on to opening day, but enrollment challenges persist

Stateline reports on the advocacy group Enroll America's plan to focus on 10 states as it tries to get the uninsured enrolled in plans offered on the new online insurance marketplaces. Meanwhile, the Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is asking the administration to delay the exchanges because of data security concerns.

14 Aug 2013

Researchers discover the origin of HPV-related tonsillar cancer

American and European research shows an alarming increase in the rate of tonsillar cancer related to the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus. Experts suggest a similar trend has emerged in Canada, but it had yet to be confirmed through scientific analysis.

14 Aug 2013

Health law political push evident in Ad spending, enrollment efforts

The war over health care is being waged all over again. Supporters and opponents of the Affordable Care Act -- also called Obamacare -- are battling for American eyeballs in an advertising and outreach war, reminiscent of the 2009 political fight when Congress debated the legislation (Green, 8/12).

14 Aug 2013

Employers can prevent and treat cancer diseases by promoting health programs in workplace

Employers can have a significant role in improving efforts to prevent and treat diseases such as cancer by introducing and supporting health promotion programs in the workplace. Together, companies can influence health care policies and reimbursement and industry practices to support the fight against cancer.

14 Aug 2013

Sebelius signals openness to state alternatives to Medicaid expansion

Speaking to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she is willing to work with states experimenting with new ways to insure poor Americans. Meanwhile, outlets in Virginia and Michigan report on the debate in those states about expanding the program.

14 Aug 2013

Lawmakers brace for health law issues during August recess

With the overhaul continuing to be a divisive issue, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle -- as well as the measure's advocates and opponents -- have put in place messages and plans to keep their arguments strong.

14 Aug 2013

UCSB to host 6th Annual International PRT Autism and Asperger's Conference next month

Autism experts from around the world will gather at UC Santa Barbara next month for the 6th Annual International Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) Autism and Asperger's Conference.

13 Aug 2013

Coalition with Innovative Life Sciences delivers best medicine in oncology for cancer patients

GenoSpace, PathGroup and the IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters today announced an innovative initiative to develop and deliver a best-in-class personalized medicine service in oncology, the result of which will enable physicians to make more precise therapeutic recommendations for cancer patients.

13 Aug 2013

BackPainSchool.com gives visitors accurate knowledge of low back pain prevention

Based on the neuroscience of pain, BackPainSchool.com gives visitors an accurate, evidence-based understanding of the nature, treatment, and prevention of low back pain.

13 Aug 2013