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Polls: Most don't support health law repeal; doctors, too, are uninformed

A majority of Americans don't want Congress to repeal the health law but believe its implementation is going poorly, according to a United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection poll. Meanwhile, a survey of physicians concludes they are unfamiliar with how the overhaul will work.

24 Jul 2013

Obama seeks to mobilize grass roots to help advance health law

Presdient Barack Obama spoke to the group Organizing for Action and said the role of these volunteers in terms of putting the new health care plan in place and advancing other second-term initiatives is critical -- especially as the August congressional recess approaches.

24 Jul 2013

Most physicians not ready to bear responsibility of controlling health care costs: Survey

The results of a physician survey published this week in JAMA show that a majority physicians look to lawyers, insurance companies, drug and device manufacturers and even patients to bear the responsibility of controlling health care costs.

24 Jul 2013

Federal judge blocks North Dakota fetal heartbeat abortion law

The ban would prevent abortions in that state after a fetal heartbeat could be detected -- as early as six weeks into pregnancy, in some cases.

24 Jul 2013

Star power enlisted to spread the word about health law

The Obama administration is using the help of celebrities, including comedian Amy Poehler, actor Kal Penn and singer Jennifer Hudson, to educate young Americans about new insurance options under the law.

24 Jul 2013

Researchers receive award to determine end-of-life needs for people with HIV/AIDS

Approximately 10,000 Americans die with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis each year, and many of these patients lack access to the care they need at the end of their lives. A group of nursing professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is embarking on a study to try to change this.

24 Jul 2013

New peer-led intervention helps individuals with HIV adhere to their treatment plans

Individuals diagnosed with HIV nowadays can live long, healthy lives if they follow their medical treatment plans; however, nearly half of individuals with the virus fail to get needed medical help or to continue treatment, according to previous research.

24 Jul 2013

Abortion is energizing both parties on Capitol Hill

Roll Call reports that even though no legislation is expected to pass this year on abortion, the issue is galvanizing partisans. Also in congressional news, outlets look at GOP efforts to end funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and an effort to improve VA health records.

24 Jul 2013

FDA takes action to remove illegal diabetes products from market

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking action to remove from the market illegal products, including some labeled as dietary supplements, that claim to mitigate, treat, cure or prevent diabetes and related complications.

24 Jul 2013

Illinois Gov. Quinn signs Medicaid expansion into law

News outlets report on other developments related to state decisions about whether to expand the federal-state program for the poor in Idaho, West Virginia and California.

24 Jul 2013

Study: Fluctuations in unemployment rate affect people's health care choices

Fluctuations in the unemployment rate affect people's health care choices, finds a new study in Health Services Research. Specifically, a one percent increase in state unemployment corresponded to a 1.58 percent reduction in the use of preventive health care services such as mammograms, pap tests, and annual check-ups.

24 Jul 2013

Affordable Care Act may result in increased employee harassment

The contrasting incentives of employers and employees under the Affordable Care Act ultimately may result in increased employee harassment and retaliation claims, two University of Illinois law professors say in a paper they co-wrote.

24 Jul 2013

Minnesota approves additional federal funds for its new health exchange

The state is seeking another $40 million for operation costs. Meanwhile, in Illinois, the Quinn administration filed plans to award the contract to build the state's online insurance marketplace.

24 Jul 2013

Overall risk of injury death is lower in urban areas compared to outside of cities

Overturning a commonly-held belief that cities are inherently more dangerous than suburban and rural communities, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found that risk of death from injuries is lowest on average in urban counties compared to suburban and rural counties across the U.S.

24 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 23, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that the White House is enlisting celebrities to aid efforts to enroll young people in the health insurance plans that will kick in this fall as a result of the health law.

23 Jul 2013

MUCMD Symposium to be held at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles

On August 16 and 17, the 3rd annual Meaningful Use of Complex Medical Data Symposium is returning to The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

23 Jul 2013

NextGen Healthcare introduces collaborative care project with Florida Blue and Availity

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and a leading provider of health care information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced the introduction of a collaborative care project with Florida's largest health insurer, Florida Blue, and Availity, a top health information network to improve health care delivery for Florida residents.

23 Jul 2013

Federal judge grants Hobby Lobby a temporary injunction against health law's birth control coverage requirement

A federal judge has temporarily exempted Hobby Lobby Stores Inc from a requirement in the 2010 healthcare law that it offer workers insurance coverage for birth control, which the retailer said violated its religious beliefs. The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton in Oklahoma City, where Hobby Lobby is based, covers the arts and crafts chain and its affiliated Mardel Christian bookstore chain (Stempel, 7/19).

23 Jul 2013

Defining '20 weeks' of pregnancy -- states and doctors don't agree

NPR reports that the way most states define what constitutes 20 weeks of pregnancy in their abortion laws isn't the same way most doctors define it. In the meantime, Mexican abortion pill sellers just across the border from Texas expect a boon after that state's new abortion restrictions.

23 Jul 2013

D.C., Minnesota march forward with online insurance marketplace

With less than three months until its go-live date, District officials say the city's health insurance exchange is already functioning as planned by one important measure: prices. City insurance regulators announced Friday that they have finishing granting approval to the plans set to be offered on the exchange, known as D.C. Health Link, starting Oct. 1. Four insurers are offering 301 different plans, and three of the four lowered their prices from their initial proposals after learning what their competitors were planning to charge (DeBonis, 7/19).

23 Jul 2013