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Study finds health law is helping protect young adults from high health bills

The RAND Corp. research finds that the law's provision allowing children up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents' health plans resulted in $147 million in hospital bills to be covered by insurance.

31 May 2013

Current policies for small businesses, individuals may not meet health law standards

Many people who buy their own health insurance could get surprises in the mail this fall: cancellation notices because their current policies aren't up to the basic standards of President Barack Obama's health care law. They, and some small businesses, will have to find replacement plans - and that has some state insurance officials worried about consumer confusion (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/29).

31 May 2013

First Edition: May 30, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include stories about a new study on immigrants' financial impact on the Medicare program and a new federal regulation on wellness programs.

30 May 2013

Study finds rise in accidental marijuana ingestion by children in Colo.

The report in JAMA Pediatrics looked at children who accidentally ate marijuana and needed emergency treatment.

30 May 2013

States deal with hospitals' structural, financial issues

Hospitals in the District of Columbia, New York and Louisiana deal with "structural challenges," cost-sharing and other funding issues.

30 May 2013

Thousands of veterans affected by states' rejection of Medicaid expansion

An estimated quarter-million former service members would have been eligible for health coverage under the joint state-federal program but their states have opted not to participate in the expansion envisioned by the federal health law. Meanwhile in Iowa, hospitals were helpful in forging a compromise on the issue.

30 May 2013

In declining to hear Indiana case, Supreme Court supports Medicaid funds for planned parenthood

The high court let stand a lower court ruling rejecting an Indiana law that would have banned Planned Parenthood from receiving any Medicaid funds.

30 May 2013

Calif. docs worry state psych hospital staffing shortage could harm care

Some California doctors worry staffing shortages at state psychiatric hospitals are harming patient care.

30 May 2013

Viewpoints: Medical professionals and near misses; Two tea partiers diverge on Medicaid expansion; Obamacare's 'death by a thousand cuts'

A near miss, like any error, is an opportunity to examine how mistakes are made and what changes might prevent them. Yet we have no idea how many near misses there are. Many experts feel that near-miss errors dwarf the number of known errors, a number that is already too high for comfort. (According to a 2006 report, medication errors alone injure an estimated 1.5 million patients a year.) But the instinct for most medical professionals is to keep these shameful mistakes to ourselves (Danielle Ofri, 5/28).

30 May 2013

Study details Medicare spending variations

The analysis finds health differences explain as much as 85 percent of cost variations around the country.

30 May 2013

State-by-state analysis warns of looming health care crisis

The report examines the rising number of seniors and growing rates of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

30 May 2013

Wis. insurers cautious about new online marketplaces

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on insurers' wariness about how business will work on these new marketplaces, which are being set up as part of the federal health law.

30 May 2013

Calif. Senate OKs measure expanding nurse practitioners' role

California lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to practice more independently amid worries over a shortage of health care providers. The bill would allow the practitioners to have stand-alone practices, among other things.

30 May 2013

House GOP members unveil draft 'doc fix' plan

The plan would repeal the contentious SGR formula for reimbursing doctors, but does not include a way to pay for that. Also in the House, a Democrat and a Republican introduce a bill to create national exercise guidelines.

30 May 2013

Californians who jump from provider to provider less likely to get preventive treatment against flu: Study

Too many cooks may spoil a recipe, and too many doctors may give you the flu. That's the takeaway from a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research that found that Californians who jump from provider to provider rather than seeing a regular doctor who coordinates their care may be less likely to get the kind of preventive treatment that protects against the flu and flare ups in their chronic conditions.

30 May 2013

In rural Alaska, new rules reshape care often hampered by isolation

Two news outlets examine some of the difficulties in providing care in Alaska.

30 May 2013

Hospitals cracking down on those who don't wash their hands

At North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, motion sensors, like those used for burglar alarms, go off every time someone enters an intensive care room.

30 May 2013

BayCare Health System, CHS agree to co-manage two onsite health centers for employees

BayCare Health System and CHS Health Services have agreed to co-manage two onsite health centers staffed by full-time physicians and nursing staff dedicated entirely for the health system's employees.

29 May 2013

First Edition: May 29, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include a look at California's effort to expand health care and reports on the Supreme Court's announcement that stops Indiana from barring Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding.

29 May 2013

Viewpoints: 'Good news' on Calif. insurance rates; Battle against dementia needs stronger efforts; Dental care for the disabled

The Affordable Care Act, a k a Obamacare, goes fully into effect at the beginning of next year, and predictions of disaster are being heard far and wide. ... No doubt there will be problems, as there are with any large new government initiative, and in this case, we have the added complication that many Republican governors and legislators are doing all they can to sabotage reform. Yet important new evidence - especially from California, the law's most important test case - suggests that the real Obamacare shock will be one of unexpected success (Paul Krugman, 5/26).

29 May 2013