Health Care News and Research

RSS

White House Medicare proposal draws ire from advocates, liberals

The Hill reports that President Barack Obama's plan to combine Medicare's doctor and hospital costs is unpopular among advocates for the elderly and some liberal Democrats.

7 May 2013

The race to make abuse-proof painkillers; states lead on compounding pharmacy regulation

Developments in pharmaceuticals make headlines: the race to make painkillers that are difficult to abuse, state action on regulating compounding pharmacies and the difference in how much different Americans pay for prescriptions.

7 May 2013

Health providers with hepatitis B are covered by disability law

The U.S. Department of Justice recently declared in a legal settlement that hepatitis B patients are protected by federal disability law.

7 May 2013

GOP leaders poised to exploit health law problems

The AP reports that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., says Republicans must be ready to offer voters frustrated with the health law's implementation a better alternative, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., plans another vote on the health law's repeal.

7 May 2013

Employers seek to avoid health insurance mandate

The Wall Street Journal reports that some employers are pushing back against the requirement that companies must provide insurance to employees who work 30 hours a week or more.

7 May 2013

Roundup: Texas lawmakers quietly work to restore women's health services; brighter Calif. budget could mean new safety net cut fights

The political fireworks and high-octane drama that accompanied lawmakers' 2011 fight over women's health care and abortion has been absent this legislative session. It has been replaced with some semblance of concession, as legislators on both sides of the aisle work quietly to restore financing for women's health services.

7 May 2013

Despite outreach efforts, many eligible seniors are turning down health subsidy program

The Low Income Subsidy for Medicare Part D is a rare beast in economics research. The subsidy provides prescription drug coverage essentially free for low-income adults. That means it is what economists call a dominant option.

7 May 2013

Fla. legislature adjourns without Medicaid expansion deal

It seemed like a watershed moment for the Affordable Care Act when Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), a staunch Obamacare opponent, embraced the Medicaid expansion in February. ... Scott wouldn't be the one to "deny Floridians" a part of the health care law - but the Florida legislature had other plans.

7 May 2013

Caregivers juggle medical tasks

Just listening to Irene Ingemi describe the patchwork system of friends, family, and part-time day-care services she's stitched together to help her care for her frail mother-in-law is exhausting.

7 May 2013

Study indicates Mexican-American immigrants have fewer health limitations than U.S.-born Mexican-Americans

New research indicates that Mexican-Americans born in the United States who are aged 55 and over are significantly more likely than Mexican-American immigrants to report that they have substantial limitations in one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying. (30% versus 25%).

6 May 2013

Empa receives Innovation Prize at for co-developing sheet to prevent bedsores

Empa, in conjunction with the company Schoeller Medical AG and the Swiss ParaplegicCentre, has won the Innovation Prize at the international Techtextil trade fair.

6 May 2013

Researchers create new screening tool to identify suicidal youths

Nearly one in five children and teens found to be at risk for suicide report that there are guns in their homes, and 15 percent of those at risk for suicide with guns in the home know how to access both the guns and the bullets, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 6, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.

6 May 2013

First Edition: May 6, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "Florida is on course to spend $6 million to reach out to nearly 4 million uninsured people and help them sign up for coverage in the federal health law's online marketplace this fall.

6 May 2013

Changing toothbrush will not prevent sore throat

Word on the street has it you should replace your toothbrush after suffering from a cold, the flu or a bout of strep throat. That may not be necessary - at least when it comes to sore throats, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.

6 May 2013

National Health Investors announces its normalized Funds From Operations

National Health Investors, Inc. announced today its normalized Funds From Operations ("FFO"), its normalized Funds Available for Distribution ("FAD") and net income attributable to common stockholders for the three months ended March 31, 2013.

6 May 2013

Sedasys gets PMA approval from FDA for SEDASYS System

Sedasys, a Division of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted PMA approval for the SEDASYS System, the first computer-assisted personalized sedation system.

5 May 2013

Hospital leaders urge support for protecting health care providers from Medi-Cal cuts

Citing the real impact cutting the safety net would have on the most vulnerable residents, San Diego County Supervisors Greg Cox and Dianne Jacob joined with local hospital leaders today to call on the California Legislature and Governor Brown to spare hospital-based skilled-nursing facilities and other health care providers from devastating Medi-Cal cuts.

5 May 2013

New Department of Health Services Research for quality cancer care

Oncologist and cancer care outcomes researcher Sharon H. Giordano, M.D., leads the new Department of Health Services Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a multidisciplinary area of research that examines the delivery, quality and costs of health care.

5 May 2013

New position paper shows strong connection between nutrition and oral health

There is a strong connection between the food people eat and their oral health, according to a recently updated position paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

5 May 2013

Study estimates ER costs for hematuria patients at more than $237 million a year

A relatively common urinary tract disorder that can usually be managed in an outpatient setting is adding an estimated $238 million a year to the cost of emergency room visits in the U.S., according to two new studies from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

5 May 2013