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Senate bill offered to allow young adults to stay on parents' FEHBP; Clock ticks on next round for Medicare physician pay fix

This week a senator followed House lawmakers' lead by introducing a bill that would let the children of federal employees remain on their parents' health insurance until age 26, starting this year. Under the health reform law President Obama signed in March, the cutoff age would have increased from 22 to 26 in January 2011 for Federal Employees Health Benefits Program participants, due to laws that prevent the Office of Personnel Management from making midyear changes.

14 May 2010

Health reform implementation issues: Emergency room costs, consumer websites and small business questions

Kaiser Health News: The new health reform law guarantees insurance companies must cover emergency care for their beneficiaries at hospitals in- or out-of-network at the same rate. "The law also bars health plans from requiring prior authorization for emergency services. And it mandates that plans follow the 'prudent layperson' rule.

14 May 2010

New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

The New England Journal of Medicine dedicates a significant amount of its current issue to research and perspectives on the new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is abbreviated as ACA (5/12).

14 May 2010

States take different actions in plans for implementing health overhaul law

WPRI: Rhode Island Governor, Donald Carcieri, continues to ask Attorney General Patrick Lynch to file a lawsuit against the federal health reform law. "But Lynch says he will not do it. In a statement, Lynch says he believes quality health care is a right for all citizens. He also says the law does not infringe on the rights of states" (Gouthro, 5/10).

14 May 2010

GOP launches attacks on CMS nominee Berwick

Republicans have begun attacking Donald Berwick, a doctor and Harvard professor nominated to head the Obama administration's Medicare and Medicaid agency, The Boston Globe reports. If confirmed, Berwick would run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency with 4,500 employees and an annual budget of $780 billion.

14 May 2010

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

When Republican lawmakers created the Florida Health Choices program in 2008, they billed it as a way to deregulate the health-care market for small businesses. Two years later, Florida Health Choices has still not started offering coverage, and its leaders and lawmakers face a philosophical choice that could determine whether the program survives.

13 May 2010

Family medical costs surge to new high

Families' health care costs continued to rise last year, Modern Healthcare reports. "Total healthcare costs for a typical family of four increased $1,303 or 7.8% over the past year, according to the Milliman Medical Index, the highest total dollar increase in the history of the actuarial firm's annual study.

13 May 2010

CBO raises cost estimate for health law, sparking political reaction

The Associated Press: "President Barack Obama's new health care law could potentially add at least $115 billion more to government health care spending over the next 10 years, congressional budget referees said Tuesday," to beyond $1 trillion. "The Congressional Budget Office said the added spending includes $10 billion to $20 billion in administrative costs to federal agencies carrying out the law, as well as $34 billion for community health centers and $39 billion for Indian health care" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/11).

13 May 2010

With campaign season taking off, White House offers Democrats help on selling health law

White House officials prepared a plan Tuesday to help Democrats sell the health reform law during the midterm election season that will focus on early deliverables to win over a skeptical public.

13 May 2010

Small businesses look for wellness grants in health reform law

Provisions in the new health reform law offer aid and cash to small businesses that encourage employees to be fitter and healthier, but the plans aren't without their own controversy, CNN Money reports.

13 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

The Commonwealth's 2006 health care reform was supposed to help address rising health insurance costs for small businesses. It hasn't — and small businesses are paying the price (Jim Stergios and Amy Lischko, 5/12).

13 May 2010

Challenges to health reform face long campaign in many states

Thirty-three states are trying to block the mandate on individual American citizens to purchase health insurance, "as a growing roster of mostly Republican officials have mounted legal and legislative challenges" to this requirement. "This Friday, seven more states will formally join a lawsuit originally filed by Florida and 12 other states in late March.

13 May 2010

More for mental health and first nurse led clinic

Tuesday’s budget saw the Australian government allocate $7.4 billion for health. Many critics have brought to notice that only $200 million has gone towards mental health. The Rudd government has denied such accusations.

12 May 2010

Blog Watch: The question of 'real benefits'

Kaiser Health News listens to the chatter in the blogsophere regarding recent events. "During his weekend address, President Barack Obama said that health reform is already delivering "real benefits" to the American people.

12 May 2010

Washington Post event: Health reform and its implications

In this Kaiser Health News video, Washington Post staff writers, David Hilzenrath, Amy Goldstein, Ceci Connolly, Alec MacGillis and David Brown, also contributors to the Post's new book, Landmark: The Inside Story Of America's New Health Care Law And What It Means For Us All, discuss the new health care law and its implications.

12 May 2010

Brandeis University surveys assess how recent legislation affects consumer access to behavioral health services

Brandeis University is launching two surveys of the nation's private health plans to assess how recent legislation affects quality of and consumer access to behavioral health services. Both the federal parity law and national health reform are likely to affect behavioral health care

12 May 2010

First Edition: May 12, 2010

Today's headlines include reports about new congressional budget office projections that increase the 10-year costs of the health overhaul law.

12 May 2010

Registered nurses to march and rally in Washington to press for landmark patient safety legislation

Up to 1,000 registered nurses from Maine to California will march and rally in Washington, DC, today to press the case for moving beyond insurance reform to improving the quality of care in U.S. hospitals and other healthcare settings.

12 May 2010

Parents of autistic children say health reform should help them

The Dallas Morning News: Parents and families of autistic children and adults are hoping that the federal health law will help them. "The new federal regulations will prohibit spending caps, prevent insurers from excluding pre-existing conditions and behavioral health care, and extend dependent care to age 26.

12 May 2010

CMS will keep a close eye on 'innovation' funding

Funds for new Medicare experiments -- appropriated as part of the health law -- may require special scrutiny to ensure they are spent correctly, a Medicare official said, CongressDaily/NextGov reports.

12 May 2010

Health Reform News and Research

Senate bill offered to allow young adults to stay on parents' FEHBP; Clock ticks on next round for Medicare physician pay fix

Health reform implementation issues: Emergency room costs, consumer websites and small business questions

New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

States take different actions in plans for implementing health overhaul law

GOP launches attacks on CMS nominee Berwick

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

Family medical costs surge to new high

CBO raises cost estimate for health law, sparking political reaction

With campaign season taking off, White House offers Democrats help on selling health law

Small businesses look for wellness grants in health reform law

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

Challenges to health reform face long campaign in many states

More for mental health and first nurse led clinic

Blog Watch: The question of 'real benefits'

Washington Post event: Health reform and its implications

Brandeis University surveys assess how recent legislation affects consumer access to behavioral health services

First Edition: May 12, 2010

Registered nurses to march and rally in Washington to press for landmark patient safety legislation

Parents of autistic children say health reform should help them

CMS will keep a close eye on 'innovation' funding

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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