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Roundup: Iowa Gov. proposes insurance premium hike for state workers; Mental health care fund questioned in Calif.

Proposition 63, which voters approved in 2004, was touted as a way to address serious mental illnesses in California, but in the years since, critics -- including some of the original supporters -- have argued that it has gone off the rails in its implementation.

3 Dec 2012

'Fiscal Cliff' talks morphing into high-stakes game of political chicken

White House negotiators and GOP lawmakers remain at odds over a deficit-reduction plan with only weeks to go before automatic spending cuts and tax increases are triggered.

3 Dec 2012

AliveCor receives FDA clearance on its mobile heart monitor

AliveCor, Inc. announced today at the start of the 4th annual mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C. that the company received FDA 510(k) clearance on its mobile Heart Monitor as well as CE Mark conformity. This clinical-quality, low-cost mobile ECG heart monitor, compatible with the iPhone® 4 and 4S, enables doctors to evaluate patient heart health easily, quickly and remotely.

3 Dec 2012

Single-dose radiotherapy best for painful spine metastases

Research supports the use of single-fraction radiotherapy for the treatment of painful vertebral bone metastases.

3 Dec 2012

First Edition: December 3, 2012

For years, King/Drew provided emergency, trauma and inpatient care to residents from throughout South Los Angeles. After a series of medical errors resulted in patient deaths, Los Angeles County closed it in 2007. County officials promised the community a better, safer new medical center in a few years.

3 Dec 2012

HHS releases new insurance exchange rules, includes controversial surcharges

Health insurance companies will have to pay to play in new health insurance markets coming under President Barack Obama's health care law, the administration said in a regulatory notice issued Friday. The Health and Human Services department is proposing a "user fee" amounting to 3.5 percent of premiums for health insurers who want to offer policies in new federal exchanges coming in 2014.

2 Dec 2012

TINCR molecule plays a master role in epidermal differentiation

The surface of your skin, called the epidermis, is a complex mixture of many different cell types - each with a very specific job. The production, or differentiation, of such a sophisticated tissue requires an immense amount of coordination at the cellular level, and glitches in the process can have disastrous consequences. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a master regulator of this differentiation process.

2 Dec 2012

Fiscal cliff: Dems, GOP sparring publicly over entitlement cuts, including Medicare

President Barack Obama is ready to entertain Republican proposals for spending cuts, but GOP lawmakers must first commit to higher tax rates on the rich and specify what additional spending cuts they want in a deal to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said. "The ball really is with them now," Geithner, one of the president's chief negotiators with Capitol Hill, said during appearances on five Sunday talk shows.

2 Dec 2012

New psychiatric manual won't include Asperger's diagnosis, could affect treatment payments

News outlets covered the Saturday meeting of the American Psychiatric Association as changes were approved to its manual of mental disorders.

2 Dec 2012

Bringing malnutrition into the political spotlight

"Most people think malnutrition is all about not having enough food or enough of the right kind of food to eat," but while "this is a big part of the story ... there are many other links in the chain," Lawrence Haddad, director of the Institute of Development Studies, writes in a BBC Magazine opinion piece.

1 Dec 2012

Decoding Part D marketing and other news

Choosing a Medicare Prescription Drug plan is a tricky business. Most beneficiaries go for the cheapest monthly premium, but this can be a big mistake, especially for those with unusual or expensive medications.

1 Dec 2012

Major maker of generic Lipitor halts production

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, the largest producer of the generic version of Lipitor, has halted production of the drug until it can figure out why glass particles may have ended up in pills that were distributed to the public, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.

1 Dec 2012

White House fiscal plan draws cool GOP response

The proposal reflects Democratic priorities, focusing on stimulus spending and unspecified spending cuts this year, and legislation in 2013 that would cut as much as $400 billion from Medicare and other government entitlement programs over the next decade in exchange for $1.6 trillion in tax increases.

1 Dec 2012

The Atlantic features special section for AIDS articles

In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, the Atlantic features a collection of new and previous stories related to HIV/AIDS, titled "AIDS Around the World: Prevention, Treatment and Beyond."

1 Dec 2012

Supreme Court may decide gay health benefits issues

The justices could consider same-sex marriage, which would affect health benefits for federal employees and possibly Medicaid.

1 Dec 2012

Men should see a doctor and be proactive about their health, say UAB experts

Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) say a man's tendency to wait until the onset of sickness to see his doctor is a major detriment to health because key screenings are missed.

1 Dec 2012

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on Friday published Issue 204 of its "Global Fund Observer."

1 Dec 2012

Retail clinics could undermine primary care patient-physician relationships

Using retail walk-in health clinics, often located inside pharmacies or big-box stores, for simple acute care problems can interfere with establishing and maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider, finds a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

1 Dec 2012

Mass. Republicans want top state health official to resign

The state's Republicans are challenging the handling of the recent meningitis outbreak and drug test tampering allegations.

1 Dec 2012

Fiscal crisis, thoughts of sequestration cause provider angst

If the "fiscal cliff's" scheduled cuts take effect, physicians will face a 2 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements. Separately, however, they also are confronting a 27 percent pay cut as a result of the failure to fix the Medicare physician payment formula.

1 Dec 2012