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UnitedHealthcare pushing congress to open up federal workers' health program

At a congressional hearing yesterday, UnitedHealthCare executives said that Blue Cross Blue Shield dominates the FEHB market too much.

15 Apr 2013

Study challenges correlation between bad behaviors in children with hearing implants, language delay

A new study presented today at the 48th Annual American Neurotology Society spring meeting is challenging a long held belief among speech therapists and audiologists that bad behavior in young children with hearing implants is an indicator of device failure and a predictor of poor language development.

15 Apr 2013

State highlights: Baby boomers eye expanding end-of-life rights in states across nation; Calif. judges threaten governor with contempt of court over prison care

Claudia Burzichelli doesn't want to die like her dad. … In states across the country, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, graying baby boomers have been lobbying lawmakers in recent months at hearings, in letters and by phone, pushing to make it legal for doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients.

15 Apr 2013

New research shows effects of long-term use of opioid therapy

Half of patients on high-dose, long-term opioid therapy had hormonal disturbances or signs of inflammation, while 100 percent reported improved pain control and mental outlook, new research shows.

15 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new study measuring how the health law has expanded young adults access to care.

12 Apr 2013

Mayo CEO's expansion comments draw Minn. lawmaker criticism; Other state marketplace news

Comments from the Mayo Clinic's CEO that the organization's proposed expansion in Minnesota could happen elsewhere are drawing criticism from Minnesota lawmakers.

12 Apr 2013

Brains of different people respond in same way to music, Stanford study says

Do the brains of different people listening to the same piece of music actually respond in the same way? An imaging study by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists says the answer is yes, which may in part explain why music plays such a big role in our social existence.

12 Apr 2013

Sophono receives worldwide clearance of Alpha 2 device for MRI

Sophono, Inc.– manufacturer of abutment-free, implantable, bone conduction hearing devices – has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for magnetic resonance imaging.

12 Apr 2013

Tavenner moves closer to Senate confirmation to head CMS

Marilyn Tavenner, who has been the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services since 2011, received a warm reception from Democrats and Republicans alike during a Tuesday Senate Finance Committee hearing.

11 Apr 2013

House panel plans review of federal employee health plan

The Hill reports that a House Oversight subcommittee will likely debate possible changes to federal employee health benefits -- just two months after a pay freeze was put in place.

11 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 10, 2013

Today's headlines include more details and analysis regarding President Barack Obama's budget plan and how it handles Medicare and other entitlement programs.

10 Apr 2013

State roundup: Ga. smoker surcharge could be working; States clamp down on early deliveries; Calif. groups want Medi-Cal transition pause over coverage concerns

State officials say the number of Georgians in the state employee health plan paying $80 more a month in insurance premiums due to smoking has dropped by 44 percent over the past six years.

10 Apr 2013

House GOP leader to introduce Tavenner at nomination hearing

Senators are planning to grill Marilyn Tavenner, the Obama administration's nominee to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, but Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., has said she is "eminently qualified," and her confirmation is expected.

10 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 9, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about about various elements of the health law and how they are being viewed as implementation rolls ahead.

9 Apr 2013

Roundup: Abortion restriction measure goes to Kan. governor's desk

Kansas legislators gave final passage to a sweeping anti-abortion measure Friday night, sending Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that declares life begins "at fertilization" while blocking tax breaks for abortion providers and banning abortions performed solely because of the baby's sex.

9 Apr 2013

Obama's budget expected to call for Medicare cuts

n advance of the release of President Barack Obama's fiscal blueprint on Wednesday, an adviser warned friends and foes that the plan includes things neither will like. The budget plan is expected to kick off new discussions about trimming entitlements and revamping the nation's safety net.

9 Apr 2013

Proposal to eliminate SGR payment formula is revised

The House panels' proposal to replace Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula is seen as a way to change how Medicare delivers care. Meanwhile, some House GOP lawmakers who have complained about the health law's costs said Wednesday that it should have allocated more money to a program to cover people with pre-existing health conditions.

5 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 4, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with USA Today, reports: "It's not just sore throats and flu shots anymore. Walgreens today became the first retail store chain to expand its health care services to include diagnosing and treating patients for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and high cholesterol. The move is the retail industry's boldest push yet into an area long controlled by physicians, and comes amid continuing concerns about health care costs and a potential shortage of primary care doctors" (Appleby, 4/4).

4 Apr 2013

Study explores views, beliefs about triggers of Meniere's disease symptoms

A report in one of the last issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics addresses the physical and psychological triggers for attacks in Meniere's disease.

4 Apr 2013