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What's the prize in the wellness games?

News reports track the latest trends regarding how insurers are using digital gaming methods to encourage wellness and how patients increasingly are being urged to ask questions about the cost of care.

9 Apr 2012

Medicare, entitlements: Key political sparring points

Although congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama hope to make electoral hay out of the GOP budget's Medicare revamp, GOP Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is proving to have appeal. During the primary thus far, Romney has fared well with older voters in swing states.

9 Apr 2012

Study shows causal effect of obesity on medical care costs

Obesity now accounts for almost 21 percent of U.S. health care costs - more than twice the previous estimates, reports a new Cornell University study.

9 Apr 2012

GYT campaign kicks off National STD Awareness Month

The fourth annual GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign kicks off National STD Awareness Month (April) with new initiatives on-air, online, and on the ground at college campuses and in more than 5,000 health centers across the nation.

9 Apr 2012

During the congressional break, voters air their frustrations

At a time of high unemployment and home foreclosure rates, frustration with Congress and rising anxiety over how to deal with the national debt without gutting programs such as Medicare health insurance for the elderly and the Social Security retirement program, such meetings aren't always comfortable for lawmakers.

9 Apr 2012

New text messaging program to manage diabetes

D.C. Chartered Health Plan, Inc., the oldest Medicaid managed care organization in the District of Columbia, is launching a new text messaging program for 50 of its members to help them better manage diabetes, which requires regular care to avoid costly complications.

9 Apr 2012

Blog posts respond to Melinda Gates' TEDxChange presentation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog published several posts in response to the TEDxChange: "The Big Picture" presentation delivered by Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation, in Berlin on Thursday.

9 Apr 2012

States count health law dollars, brace for back-ups if overhaul struck down

In health law implementation news, Iowa gets federal grants for home care workers to visit families with children while Minnesota lawmakers brace for losing Medicaid dollars.

9 Apr 2012

On the campaign trail, it seems everyone has critics

According to reports, the Obama administration continues to face stiff criticism from Catholic leaders over its contraception policies. Meanwhile, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has among his health policy advisers two people who are on the record in their opposition to the health he signed while governor of Massachusetts.

9 Apr 2012

Kodak withdraws plan to end health benefits for Medicare-eligible retirees

In the midst of bankruptcy proceedings, Kodak withdrew a motion to end these health benefits and will instead create a reitrees commitee to examine issues of medical and survivor benefits. Meanwhile, AT&T contract negotiations continue -- with health care premiums and copayments among the issues in play.

9 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 9, 2012

In today's headlines, reports about how both Democrats and Republicans are working to woo Seniors -- Medicare politices are central to this effort.

9 Apr 2012

VasoNova receives BSI CE certification for Arrow VPS system

Teleflex Incorporated, a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, has announced that its VasoNova Inc. subsidiary has been issued CE certification from its notified body, the British Standards Institution (BSI), to market the company's Arrow VPS system to the European Union.

9 Apr 2012

The Medicare NewsGroup introduces new website for journalists

The Medicare NewsGroup has launched a new website that will equip journalists with the information and tools they need to cover Medicare effectively and thoroughly.

9 Apr 2012

Obama, Romney camps tussling over women's vote

To appeal to women, Democrats are pointing to the health law (including its contraceptive coverage) while Republicans are playing up their solutions to fix the economy.

9 Apr 2012

Internet-savvy consumers are incessant shoppers of health care providers and information

Today's Internet-savvy consumers are incessant shoppers of both health care providers and health care information, typically passing through four phases of online evaluation and connection with physicians, medical practices and other patients, according to Ron Harman King, a veteran digital marketer of specialty practices.

7 Apr 2012

Senator Lugar's Farm Bill will deepen nutrition problem in Illinois

Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana reintroduced legislation last month to cut $40 billion from federal farming support and federal nutrition assistance funding, which could eliminate food stamps for 74,000 already hungry Illinois residents, including 15,000 in Chicago.

7 Apr 2012

NYPNU casts vote to affiliate with NorthEast Nurses Association/National Nurses United

Registered nurses represented by the New York Professional Nurses Union (NYPNU) cast an overwhelming vote this week to affiliate with the NorthEast Nurses Association/National Nurses United (NENA/NNU), the nation's largest union and professional association of RNs, to provide its members with a stronger regional and national voice in this era of dramatic change in health care.

7 Apr 2012

KU researchers receive inventorship credit on NIH-owned Velcade patents

Pillsbury today announced that its clients, the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., a nonprofit corporation affiliated with KU, prevailed in a closely watched legal battle over cancer drug formulation patents after an arbitration panel ruled in KUCR's favor following years of litigation against the National Institutes of Health.

7 Apr 2012

Delegates at 126th IPU Assembly in Uganda focus on child, maternal health

"Over 600 parliamentarians from more than 100 countries" met in Kampala, Uganda, this week for the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, where participants discussed child and maternal health and nutrition, UNICEF reports in a news article.

7 Apr 2012

Aetna makes it easier for tornado affected members in Texas

In response to the tornadoes in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Aetna (NYSE: AET) is making it easier for its affected members to refill prescriptions and access employee assistance and behavioral health programs. The company is also helping members who have evacuated find care outside their home areas.

7 Apr 2012