Health and Human Services News and Research

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Viewpoints: Misreading Hobby Lobby; calmer climate for ACA; danger of tuberculosis, measles

Liberals should spend less time lauding the dissents in last week's Hobby Lobby decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and more time reading them.

9 Jul 2014

Study: No evidence hospitals use digital records to bilk Medicare

Concerns that hospitals are harnessing electronic health records to generate bigger revenues may be unfounded, according to a study published Tuesday. Meanwhile, NPR looks at how entrepreneurs are using technology to help older people manage their health.

9 Jul 2014

Report raises concerns about Medicare lab billing

Medicare allowed $1.7 billion in payments to laboratories in 2010 for claims that raised red flags, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.

9 Jul 2014

New approach can reduce depression in patients with AMD-related low vision

Depression is a common risk for people who have lost their vision from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but a new study shows that a type of rehabilitation therapy can cut this risk in half. The study was funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

9 Jul 2014

First Edition: June 9, 2014

Today's headlines include a status report on GOP discussions and debate over plans to replace the health law as well as coverage of emerging legislation to override the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision.

9 Jul 2014

Rowan researcher gets $2.8 million to alleviate effects of disasters on older people

Nothing could have prepared New Jersey's residents for the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Particularly hard hit was the state's elderly population. While statistics show that elderly residents accounted for 65 percent of the deaths associated with the storm, little is known about the lasting effects on those who survived, particularly how the storm and its aftermath contributed to functional declines and disability in older adults.

9 Jul 2014

Research finding offers potential therapeutic avenues for glioblastoma

Invading glioblastoma cells may hijack cerebral blood vessels during early stages of disease progression and damage the brain's protective barrier, a study in mice indicates. This finding could ultimately lead to new ways to bring about the death of the tumor, as therapies may be able to reach these deadly cells at an earlier time point than was previously thought possible.

9 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Court's 'baffling' decision; opposing views on Medicaid alternatives; fixing the VA with earmarks

Over the weekend, without a pressing deadline at hand, I sat down to read more closely the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's strong dissent.

9 Jul 2014

Mice exposed to low doses of arsenic in drinking water develop lung cancer

Mice exposed to low doses of arsenic in drinking water, similar to what some people might consume, developed lung cancer, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found.

8 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 8, 2014

Today's headlines include reports that a federal judge in Wisconsin heard arguments in a health law challenge brought by a U.S. senator.

8 Jul 2014

State highlights: Calif. rejecting 'free money'; N.C. Medicaid changes, problems; Ill. readies employer contraception coverage vote

Consumer advocates and some legislators were surprised and frustrated when California health officials recently refused a $6 million donation to help people re-up their Medi-Cal health coverage. Now two senators have proposed an unusual solution: a bill to force the state to accept the offer from The California Endowment (Gorman, 7/4).

8 Jul 2014

CWRU receives $12.6 million from NIA to identify rare genetic variants that contribute to Alzheimer's

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine are part of a five-university collaboration receiving a $12.6 million, four-year grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to identify rare genetic variants that may either protect against, or contribute to Alzheimer's disease risk.

8 Jul 2014

Nine of 10 Obamacare applications with subsidy inconsistencies have yet to be resolved

The inspector general report details the government isn't quite sure how to fix the problem. In the meantime, a new health startup looks to cash in on helping companies enroll low-wage earners in Medicaid instead of company plans.

4 Jul 2014

Beleodaq gets FDA approval for treatment of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Beleodaq (belinostat) for the treatment of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), a rare and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The action was taken under the agency's accelerated approval program.

3 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

The 5-4 decision, which runs 89 pages (including a 35-page dissent), is a messy, sprawling affair. The majority insists that its reach is narrow, while the dissent holds otherwise. What's clear is that the ruling will needlessly complicate not only constitutional and corporate law but also -- at least as significant -- health care for women who work at such companies (6/30).

3 Jul 2014

Eligibility for subsidies not properly checked, audit finds

The HHS inspector general issues two reports concluding the federal health marketplace and some state exchanges had inadequate safeguards to stop people who were ineligible from getting tax credits to help pay for premiums.

3 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 2, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new audit's findings that the health law's online insurance marketplaces did not adequately screen applicants seeking subsidies.

2 Jul 2014

NEI researchers describe functions of gene responsible for anchoring cilia

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have described the functions of a gene responsible for anchoring cilia - sensory hair-like extensions present on almost every cell of the body.

2 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Nothing in health care is free; Obamacare opponents lack facts; 'Nurse Jackie' and the ER

The Department of Health and Human Services released a report Friday declaring that 76 million Americans with private insurance became eligible for more preventive services with no out-of-pocket fees as a result of the 2010 healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). Because Democrats are counting on female voters to help them at the polls in November, the report highlighted how women had been helped by that aspect of Obamacare.

1 Jul 2014

Medical boards draft plan to allow greater use of telemedicine

Amid predictions of a growing doctor shortage, state medical boards have drafted a model law that would make it easier for physicians licensed in one state to treat patients in others, whether in person, by videoconference or online. Meanwhile, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledges she made mistakes in the health law's rollout by spending "too little time clearly on the technology side."

1 Jul 2014

Health and Human Services News and Research

Viewpoints: Misreading Hobby Lobby; calmer climate for ACA; danger of tuberculosis, measles

Study: No evidence hospitals use digital records to bilk Medicare

Report raises concerns about Medicare lab billing

New approach can reduce depression in patients with AMD-related low vision

First Edition: June 9, 2014

Rowan researcher gets $2.8 million to alleviate effects of disasters on older people

Research finding offers potential therapeutic avenues for glioblastoma

Viewpoints: Court's 'baffling' decision; opposing views on Medicaid alternatives; fixing the VA with earmarks

Mice exposed to low doses of arsenic in drinking water develop lung cancer

First Edition: July 8, 2014

State highlights: Calif. rejecting 'free money'; N.C. Medicaid changes, problems; Ill. readies employer contraception coverage vote

CWRU receives $12.6 million from NIA to identify rare genetic variants that contribute to Alzheimer's

Nine of 10 Obamacare applications with subsidy inconsistencies have yet to be resolved

Beleodaq gets FDA approval for treatment of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

Eligibility for subsidies not properly checked, audit finds

First Edition: July 2, 2014

NEI researchers describe functions of gene responsible for anchoring cilia

Viewpoints: Nothing in health care is free; Obamacare opponents lack facts; 'Nurse Jackie' and the ER

Medical boards draft plan to allow greater use of telemedicine

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