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Senate to vote on confirmation of Burwell as HHS chief

The Senate is scheduled to proceed with consideration of the Obama administration pick to take over the Department of Health and Human Services.

6 Jun 2014

CBO to stop scoring some parts of the health law

The congressional budget analysts announce that they will continue to track the financial impact of the marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion program, but not some of the other smaller changes made under the law. Meanwhile, a new strategy for employers who provide health care is coming under scrutiny.

5 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 5, 2014

Today's headlines include the latest developments regarding congressional action on the veterans' health care scandal as well as reports about the latest Medicaid enrollment figures in the context of the health law.

5 Jun 2014

Highlights: Calif. insurance commissioner battle; food stamps and Medicaid in Calif.; Mo. and experimental drug therapies

Incumbent Democrat Dave Jones held a strong lead in Tuesday's primary election voting for state insurance commissioner, but he still faces a rematch in November against Republican challenger Ted Gaines (Lifsher, 6/3).

5 Jun 2014

Congress supports full Medicare coverage of lung cancer screening for seniors

A large number of United States Senators and Representatives are taking the lead to support full Medicare coverage of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for seniors at high risk for lung cancer.

5 Jun 2014

Kelley Thompson selected to receive 2014 PCFSN Community Leadership Award

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) has selected Kelley Thompson to receive a 2014 PCFSN Community Leadership Award. The award is given to individuals and organizations who significantly improve the lives of others through sports, fitness or nutrition-related programs within local neighborhoods.

5 Jun 2014

NIH study finds that MDMA drug can be more dangerous in hot, crowded settings

A moderate dose of MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy or Molly, that is typically nonfatal in cool, quiet environments can be lethal in rats exposed to conditions that mimic the hot, crowded, social settings where the drug is often used by people, a study finds.

5 Jun 2014

School gardens effective way to nudge kids toward 60 minutes of daily activity

Planting a school garden into elementary school activities can teach about nutrition while boosting physical activity and exercise.

4 Jun 2014

Nearly 3 million Medicaid enrollees still waiting to get applications processed

Technological snags and bureaucratic tangles have slowed the health law's promise of coverage to many low-income Americans, CQ Healthbeat reports. In other news on the law's Medicaid provisions, the Chicago Tribune examines the demographics of new local beneficiaries.

4 Jun 2014

Medicare to cover sex-change surgery

The ruling, handed down Friday by a Department of Health and Human Services appeals board, reverses a Medicare policy in place since 1981. It covers surgery, but not other treatments like hormones.

3 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 2, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about state health law implementation activities as well as the next steps regarding the difficulties at the VA health system.

2 Jun 2014

New strategy prolongs survival in men with newly diagnosed, metastatic prostate cancer

Men with newly diagnosed metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer lived more than a year longer when they received a chemotherapy drug as initial treatment instead of waiting to for the disease to become resistant to hormone-blockers, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group.

2 Jun 2014

State highlights: Mo.'s declining Medicaid caseload; N.C. budget would cut Medicaid rolls; Calif. paid sick leave

Missouri is seeing a bigger decline in its Medicaid rolls than nearly any other state, a ranking that the Nixon administration attributes to an improving economy and critics blame on application snafus.

31 May 2014

CMS says it won't review billings despite IG report that it overpays doctors

The move comes even as a report points at $6.7 billion in overspending in Medicare. The HHS inspector general also says that the program paid $457 million in 2012 to detect drugs after a sharp increase in prescription drug abuse.

31 May 2014

First Edition: May 30, 2014

Today's headlines include the latest reports about the problems with the VA health system. Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Rovner reports: "It's not just veterans who are having trouble with health care.

30 May 2014

Viewpoints: Michelle Obama and school lunches; more about the VA health system 'scandal'; context and caution on Medicare's physician data release

When we began our Let's Move! initiative four years ago, we set one simple but ambitious goal: to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation so that kids born today will grow up healthy.

30 May 2014