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Aetna acquires Prodigy Health Group

Aetna today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Prodigy Health Group, the nation's largest independent third party administrator (TPA) of self-funded health care plans.

29 Jun 2011

Roundup: UMass students complain about insurance plan; Indiana stops paying for children's vaccines; Suit filed to stop Arizona Medicaid cuts

Student leaders at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus say changes in the students' health insurance plan will unfairly hit hardest on women, low-income students, and those with mental illnesses.

29 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: A health law legal precedent, hospital-acquired infections, price cap scrutiny

The Supreme Court's most important ruling this year may have been its unanimous decision in Bond v. United States, which held that individual citizens can challenge federal statutes when they encroach on authority the Constitution reserves to the states. The decision, authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, has far-reaching implications — especially for the government's efforts to defend ObamaCare.

29 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 28, 2011

Today's headlines include reports from the states about action on public employee benefit reforms and Planned Parenthood funding.

28 Jun 2011

Experian to acquire Medical Present Value

Experian, the leading global information services company, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Medical Present Value, Inc., a leading provider of revenue cycle management software, data and analytics to more than 75,000 U.S. physicians.

28 Jun 2011

Global food insecurity could become a 'permanent disaster,' Annan says

Global food insecurity that has left almost one billion people hungry could become a "permanent disaster" and endanger millions of lives, former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan said, Bloomberg reports.

28 Jun 2011

Former Brazilian food security minister elected to head FAO

"Brazil's one-time food security minister, Jose Graziano da Silva, was elected Sunday director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the U.N. agency tasked with reducing world hunger at a time of near-record high food prices," the Associated Press reports.

28 Jun 2011

Sebelius comes to IPAB's defense as others line up against it

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius penned an op-ed last week offering a strong defense of the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board. Meanwhile, however, the American Medical Association has taken an official position against the panel, and 270 other health care organizations sent a letter to members of Congress expressing their opposition too.

28 Jun 2011

Care for 'dual eligibles' proves ultra-expensive, plagued with problems

As the U.S. wrestles with rising health expenses, one group of patients stands out for government-paid care that is both ultra-costly and plagued with problems.

28 Jun 2011

Golden Rule Insurance offers summer travel tips

Summer is here and it's time to get away. But while you are making vacation plans, take a few minutes to think about what you might do if an unexpected medical emergency should occur, especially if you are traveling away from home.

28 Jun 2011

GlobalPost examines family planning and maternal health in Malawi

GlobalPost on Sunday published two articles examining family planning and maternal mortality in Malawi.

28 Jun 2011

Stretch U.S. foreign aid spending by encouraging competition

Given the competing factors of America's growing international interests and shrinking resources to engage on the global arena, the federal government must take a more critical look at how best to deliver accountable, transparent, and sustainable development aid to countries in need and ask itself how best to support our national security, economic, and humanitarian goals.

28 Jun 2011

Number of adults with diabetes doubled over past three decades, study shows

The number of adults with type 2 diabetes has doubled worldwide over the last three decades, rising from 153 million in 1980 to 347 million, "a sign that the epidemic will impose an ever-greater cost burden on health systems," according to a study published on Saturday in the Lancet, the Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Jun 2011

FDA warns consumers not to eat alfalfa, spicy sprouts from plastic bags

The FDA is warning consumers not to eat alfalfa sprouts or spicy sprouts from plastic bags labeled "Evergreen Produce" or "Evergreen Produce Inc."

28 Jun 2011

Mobile technology, global health and humanitarian relief

This ONE Blog post describes a $28 million public-private partnership between the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and the Vodafone Foundation, which has helped mobile technology "become inextricably connected to global health and humanitarian relief."

28 Jun 2011

Health care providers brace for new round of Medicaid cuts

But the one Medicaid cost that states have usually been able to cut without worrying too much about the federal government is reimbursement to the providers themselves. And that is what most of them are doing this year. At least 33 states have reduced provider fees for the fiscal year that starts July 1, according to a report by the National Association of Budget Officers.

28 Jun 2011