Health and Human Services News and Research

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HHS: Nearly a million consumers have completed the health insurance sign up process; 106,185 have selected plans

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced enrollment numbers today for the federal and state online health insurance marketplaces that opened Oct. 1. Medicaid enrollment data were also released.

14 Nov 2013

Health law outreach efforts try new controversial ads, enrollment tactics

Health law outreach efforts take on new wrinkles -- Colorado officials launch controversial ads geared toward women and Enroll America changes how it tries to get people to sign up for health coverage. In the meantime, Republicans are releasing their own set of ads mocking the law.

13 Nov 2013

Imbruvica gets FDA approval for treatment of mantle cell lymphoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Imbruvica (ibrutinib) to treat patients with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer.

13 Nov 2013

Lawmakers face their own health law reality: Navigating the online exchanges

Lawmakers and some of their aides are preparing to navigate the health law's online insurance exchanges to buy coverage. An Alaskan senator is declining the employer contribution to buy coverage, and some senators will ask for a full investigation of the troubled startup of Healthcare.gov.

13 Nov 2013

Proposals likely this week to respond to health law policy cancellations

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is among those who are expected to advance legislation. Her measure would extend the open enrollment period by at least two months.

12 Nov 2013

Administration's mental health parity rule is part of effort to curb gun violence

The long-awaited final regulation will guarantee most insurance coverage offers access to mental health services on par with physical health coverage.

12 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 11, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how Republicans are positioning themselves to capitalize on the health law's implementation difficulties in the upcoming election season.

11 Nov 2013

FDA proposes rule to speed dissemination of new safety information about generic drugs

A proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule would speed the dissemination of new safety information about generic drugs to health professionals and patients by allowing generic drug makers to use the same process as brand drug manufacturers to update safety information in the product labeling.

11 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: Campaigning won't help solve health care problems; health law sought 'sturdier safety net;' court's decision on contraception benefit 'goes wrong way'

The Obamacare Web site doesn't work. Hundreds of thousands of insured Americans are seeing their plans summarily terminated. Millions more face the same prospect next year. Confronted with a crisis of governance, how does President Obama respond? He campaigns (Charles Krauthammer, 11/7).

11 Nov 2013

State highlights: Judge allows Medicaid contractor's lawsuit against La. to go forward; Texas pushes for more black mental health providers; Ga. health center grants

A Maryland company fired from its $200 million Medicaid contract can continue to move forward with its wrongful termination lawsuit against Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration, a Baton Rouge judge ruled Thursday. State District Judge Tim Kelley rejected a request from the attorney general's office to delay witness interviews and evidence-gathering until January in the case filed against the state by Client Network Services Inc., or CNSI (11/7).

11 Nov 2013

10 GOP senators want Sebelius to be fired; some Democratic senators beginning to press for individual mandate delay

Health law politics are triggering a new wave of political posturing among lawmakers who are attempting to position themselves for the upcoming election season.

11 Nov 2013

USA Today reports 140,000 people have enrolled in plans on marketplaces run by 13 states

State officials say the numbers are low because of snags in the websites and because consumers aren't yet worried about the sign-up deadline. Other news organizations examine some of the marketplace issues in states.

11 Nov 2013

Researchers launch clinical trial of investigational vaccine designed to prevent genital herpes disease

Researchers have launched an early-stage clinical trial of an investigational vaccine designed to prevent genital herpes disease. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is sponsoring the Phase I trial, which is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md.

11 Nov 2013

Parity rule affirms equal insurance coverage for mental health care

The regulation, five years in the making, means insurers won't be able to charge higher co-payments or deductibles for mental health services than they charge for treating physical ailments. Here's a sampling of this afternoon's news coverage of the final rule.

11 Nov 2013

First generic versions of Aciphex delayed-release tablets get FDA approval for GERD treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Aciphex (rabeprazole sodium) delayed-release tablets, used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease in adults and adolescents (ages 12 and up).

10 Nov 2013

Aptiom receives FDA approval to treat seizures associated with epilepsy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate) as an add-on medication to treat seizures associated with epilepsy.

10 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 8, 2013

Today's headlines include coverage of President Barack Obama's apology to people who lost their individual market health coverage because of requirements of the health law.

8 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: The battle over one woman's medical story; why Mass. didn't see a wave of cancellations; politicians' love of anecdotes

Edie Littlefield Sundby may not have thought she'd ignite a national debate when the stage-4 cancer survivor asked us to publish her Monday op-ed on losing her oncologist due to the Affordable Care Act. But she certainly has, and it's important to understand why. Mrs. Sundby and millions like her must be denied their medical choices if ObamaCare is going to work as its liberal planners intend (11/6).

8 Nov 2013

Sebelius says Healthcare.gov fixes coming, rejects calls for delay

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sought to reassure lawmakers in a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday that fixes -- hundreds of them -- are being made to Healthcare.gov, but rejected calls to delay the law or shut the website down.

8 Nov 2013

Some union health plans could get break from health law's reinsurance fee

Language included in a Health and Human Services regulation released last week indicated that some self-insured, self-administered plans would not have to pay this fee in 2015 or 2016. It is not entirely clear, however, which plans would qualify for this exemption.

8 Nov 2013

Health and Human Services News and Research

HHS: Nearly a million consumers have completed the health insurance sign up process; 106,185 have selected plans

Health law outreach efforts try new controversial ads, enrollment tactics

Imbruvica gets FDA approval for treatment of mantle cell lymphoma

Lawmakers face their own health law reality: Navigating the online exchanges

Proposals likely this week to respond to health law policy cancellations

Administration's mental health parity rule is part of effort to curb gun violence

First Edition: November 11, 2013

FDA proposes rule to speed dissemination of new safety information about generic drugs

Viewpoints: Campaigning won't help solve health care problems; health law sought 'sturdier safety net;' court's decision on contraception benefit 'goes wrong way'

State highlights: Judge allows Medicaid contractor's lawsuit against La. to go forward; Texas pushes for more black mental health providers; Ga. health center grants

10 GOP senators want Sebelius to be fired; some Democratic senators beginning to press for individual mandate delay

USA Today reports 140,000 people have enrolled in plans on marketplaces run by 13 states

Researchers launch clinical trial of investigational vaccine designed to prevent genital herpes disease

Parity rule affirms equal insurance coverage for mental health care

First generic versions of Aciphex delayed-release tablets get FDA approval for GERD treatment

Aptiom receives FDA approval to treat seizures associated with epilepsy

First Edition: November 8, 2013

Viewpoints: The battle over one woman's medical story; why Mass. didn't see a wave of cancellations; politicians' love of anecdotes

Sebelius says Healthcare.gov fixes coming, rejects calls for delay

Some union health plans could get break from health law's reinsurance fee

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