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Funding restrictions backed by some GOP lawmakers present hurdles to budget deal

These "policy riders" restrict spending on certain social and regulatory initiatives, including implementation of the health law and funding for Planned Parenthood. These contentious issues are becoming as difficult to resolve as reaching agreement on a final figure for spending cuts.

31 Mar 2011

U.N., aid groups highlight food aid need in North Korea

World Food Program delegates "on Wednesday stressed the need for major food aid for North Korea, while a cautious South Korea called for transparent distribution of any assistance," Agence France-Presse reports.

31 Mar 2011

Health lobbyists, advocates brace for much-anticipated accountable care organization regulations

ACOs continue to hold attention, with the administration's rule expected this week. Meanwhile, other reform news includes reports about health exchanges and a medical device tax.

31 Mar 2011

Wall Street Journal: Data comparisons trigger changes in VA care

The Wall Street Journal: Data Spur Changes In VA Care.

31 Mar 2011

Bipartisan senate bill would set process to review future Medicare provider cuts

The measure would bar any cuts from taking place before the Health and Human Services secretary determines they are necessary. Meanwhile, in other Medicare news, ProPublica reports that federal regulators are in the process of making kidney dialysis clinic data more accessible to the public.

31 Mar 2011

Revenues grow, but states wrestle with shortfalls in Medicaid needs

A new Census Bureau report find revenues for local and state governments are growing but many states are still having difficulty funding Medicaid programs. In Conn., the governor says he has reservations about a proposal to create a new entity to oversee state health care. California and New Jersey officials are having trouble finding cuts to balance the budget. And hospital officials in Texas are urging lawmakers to not trim health care.

31 Mar 2011

California State Controller calls upon Abbott, BI, BMS & Genentech to reduce AIDS drug prices for ADAPs

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced that California State Controller John Chiang has sent letters to the CEOs of Abbott, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Genentech, asking the companies to reduce the price of their HIV/AIDS medications for California and its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

31 Mar 2011

ACR releases new guidelines for JA treatment

Several Canadian pediatric rheumatologists and health professionals played a prominent role in developing new guidelines for treating juvenile arthritis.

31 Mar 2011

Senate likely to vote Wednesday on 1099 provision repeal

The measure is being offered as an amendment to a small-business bill being considered this week. It could be voted on as soon as Wednesday morning and, if passed, go straight to President Obama for his signature.

31 Mar 2011

Opinions: Foreign aid budget; asking beneficiaries for feedback; least-developed countries

"As the CR [continuing resolution] talks between the House Republicans and the administration and Senate Democrats near their deadline, the House negotiators should put America's foreign aid budget on the table," Dick Morris, a former adviser to Sen. Trent Lott and President Clinton, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill.

31 Mar 2011

Report identifies pockets of good health, disparities

A report released Wednesday details which counties within states are the healthiest, and which are not-so-healthy.

31 Mar 2011

State roundup: Md. Blue Cross probed; Mass. nonprofit hospitals may be sold

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Maryland's largest insurer, confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it received a civil investigative demand from the Justice Department but declined to comment further.

31 Mar 2011

States advance abortion legislation

In Arizona, legislation was signed into law to outlaw sex- or race-based abortions. In Kansas, a "fetal pain" measure has been sent to the governor for his signature.

31 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Vouchers for Medicare; evaluating the many parts of the health law; a single-payer plan for Oregon

With a hard deadline looming, talks to prevent a government shutdown have been stymied for a week because Tea Party members of the House have demanded everything: not just some of their cuts but almost all of them, and not just a reduction in spending but a reduction only in the programs they don't like. Many are insisting Democrats also agree to nonbudgetary riders, like ending the financing of Planned Parenthood or health care reform.

31 Mar 2011

Study: Diet-exercise can improve physical performance in obese seniors

For obese seniors, dieting and exercise together are more effective at improving physical performance and reducing frailty than either alone.

31 Mar 2011

New clinical practice guidelines developed for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

The American College of Rheumatology has developed new guidelines for starting and monitoring treatments for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. These are the first JIA guidelines endorsed by the ACR, with the goal of broad acceptance within the rheumatology community.

30 Mar 2011

AUXILIO reports $15.4 million net revenue for 2010

AUXILIO, Inc., the nation's pioneer and leading Managed Print Services (MPS) company for health care, announced its financial results for the 2010 fiscal year.

30 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 30, 2011

Today's headlines are focused on recent developments related to the congressional budget impasse, which stem in part from partisan disagreement regarding controversial "policy" riders that impose restrictions on funding for the health law and Planned Parenthood.

30 Mar 2011

Study finds global adolescent death rates exceed rates for child, infant deaths

A study published on Tuesday in the Lancet found that in a reversal of historical trends, "death rates among adolescents are now higher than in children," Reuters reports.

30 Mar 2011

Report examines how new technologies can aid in humanitarian response to disasters

A new report examines how new technologies, including digital mapping, can influence emergency relief work and says technology will not be able to fully transform humanitarian aid without "better coordination and communication between digital volunteers and veteran agencies in the relief field, like the United Nations and the Red Cross," the New York Times reports.

30 Mar 2011