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New Regs: Health insurers will be required to justify large rate increases

New, proposed regulations — which result from the health overhaul — were issued yesterday by the Department of Health and Human Services and would require health insurers to justify proposed double-digit premium increases. In addition, administration officials signaled their plan to step-up their reviews of insurance rates if state regulators are not adequately protecting consumers.

23 Dec 2010

In State budgets, Medicaid goes under the knife; Costs high for Florida Medicaid's doctor-immunity plan; N.J. practices to launch ACOs

Governors nationwide are taking a scalpel to Medicaid, the jointly run state and federal health-care program for 48 million poor Americans, half of whom are children. The single biggest expense for states, Medicaid consumes about 22 percent of their total $1.6 trillion in expenditures, more than what is allocated to elementary and secondary education, according to a National Governors Association report.

23 Dec 2010

Medicare pays out big bucks for questionable treatments

News outlets report on various activities related to fraud and abuse in Medicare.

23 Dec 2010

Health biz sector ripe for action

Reuters reports that analysts are predicting "a robust year of dealmaking" for health businesses ranging from scientific tool makers to hospital companies.

23 Dec 2010

FDA approves Gardasil for prevention of anal cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in people ages 9 through 26 years.

23 Dec 2010

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid; Malaria eradication; Moving Haiti forward; Health care financing

"At this critical time when we are concerned about our country's financial well being it is imperative that we curtail our charity to others," Bradley Blakeman, deputy assistant to former President George W. Bush and professor of politics and public policy at Georgetown University, writes in a Fox News opinion piece calling for the U.S., which he says "has done more than its fair share for others since our birth as a nation," to "curtail our foreign aid."

23 Dec 2010

Bloomberg: The politics, investments of judges

Three federal judges overseeing challenges to the Obama administration's health-care overhaul own shares of companies in the industry, including insurers and medical-device makers, the government watchdog group Center for Public Integrity reported.

23 Dec 2010

Today's Opinions: Congressional funding vote leaves out health law; Price controls on health; Tough choices in Washington State

The Senate passed the Continuing Resolution 79-16 this afternoon. Another way of saying that: The Senate voted to defund the implementation of both health-care reform and financial-regulation reform.

23 Dec 2010

Minorities with MS may face risk of developing depressive symptoms

Multiple sclerosis can cause significant physical impairment, including fatigue, pain, muscle spasms, tremors and dizziness. For many with MS, the disease wreaks havoc with emotional well-being, too, and according to a new study, minorities might especially be at risk for developing depressive symptoms.

23 Dec 2010

FDA joins Abbott Diabetes Careto to recall 359 glucose test strips

The test strips being recalled may give falsely low blood glucose results. False results may lead patients to try to raise their blood glucose unnecessarily, or they may fail to treat elevated blood glucose because of a false, low reading. Both scenarios pose risks to a patient's health.

22 Dec 2010

NAHN and Partnership at Drugfree.org join to address teen drug and alcohol use in the Hispanic community

The Partnership at Drugfree.org today announced a new strategic partner to help support the organization's outreach to address teen drug and alcohol use within the Latino and Spanish-speaking community and equip Hispanic parents with tools from prevention to treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. The National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) has joined with the national nonprofit to provide bilingual resources to Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers and help promote the group's online tools and resources across various NAHN communication channels.

22 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 22, 2010

Today's headlines include a number of reports regarding a new proposed rule by the Department of Health and Human Services that will require insurers to justify large premium hikes.

22 Dec 2010

Global Business Forum on health care at University of Miami

The University of Miami will bring together some of the most influential leaders in business and government, along with hundreds of professionals from across industries, Jan. 12 - 14, 2011 for a Global Business Forum entitled "The Business of Health Care: Defining the Future."

22 Dec 2010

Texas' Medicaid program in financial crisis

Texas' Medicaid program is in a state of financial crisis, according to long-term caseload and cost models published today by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

22 Dec 2010

Proposed Affordable Care Act regulations will bring transparency to proposed insurance rate increases

New proposed Affordable Care Act regulations announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will bring new transparency and scrutiny to proposed health insurance rate increases. These proposed rules allow HHS to work with states to require insurers to publicly disclose and justify unreasonable rate increases.

22 Dec 2010

Life expectancy, other health indicators improve in Asia-Pacific, OECD report says

A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released on Tuesday, found that "Asia-Pacific countries have seen steady gains in key health indicators since 1970, but developing nations there are still far behind standards in the industrialised world," Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports. OECD looked at "[h]ealth systems for 27 Asia-Pacific economies," according to the news service (12/21).

22 Dec 2010

Funding, antitrust suit pose tests for health law

News outlets are reporting on various policy developments — whether it's the Senate's effort to fund the federal government, ongoing legal challenges to the overhaul or a Michigan antitrust suit — that create tests for the sweeping health law. Meanwhile, however, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius touts the law's benefits and warns against another challenge — that of repeal.

22 Dec 2010

Health Care News and Research

New Regs: Health insurers will be required to justify large rate increases

In State budgets, Medicaid goes under the knife; Costs high for Florida Medicaid's doctor-immunity plan; N.J. practices to launch ACOs

Medicare pays out big bucks for questionable treatments

Health biz sector ripe for action

FDA approves Gardasil for prevention of anal cancer

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid; Malaria eradication; Moving Haiti forward; Health care financing

Bloomberg: The politics, investments of judges

Today's Opinions: Congressional funding vote leaves out health law; Price controls on health; Tough choices in Washington State

Minorities with MS may face risk of developing depressive symptoms

FDA joins Abbott Diabetes Careto to recall 359 glucose test strips

NAHN and Partnership at Drugfree.org join to address teen drug and alcohol use in the Hispanic community

First Edition: December 22, 2010

Global Business Forum on health care at University of Miami

Texas' Medicaid program in financial crisis

Proposed Affordable Care Act regulations will bring transparency to proposed insurance rate increases

Life expectancy, other health indicators improve in Asia-Pacific, OECD report says

Funding, antitrust suit pose tests for health law

The Citizen examines potential impact of EU-India free trade agreement on HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries

Congress poised to approve food safety legislation; 9/11 bill triggers criticsm of some GOP lawmakers

AP: Despite passage of health law, other accomplishments, 2011 was not a good year for President Obama

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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