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Calif. insurers opt to resume kids' policies; Meanwhile, other plans cut mental health benefits in response to health law

Some California insurers have decided to resume offering children's individual health insurance policies — a step that reverses decisions made last fall to exit this market. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that, as a result of requirements in the new health law, some health plans are opting to cut mental health benefits.

24 Dec 2010

Today's opinions: Ariz. hospital and abortion; Wall Street Journal's issues with PolitiFact; Calif.'s anti-smoking success

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix announced on Tuesday that it will continue to provide life-saving abortion care to patients even though it means losing its affiliation with the local Roman Catholic Diocese (12/23).

24 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 23, 2010

Today's headlines include stories that look back and examine the role of the health overhaul in creating the 2010 political climate, as well as reports that look forward to what changes are in store for 2011.

23 Dec 2010

Renal Advantage, Liberty Dialysis announce deal closure

Renal Advantage and Liberty Dialysis, which last month agreed to combine to form the third largest provider of dialysis services in the U.S., today announced that they have closed their deal. The transaction – terms of which were not disclosed – was completed on December 17, 2010. The combined organization has 5,300 employees serving more than 19,000 patients in 260 locations in 32 states.

23 Dec 2010

Ohio smokers lose big as 2-year legal battle comes to an end

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the state had the authority to shut down the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation (OTPF) in 2008 and divert Ohio's share of tobacco settlement funds to other budget items. For the state that ranks dead last in the amount of money it devotes to tackling smoking, the number one preventable cause of death, those who need help in quitting now have few places to turn.

23 Dec 2010

NPSF creates new membership program for patient safety professionals

The National Patient Safety Foundation, a nonprofit specializing in advancing safe patient care, is creating a groundbreaking new membership program for patient safety professionals that will provide a unique opportunity for sharing of best practices and the unification of the growing patient safety community. New members can join the American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety at NPSF starting in January 2011.

23 Dec 2010

Dieting trends in 2011

As the hectic holiday season comes to a close and a new year approaches, many consumers are once again vowing to adopt weight loss goals to shed those unwanted pounds. But with obesity increasing at alarming levels across the globe, a number of health experts are urging a new approach to help fight the nation's burgeoning weight problem.

23 Dec 2010

Congress approves stopgap spending measure; Some funding for federal agencies, global health programs delayed

Congress Tuesday "approved a temporary spending bill [.pdf] that will fund the federal government for another 10 weeks through March 4 in order to avoid a government shutdown," Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Dec 2010

Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage to form the third largest dialysis provider in the U.S.

Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage today announced that the deal to form the 3rd largest dialysis provider in the U.S. has closed. The transaction was completed on December 17, 2010. The new company has 5,300 employees serving more than 19,000 patients in 260 locations in 32 states.

23 Dec 2010

Funding bill passed; Food safety measure sent to President; 9/11 worker legislation still held up

Although Congress gave approval to a short-term funding measure for the federal government, the bill doesn't contain money to pay for enforcement of new health law regulations. Meanwhile, work continued on other pending proposals.

23 Dec 2010

New York Times reports on Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health grant program

The New York Times examines the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health program, which gave a total of $450 million to 43 research projects over five years. "On drawing attention to ways that lives might be saved through scientific advances, I'd give us an A," Bill Gates, co-founder of the foundation, said of the program in an interview with the newspaper. "But I thought some would be saving lives by now, and it'll be more like in 10 years from now," Gates said.

23 Dec 2010

Vatican issues communique to clarify Pope's statement on condoms

"The Vatican on Tuesday issued its most authoritative clarification on Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks that condoms could sometimes be used for disease prevention, saying that the pope in no way justified their use to prevent pregnancy," the New York Times reports (Donadio, 12/21).

23 Dec 2010

USAID official discusses agency's efforts to address cholera in Haiti

A USAID official said Tuesday that potential violence following the release of Haiti's final presidential election results could interfere with efforts to contain the country's cholera epidemic, CBC News reports. "What we all worry about is if there is violence again and it disrupts for a couple of days," said Mark Ward, acting director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. "That's my biggest headache right now," he added.

23 Dec 2010

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

Health Care News and Research

Calif. insurers opt to resume kids' policies; Meanwhile, other plans cut mental health benefits in response to health law

Today's opinions: Ariz. hospital and abortion; Wall Street Journal's issues with PolitiFact; Calif.'s anti-smoking success

First Edition: December 23, 2010

Renal Advantage, Liberty Dialysis announce deal closure

Ohio smokers lose big as 2-year legal battle comes to an end

NPSF creates new membership program for patient safety professionals

Dieting trends in 2011

Congress approves stopgap spending measure; Some funding for federal agencies, global health programs delayed

Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage to form the third largest dialysis provider in the U.S.

Funding bill passed; Food safety measure sent to President; 9/11 worker legislation still held up

New York Times reports on Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health grant program

Vatican issues communique to clarify Pope's statement on condoms

USAID official discusses agency's efforts to address cholera in Haiti

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

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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