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First Edition: December 17, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the health law is viewed by immigrant populations.

17 Dec 2013

HIV self-test screening strategy: an interview with Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University

Conventional health facility based HIV testing is plagued with poor rates of testing and has been around for the past 15+ years. Further, about 40-60% of individuals tested in facilities are lost to follow up.

17 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health law still facing major challenges; Ky. gov. questions McConnell's assessment of overhaul; Pa.'s Medicaid experiment is a 'sham'

The White House is claiming that the Healthcare.gov website is mostly fixed, that the millions of Americans whose health plans were canceled thanks to government rules may be able to keep them for another year, and that in any event these people will get better plans through ObamaCare exchanges. Whatever the truth of these assertions, those who expect better days ahead for the Affordable Care Act are in for a rude awakening. The shocks - economic and political - will get much worse next year and beyond (Michael J. Boskin, 12/15).

17 Dec 2013

Congressional lawmakers and political opponents stake out health law positions, strategies

Republican primary candidates are caught in an Obamacare fix. Even the slightest hint that a GOP contender might support anything besides all-out repeal of the health care law is drawing attacks from the right. So, increasingly, in races across the country, proposals to fix the existing law or retain any of it are being ruled out by Republicans eager to further burnish their conservative credentials (Hohmann and Cheney, 12/15).

17 Dec 2013

Report: Health law regs were delayed ahead of Obama's reelection

These rules, along with others related to the environment and worker safety, were delayed to avoid introducing contentious issues into the 2012 campaign, The Washington Post reports.

17 Dec 2013

Individuals still getting errors from health website as notifications to insurers lag

The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the inaccurate assignments that many consumers find when they seek insurance on the new marketplaces. Meanwhile, the enrollment records for 15,000 people were not properly transmitted to insurance plans, according to federal officials.

17 Dec 2013

With one week to go, insurers look for healthy enrollees

Supporters and detractors of the health law are focused on so-called "young invincibles," adults in their 20s and 30s who don't rack up large medical bills. Dec. 23rd is the deadline for signing up for insurance starting Jan. 1.

17 Dec 2013

States race to fix insurance exchange glitches

In Maryland, Vermont and Oregon, state officials are still hammering out technological issues preventing consumers from signing up for coverage. In California, in contrast, the pace of enrollment in December has been nearly three times that of a month earlier as the deadline approaches to sign up for coverage that takes effect Jan. 1.

17 Dec 2013

Small businesses wrestle with higher insurance costs, confusion

Many small businesses are facing significant rate increases under the law and have opted instead to renew existing policies, reports The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The law's impact on the Hollywood film and television industry, which relies heavily on freelancers, and the latest extensions granted to those buying coverage in new online exchanges also get coverage.

16 Dec 2013

HHS-Issa tension over HealthCare.gov security continues

In an escalating war over the House's investigation into Obamacare's website failures, Rep. Darrell Issa accused the Department of Health and Human Services of illegally pressuring contractors not to comply with congressional subpoenas, even as those companies turned over the documents in question on Friday. ... the administration had instructed the companies not to give Issa documents that government officials fear could be used to help hackers disrupt the website if they are leaked to reporters or otherwise put in the public domain (Allen and Millman, 12/14).

16 Dec 2013

Study: Blue light proves to have powerful bacteria-killing ability

Blue light has proven to have powerful bacteria-killing ability in the laboratory. The potent antibacterial effects of irradiation using light in the blue spectra have now also been demonstrated in human and animal tissues. A series of groundbreaking articles that provide compelling evidence of this effect are published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

16 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 16, 2013

Today's headlines include findings from an Associated Press poll probing Americans thoughts about the health law.

16 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: States need to expand Medicaid to benefit all; lies about immigrants and doctors; antibiotics and animals

Expanding Medicaid costs states a pittance compared with the financial and social benefits they'll receive. Denying your constituents a chance to get health insurance out of political pique comes perilously close to governmental malpractice.

16 Dec 2013

JHI releases epic3 guidelines on infection prevention for healthcare professionals

The Journal of Hospital Infection has just released the awaited epic3 guidelines on infection prevention and control for a range of healthcare professionals. They are freely available online on ScienceDirect and on the journal's website.

16 Dec 2013

Groups say Md. health insurance exchange problems could leave people without Jan. 1 coverage

In the meantime, despite considering delaying the launch of the exchange, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Thursday that he is confident that problems with the website will be fixed and that the exchange will meet its goal of enrolling 260,000 by the end of March 2014.

16 Dec 2013

NHS Alliance collaborates with ITN Productions to launch NHS Alliance TV 2013

The NHS Alliance and ITN Productions have joined forces to release NHS Alliance TV 2013, an in-depth, sector-focussed news programme for healthcare professionals. Hosted by Natasha Kaplinsky from ITN's London studios, NHS Alliance TV was launched to over 500 industry leaders at the NHS Alliance Conference, and is now available on ITN's dedicated Healthcare News website.

16 Dec 2013

Red state residents enrolling in Obamacare at lower rates

People in GOP-controlled states are signing up for coverage in the health law's exchanges at lower rates than those in blue states, reports the Associated Press. Meanwhile, news outlets offer snapshots of how signups are going in Montana, Wyoming, Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state.

16 Dec 2013

Citing security concerns, HHS says 'no' to Issa document demand

Rep. Darrell Issa has issued a subpoena to MITRE, a government contractor, to turn over documents on healthcare.gov security testing. HHS says Issa has already seen the documents he is seeking.

16 Dec 2013

Already-covered Minnesotans find better coverage on health insurance exchange, but no subsidies

About two-thirds of people who signed up for coverage on Minnesota's health insurance exchange won't get financial assistance, but are still finding better coverage options there. And the director of the exchange comes under fire for a two-week vacation while problems with the website persisted.

16 Dec 2013

Insurers, officials try to push through website data problems to enroll new customers

A healthcare.gov website data delivery glitch is keeping insurers from fully enrolling people. In the meantime, HHS is asking insurers to allow consumers to pay premiums late and to let them temporarily see doctors who may not be on their health plans.

14 Dec 2013

Website News and Research

First Edition: December 17, 2013

HIV self-test screening strategy: an interview with Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University

Viewpoints: Health law still facing major challenges; Ky. gov. questions McConnell's assessment of overhaul; Pa.'s Medicaid experiment is a 'sham'

Congressional lawmakers and political opponents stake out health law positions, strategies

Report: Health law regs were delayed ahead of Obama's reelection

Individuals still getting errors from health website as notifications to insurers lag

With one week to go, insurers look for healthy enrollees

States race to fix insurance exchange glitches

Small businesses wrestle with higher insurance costs, confusion

HHS-Issa tension over HealthCare.gov security continues

Study: Blue light proves to have powerful bacteria-killing ability

First Edition: December 16, 2013

Viewpoints: States need to expand Medicaid to benefit all; lies about immigrants and doctors; antibiotics and animals

JHI releases epic3 guidelines on infection prevention for healthcare professionals

Groups say Md. health insurance exchange problems could leave people without Jan. 1 coverage

NHS Alliance collaborates with ITN Productions to launch NHS Alliance TV 2013

Red state residents enrolling in Obamacare at lower rates

Citing security concerns, HHS says 'no' to Issa document demand

Already-covered Minnesotans find better coverage on health insurance exchange, but no subsidies

Insurers, officials try to push through website data problems to enroll new customers

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