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Transparency debate: Leftover of health overhaul

Some lawmakers, from both parties, have proposed more aggressive legislation to unveil the prices of health care services, arguing that the recently passed health overhaul doesn't go far enough on this topic, Politico reports. "Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.), a physician, has introduced a bill that would require all health care providers — from hospitals to insurance companies — to disclose publicly all prices on a continual basis."

12 May 2010

Sebelius heralds early successes of health law

"In a letter to leaders of Congress, the secretary of health and human services, Kathleen Sebelius, reported on Monday that the Obama administration is moving quickly to carry out the expansive new health care law, particularly provisions that she referred to as 'early insurance market reforms,'" The New York Times reports.

12 May 2010

Parents of autistic children say health reform should help them

The Dallas Morning News: Parents and families of autistic children and adults are hoping that the federal health law will help them. "The new federal regulations will prohibit spending caps, prevent insurers from excluding pre-existing conditions and behavioral health care, and extend dependent care to age 26.

12 May 2010

Adult patients with sickle cell disease may develop cognitive problems: Study

Sickle cell disease may affect brain function in adults who have few or mild complications of the inherited blood disease, according to results of the first study to examine cognitive functioning in adults with sickle cell disease.

12 May 2010

Obama administration issues rules for young adults on parents' insurance plans

The Obama administration Monday issued rules to allow children as old as age 26 to remain on their parents' health insurance plans, but such changes will likely increase the cost of insurance for families next year.

12 May 2010

COBRA subsidy slowed growth of uninsured, report says

USA Today reports that a new Treasury Department study says the federal COBRA subsidy to allow people to keep their employer's health insurance after being laid off "may have slowed the growth in the number of uninsured Americans during the recession.

12 May 2010

Tianyin third-quarter revenue up 60%

Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co., Inc.,, a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the modernized traditional Chinese medicine and branded generics today announced fiscal results for its third quarter ended March 31, 2010.

12 May 2010

Health on the hill: Health insurance coverage for young adults moves forward

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with the Kaiser Family Foundation's Jackie Judd about newly released proposed regulation "to implement a provision in the health care law that would allow adult children to stay on their parents' health insurance policy until age 26" (5/10).

12 May 2010

Routine dental treatment can reduce blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes: Researchers

Routine dental treatment can reduce blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes who have preexisting gum disease.

12 May 2010

Health overhaul provisions raise moral, religious debates

The new health law has renewed concerns about some moral and religious issues, such as the government's role in providing sex education and health care workers' ability to opt out of providing end-of-life care and abortions.

12 May 2010

States take legal action against health law

The New York Times reports on the lawsuit challenging the new health law brought by 20 states. "Some legal scholars, including some who normally lean to the left, believe the states have identified the law's weak spot and devised a credible theory for eviscerating it. … The power of their argument lies in questioning whether Congress can regulate inactivity — in this case by levying a tax penalty on those who do not obtain health insurance.

12 May 2010

Cities struggle to pay for health benefits for active, retired workers

The Sacramento Bee reports that 12 of 13 school districts in Sacramento County don't have enough money to pay for their retirees' health benefits "and are not setting aside money to pay for them, according to a grand jury report released Monday."

12 May 2010

NeuroMetrix first-quarter total revenues decrease to $3.7 million

NeuroMetrix, Inc., a health care company transforming patient care through neurotechnology, today announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

11 May 2010

Abbott licenses 24 pharmaceutical products from Zydus Cadila

Further strengthening its global competitive position, Abbott today announced a licensing and supply agreement with Zydus Cadila of India for a portfolio of pharmaceutical products that Abbott will commercialize in 15 emerging markets, enabling the company to further accelerate its emerging markets growth.

11 May 2010

First Edition: May 11, 2010

Today's coverage includes more details regarding how the new health law moves forward with efforts to provide health insurance coverage to young adults.

11 May 2010

FDA, CDC confirm connection between romaine lettuce and E.coli 0145 foodborne illness outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its state health partners have confirmed that the strain of E. coli O145 detected by the New York State Public Health Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, in Albany, in an unopened bag of shredded romaine lettuce distributed by Freshway Foods, matches the outbreak strain of E. coli O145.

11 May 2010

Minn. negotiators seek compromise to expand Medicaid while a nursing home tax and cuts to a screening program grab headlines in other states

The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune: Members of a legislative conference committee in Minnesota "agreed Sunday that expanding Medicaid should be part of the eventual compromise they will take to the House and Senate as early as Monday in a package of health and human service measures to cut the state's budget deficit. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has strongly opposed expanding Medicaid to cover health care for childless adults earning less than 75 percent of the poverty guideline.

11 May 2010

Reinsurance program will help companies provide health insurance for early retirees

Kaiser Health News and USA Today explain the Obama administration's $5 billion program "to provide financial relief to companies that offer health coverage to early retirees. Officials say the effort, mandated by the new health care overhaul law, will help keep firms from ditching those benefits because of the high costs involved, a trend that has accelerated in recent years.

11 May 2010

Globe and Mail special issue examines Africa, includes look ahead at G20 meeting, interview with Pres. Obama

The Globe and Mail examines Ethiopia and Malawi's role in next month's G20 talks in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has invited both countries to participate in the meeting, which could significantly affect Africa because it has become the "premier forum for confronting global economic problems and for co-ordinating solutions," according to the Globe and Mail.

11 May 2010

USP panel recommends to establish universal standards for prescription medication labels

To promote the establishment of universal standards for prescription medication labels-and to address the widespread problem of patient misinterpretation of medication instructions-an advisory panel formed by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) recently issued a set of recommendations to bring consistency to labeling on dispensed prescription packaging.

11 May 2010