Health and Human Services News and Research

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Some states plan aggressive marketing of health exchanges

News outlets report on state implementation activities, including efforts by California and Oregon to promote new health insurance marketplaces, presentations made to New Hampshire's special commission weighing whether to expand Medicaid and a closed door meeting by Idaho exchange officials.

25 Jul 2013

Combination of 6 comprehensive measures to prevent spread of hepatitis C

UC San Francisco researchers are recommending a combination of six comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of hepatitis C, in an effort to address the more than 31,000 young people they estimate may be newly infected with the virus each year in the United States due to injection-drug use.

25 Jul 2013

Study shows good doctor-patient relationships facilitate discussions about health care costs

Strong relationships with physicians, particularly those that are long standing, are likely to increase patients' openness to talk about health care costs when decisions are being made about their treatment options.

24 Jul 2013

FDA seeks additional information to make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking additional information to help the agency make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes. Despite decades of work to reduce tobacco use in the United States, it continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease.

24 Jul 2013

State highlights: DOJ sues Fla. over keeping children in nursing homes

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Florida on Monday, accusing the state of unnecessarily institutionalizing about 200 disabled children in nursing homes and cutting services that would allow them to receive care at home (7/22).

24 Jul 2013

Four research teams receive NIH grants to explore use of genome sequencing in medical care

The National Institutes of Health has awarded four grants for up to four years to multidisciplinary research teams to explore the use of genome sequencing in medical care. The awards total approximately $6.7 million in the first year and, if funding remains available, approximately $27 million in total.

24 Jul 2013

FDA takes action to remove illegal diabetes products from market

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking action to remove from the market illegal products, including some labeled as dietary supplements, that claim to mitigate, treat, cure or prevent diabetes and related complications.

24 Jul 2013

MAXIMUS signs new contract to provide support services for California's health insurance exchange

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced that it has signed a new contract with the California Health Benefit Exchange to provide support services for the state's health insurance exchange, known as Covered California.

23 Jul 2013

Exposure to excessive heat can lead to heatstroke

The Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is issuing a heat advisory to alert the nation to the increased risk of heat-related illnesses for individuals with mental and substance use disorders. Children and older adults with these conditions are particularly vulnerable to elevated temperatures.

23 Jul 2013

Quickly clearing out damaged proteins may help prevent neurodegenerative disorders: Study

Recycling is not only good for the environment, it's good for the brain. A study using rat cells indicates that quickly clearing out defective proteins in the brain may prevent loss of brain cells.

22 Jul 2013

Based on preliminary insurance premiums, HHS sees lower-than-expected Obamacare costs

Coverage of health law implementation issues include reports about a recent Department of Health and Human Services analysis that concluded premium costs would be less than initially projected in 11 states, as well as news about rate shock, the role of the health law in triggering a shift to part-time work and other issues.

20 Jul 2013

Obama's health law speech: The politics in play

News outlets analyze the strategic, political and public opinion dynamics that are currently in play -- and offer some fact-checking -- as that White House works to inspire public enthusiasm for the measure's implementation.

20 Jul 2013

HHS funds $12M to support primary care residency programs in Teaching Health Centers

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $12 million in Affordable Care Act funding to support primary care residency programs in 32 Teaching Health Centers across the nation.

20 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 19, 2013

Today's headlines include coverage of President Barack Obama's Thursday speech pitching the positives of the health law.

19 Jul 2013

Nearly half of individuals with moderate kidney disease have medication resistant hypertension

More than 50% of individuals with moderate kidney disease have hypertension that is resistant to medications, and those who are black or have a larger waist circumference, diabetes, or a history of heart attacks or strokes are at highest risk, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

19 Jul 2013

Health law supporters hail N.Y. announcement that insurance rates will drop

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that premiums for health policies purchased by individuals in the state's new online marketplace will fall on average 50 percent in 2014.

19 Jul 2013

States, feds continue to scramble on health exchanges, Medicaid expansion

The Obama administration hires a credit reporting agency to verify the incomes of people who apply for federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Meanwhile, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signs a bill that could make it more difficult to do enrollment outreach there, as federal officials consider ways to implement the law in states led by officials opposed to it.

18 Jul 2013

Mandate matters: Examining the relationship between the health law's employer and individual mandates

The Associated Press reports that delaying the enforcement of the employer mandate may undermine the individual mandate, too, while the National Journal reports on a study weighing which of these provisions has the most weight.

18 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 17, 2013

Today's headlines include a report about how the delay of the health law's employer mandate might undermine enforcement of the measure's individual mandate as well as news that the House will consider a bill that would put off both of these provisions.

17 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Does your doctor favor more expensive drugs?; Texas Sen. Wendy Davis says abortion law threatens 'health and safety' of women

Your doctor hands you a prescription for a blood pressure drug. But is it the right one for you? You're searching for a new primary-care physician or a specialist. Is there a way you can know whether the doctor is more partial to expensive, brand-name drugs than his peers? (Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, 7/16).

17 Jul 2013

Health and Human Services News and Research

Some states plan aggressive marketing of health exchanges

Combination of 6 comprehensive measures to prevent spread of hepatitis C

Study shows good doctor-patient relationships facilitate discussions about health care costs

FDA seeks additional information to make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes

State highlights: DOJ sues Fla. over keeping children in nursing homes

Four research teams receive NIH grants to explore use of genome sequencing in medical care

FDA takes action to remove illegal diabetes products from market

MAXIMUS signs new contract to provide support services for California's health insurance exchange

Exposure to excessive heat can lead to heatstroke

Quickly clearing out damaged proteins may help prevent neurodegenerative disorders: Study

Based on preliminary insurance premiums, HHS sees lower-than-expected Obamacare costs

Obama's health law speech: The politics in play

HHS funds $12M to support primary care residency programs in Teaching Health Centers

First Edition: July 19, 2013

Nearly half of individuals with moderate kidney disease have medication resistant hypertension

Health law supporters hail N.Y. announcement that insurance rates will drop

States, feds continue to scramble on health exchanges, Medicaid expansion

Mandate matters: Examining the relationship between the health law's employer and individual mandates

First Edition: July 17, 2013

Viewpoints: Does your doctor favor more expensive drugs?; Texas Sen. Wendy Davis says abortion law threatens 'health and safety' of women

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