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Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report highlights recent Medicaid news in six states

Three insurance companies that cover 60% of people enrolled in Florida "Medicaid Reform" plans have said they will leave the project and have asked to be assigned no new members, a move suspected to be a result of reductions in Medicaid payments to the plans, Florida Health News reports.

1 Sep 2008

Obama accepts Democratic Presidential nomination; discusses health care, other issues at convention

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver accepted the presidential nomination and discussed his proposals for health care and other issues, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

1 Sep 2008

Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale reports WHO's Commission

A child born in a Glasgow, Scotland suburb can expect a life 28 years shorter than another living only 13 kilometres away. A girl in Lesotho is likely to live 42 years less than another in Japan. In Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 17 400; in Afghanistan, the odds are 1 in 8. Biology does not explain any of this. Instead, the differences between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age.

28 Aug 2008

Transformation of ordinary cells into insulin-makers improves symptoms of diabetes

Scientists in the U.S. have successfully transformed ordinary cells into insulin-producing cells in a living mouse and thereby improved the symptoms of diabetes.

28 Aug 2008

California health officials seek suspension of injunction against Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction

California health officials have asked U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder to suspend an injunction that she issued against a 10% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for health care providers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/27).

28 Aug 2008

Sen. Clinton expresses support for Presidential nominee Obama, discusses health care in convention speech

Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on Tuesday spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and his proposals on health care and other issues, Dow Jones reports. According to Dow Jones, in "making the case for Obama," Clinton cited their joint support for "renewing the middle class, ending the war in Iraq, creating a universal health care system and boosting clean energy."

28 Aug 2008

Number, percentage of uninsured U.S. residents decreased in 2007, according to U.S. Census Bureau

The number and percentage of uninsured U.S. residents declined in 2007 to 45.7 million people, or 15.3% of the population, according to an annual U.S. Census Bureau report released Tuesday, USA Today reports (Cauchon/Appleby, USA Today, 8/27).

28 Aug 2008

City funding reaches needle-exchange programs in Washington, D.C.

Funding for needle-exchange programs in Washington, D.C., is beginning to reach groups that run the programs eight months after Congress lifted a ban of city funding for needle-exchange programs, but it is unclear how effective the increased funding will be at reducing the spread of HIV in the district, the AP/Washington Times reports (Westley, AP/Washington Times, 8/24).

26 Aug 2008

HIV-positive renters in New York City leaving homes because of foreclosures, New York Times reports

At least 50 HIV-positive renters in New York City have notified city housing organizations in the past few months that they had to leave their homes or have been evicted because of foreclosures and that they are having difficulty finding new homes, the New York Times reports.

26 Aug 2008

HHS releases proposed rule on conscientious objections that would protect providers who refuse to perform abortions

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Thursday announced plans to implement a regulation intended to protect health care providers and other workers from disciplinary measures if they refuse to provide abortions or refer patients to other providers for abortions because of personal, religious or moral reasons, the Washington Post reports.

26 Aug 2008

Lack of oversight by CMS to ensure private Medicare drug plans have anti-fraud programs in place 'risks significant use of funds,' according to GAO

CMS has not conducted audits to ensure that Medicare prescription drug plans have implemented programs to prevent fraud as required by law, a lack of oversight that "risks significant misuse of funds in this $39 billion program," according to a Government Accountability Office report scheduled for release on Monday, the AP/Orlando Sentinel reports. For the report, GAO examined five unnamed plans to determine whether they met requirements to participate in the Medicare prescription benefit.

26 Aug 2008

Meda settles U.S. Astelin patent litigation with Cobalt

Meda, through its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Meda Pharmaceuticals Inc., has entered into a settlement agreement with Cobalt Pharmaceuticals Inc. (hereafter Cobalt) that resolves the U.S. patent litigation between the companies regarding Cobalt's proposed generic version of Astelin.

25 Aug 2008

Intel's CTO says technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050

Intel Corporation's chief technology officer took a fascinating look at how technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050.

21 Aug 2008

Wake Forest University launches major initiatives in bioethics

Responding to a looming 'bioethics crisis,' Wake Forest University is launching several initiatives in bioethics to address the ethical and social aspects of medical care and technology.

18 Aug 2008

President signs bill that bans six toxic phthalates from children's products

President Bush signed a federal bill today that bans six toxic phthalates from children's products. His signature bolsters Congress' overwhelming support for this legislation, and sends a clear message that toxic chemicals have no place in toys.

14 Aug 2008

Advisers to Presidential candidates discuss health care proposals during online debate

Advisers to the two major presidential candidates during an online debate on the Wall Street Journal Web site discussed the effect that their health care proposals would have on the employer-sponsored health insurance market, the Journal's "Health Blog" reports.

13 Aug 2008

Associations, trade groups offer members group-like health insurance

An increasing number of small-business owners that do not provide health insurance to their employees and individuals without employer-based health coverage are looking to professional organizations and trade groups that offer "group-like" coverage to their members, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 Aug 2008

California, health insurers reach agreement to reinstate coverage for some former members

About 3,400 California residents whose health insurance was canceled by Kaiser Permanente, Health Net and PacifiCare soon will be notified that they might be eligible for new coverage and compensation for medical bills incurred while they were uninsured, the Los Angeles Times reports.

13 Aug 2008

Democrats opposing Supreme Court decision in favor of pre-emption pandering to tort lawyers, editorial says

The U.S. Supreme Court's "sensible" 8-1 ruling in the case of Reigel v. Medtronic, stating that medical devices approved by FDA are exempt from product liability lawsuits in state courts, "makes sense for many reasons" but has "nonetheless sent up yowls" from Democratic members of Congress who have proposed the Medical Device Safety Act (S 3398, HR 6381) to overturn the ruling, a Wall Street Journal editorial states.

13 Aug 2008

Californian bill to revolutionize HIV testing passes legislature unanimously

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California, today praised the California Legislature for its passage this week of Assembly Bill 2899 (Portantino, D-Pasadena).

13 Aug 2008

Medical Legislation News and Research

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report highlights recent Medicaid news in six states

Obama accepts Democratic Presidential nomination; discusses health care, other issues at convention

Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale reports WHO's Commission

Transformation of ordinary cells into insulin-makers improves symptoms of diabetes

California health officials seek suspension of injunction against Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction

Sen. Clinton expresses support for Presidential nominee Obama, discusses health care in convention speech

Number, percentage of uninsured U.S. residents decreased in 2007, according to U.S. Census Bureau

City funding reaches needle-exchange programs in Washington, D.C.

HIV-positive renters in New York City leaving homes because of foreclosures, New York Times reports

HHS releases proposed rule on conscientious objections that would protect providers who refuse to perform abortions

Lack of oversight by CMS to ensure private Medicare drug plans have anti-fraud programs in place 'risks significant use of funds,' according to GAO

Meda settles U.S. Astelin patent litigation with Cobalt

Intel's CTO says technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050

Wake Forest University launches major initiatives in bioethics

President signs bill that bans six toxic phthalates from children's products

Advisers to Presidential candidates discuss health care proposals during online debate

Associations, trade groups offer members group-like health insurance

California, health insurers reach agreement to reinstate coverage for some former members

Democrats opposing Supreme Court decision in favor of pre-emption pandering to tort lawyers, editorial says

Californian bill to revolutionize HIV testing passes legislature unanimously

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