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States face Medicaid losses, low-income patients struggle to find lasting health care sources

"Until now, stimulus money spared governors and state lawmakers from making some of the most brutal budget cuts. But with this lifeline running out, officials are looking at making significant cutbacks to public services, particularly schools and health programs.

6 May 2010

Sebelius: Hotline coming soon

In this Kaiser Health News short take, staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that "within a couple months we will have a very robust call center operation" to answer consumers' questions about the new health overhaul law" (Kaiser Health News).

6 May 2010

Sebelius urges states to investigate Wellpoint math on rate hikes

Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said states should investigate if WellPoint Inc. made math errors in how it justified rate hikes this year, The Wall Street Journal reports.

6 May 2010

Genomic Health reports 22% revenue growth, 58% decrease in net loss for first-quarter 2010

Genomic Health, Inc. today reported financial results and business progress for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.

6 May 2010

Radiologists discuss ways to reduce patient exposure, cancer risk

USA Today: "Doctors are exploring ways to reduce the amount of radiation exposure from medical imaging tests in light of renewed concerns about the cancer risk, according to research presented at a radiology conference this week.

6 May 2010

Study: Hospital follow up can curb readmission rate for heart patients

"Hospitals can slow the revolving door that shuttles heart failure patients back into bed within a month of going home by following up promptly to ensure patients get the right outpatient care, a study shows," USA Today reports.

6 May 2010

Experts propose policy solutions to help the U.S. prepare for increasing number of geriatric patients

Leading physician policy experts are calling for changes in medical education policy at multiple levels to ensure that doctors are prepared to treat the country's aging adult population.

6 May 2010

Home Diagnostics, Cellnovo announce strategic business deal

Building on a shared vision to simplify diabetes management worldwide, Cellnovo, a London-based medical device company, and Home Diagnostics, Inc., a leader in diabetes products, today announced a strategic alliance that involves integrating technologies and developing distribution opportunities for Cellnovo's insulin patch pumps.

6 May 2010

Officials in 25 states probe American Trade Association insurance

The Fiscal Times: "Authorities in over 25 states are investigating [the] insurance company, American Trade Association (ATA), and have uncovered what they believe is a deep well of scams that ensnared an estimated 12,000 people who paid about $14 million in premiums. ATA and its lawyer did not respond to repeated requests from The Fiscal Times for comment.

6 May 2010

New HR Compliance solution simplifies healthcare database

HighRoads, an industry leader in employer health care database and benefits management, today announced the launch of HR Compliance™, a new solution designed to simplify and automate the creation and update of Medical Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) so that they comply with new health care reform language.

6 May 2010

Early extension of health insurance for some young adults faces legal roadblocks

The Associated Press reports, in a Q & A, that the provision in the health reform law that requires insurers to allow dependents to stay on plans up to the age of 26 is being enacted early by many health insurance companies but not all in the same way. "These voluntary extensions come with a host of qualifications. Whether your child gets one also can depend on your employer."

6 May 2010

Officials investigate if use of surgical robot led to injuries

The Wall Street Journal: Injuries at a small New Hampshire hospital that uses a surgical robot have some questioning the use of such machines in the care of people. The machine, which is named after Leonardo da Vinci, has been linked to surgeries where patients have been hurt, including two with lacerated bladders and one woman who required four subsequent surgeries after errors using the machine.

6 May 2010

GOP's 'repeal health law' strategy may backfire in general election

Politico reports that several goals of Republicans -- including the repeal of the health care law -- "put them at odds with the majority of voters, according to a new survey by Resurgent Republic," a nonprofit polling and research group established by "GOP operative" Ed Gillespie to assist conservatives and Republicans.

6 May 2010

Book excerpt -- Landmark: The Inside Story of America's New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All

Kaiser Health News looks at sections of a new book, Landmark: The Inside Story of America's New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All, in which the staff of The Washington Post writes about various provisions of the new health law.

6 May 2010

Study finds medical homes help lower health care costs, maintain quality

Kaiser Health News: "Some health policy experts and clinicians have long maintained that, in the effort to reduce health care costs and improve patient outcomes, there's no place like (a medical) home. A new study in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs seems to validate that notion. Medical homes — where primary care doctors are held responsible for coordinating care for individual patients - are seen as a model for lowering costs without sacrificing quality.

6 May 2010

African lawmakers appeal for U.N. resolution banning female genital mutilation

"The cutting or removal of young girls' and women's clitoris and/or labia affects some 120 to 140 million women ... mostly in Africa and the Middle East, according to the World Health Organisation," Agence France-Presse writes.

6 May 2010

Allos Therapeutics reports net loss of $20.5 million for first-quarter 2010

Allos Therapeutics, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

6 May 2010

Democrat endorses GOP plan on hospital price disclosure

The Hill: Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, is endorsing two Republican plans to require hospitals disclose their prices while other Democrats are pushing a much broader bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Green "hopes to bring other Democrats with him, arguing a scaled-down approach stands a better chance of becoming law than the Democratic proposal, which would apply to all healthcare providers, including hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, drug makers and insurers."

6 May 2010

United BioSource Corporation acquires Abt Bio-Pharma Solutions

Abt Associates announced today the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary Abt Bio-Pharma Solutions, Inc. to United BioSource Corporation, a global scientific and medical affairs organization that partners with life science companies to develop and commercialize biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other health care technologies.

6 May 2010

White House unveils subsidies to preserve early-retiree coverage

A federal program that was authorized in the new health law will help companies pay for as much as $5 billion worth of medical bills of early retirees that they continue to insure, The New York Times reports.

6 May 2010