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Parents' insurance status affects their children's health care--even when the children are insured

Insured children are less likely to have necessary health-care services if their parents are uninsured, according to a study published in the September/October issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

18 Sep 2009

Debate focuses on cost for coverage mandates

The Democratic reform proposals in Congress mandate that people have health insurance and provide for different levels of government subsidies, which causes debate on how much people should pay for their health care. NPR reports on the bill released Wednesday by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus: "The latest bill, however, provides less generous subsidies, which could make it harder for middle-class families to afford the mandatory insurance."

18 Sep 2009

Health reform yet to address the critical issue of how federal rules will impact health care delivery systems

According to a new report from State Coverage Initiatives, federal policymakers crafting health reform have yet to address the critical issue of how new or modified federal rules will impact health care delivery systems, insurance regulation, and safety net programs administered by the states.

18 Sep 2009

Young adults need quality and affordable health coverage

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Young Americans and Health Insurance Reform: Giving Young Americans the Security and Stability They Need. The report highlights the vulnerability young adults face in the current health care system and the urgent need for health insurance reform.

18 Sep 2009

FDA advises consumers not to use stolen respiratory medications

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today advised consumers not to use certain respiratory medications purchased after Sept. 8, 2009 and manufactured by Dey L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc., because the medications might have been part of a shipment being transported on a tractor-trailer stolen in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 8, 2009.

18 Sep 2009

Government-run health care and increased taxes top list of concerns

On the heels of the new $856 billion health care bill proposed yesterday by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, doubt over health care reform passing this year still looms across the American public.

18 Sep 2009

Merge Healthcare launches FusionWeb application software

Continuing its technology leadership in image-enabling the healthcare enterprise, Merge Healthcare, today announced the release of FusionWeb™, a revolutionary zero-client software platform that enables secure

18 Sep 2009

Employers to reexamine health benefit strategies in response to passage of health care reform legislation

With health care reform efforts ramping up after the summer break, many of the nation’s employers are focusing on the action in Congress and plan to adjust their benefit strategies based on how final legislation affects their costs, according to a survey of 433 HR and benefit executives from midsize and large organizations conducted by professional services firm Towers Perrin.

18 Sep 2009

Obama to student audience: Health reform is 'defining struggle of this generation'

"Calling health insurance reform a 'defining struggle of this generation,' President Barack Obama told thousands of college students Thursday that Congress must resist scare tactics and false accusations to do a makeover."

18 Sep 2009

Two-day forum addresses maternal, child mortality in Asia-Pacific region

Poor health care, gender inequality, violence and poverty are to blame for Asian-Pacific countries' failure to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality rates in the region, Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said during the Asia-Pacific Forum on International Conference on Population and Development in Bangkok.

18 Sep 2009

How Republicans would overhaul the health system: The wish list

KHN reports that "[a]t least three comprehensive GOP bills have been introduced: one by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin; another by Rep. Tom Price of Georgia and a third by Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona. All three bills have a few themes in common with their Democratic proposals. ... While the main GOP proposals have no chance of passage, they could influence the debate" (Appleby, 9/16).

18 Sep 2009

Video library to address health insurance concerns

My Insurance Expert, one of the nation’s leading online services to compare and secure affordable health insurance, has launched a video library “Q&A” of unbiased perspectives on various health care insurance topics including how health care reform may affect individual and group coverage, determining the correct amount of co-pay and deductible, how to compare policies correctly, health savings account and much more.

18 Sep 2009

New bill to address Medi-Cal payment shortfalls

California's Medi-Cal program provides essential health care services to the poorest and most vulnerable Californians. Yet, the state ranks dead-last in the nation when it comes to funding health care for these patients. In 2008, California hospitals lost more than $4.2 billion in unpaid Medi-Cal costs.

18 Sep 2009

AAPA applauds Baucus' efforts to move forward on health care reform legislation

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), representing 75,000 clinically practicing physician assistants (PAs) in the United States, is very pleased that America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, produced yesterday by Senator Max Baucus, fully integrates PAs into new team-based models of care that are designed to promote primary care and the coordination of care for patients with chronic medical conditions.

18 Sep 2009

Federal officials say Louisiana owes $362 million for overpayments to public hospitals

The federal government says Louisiana public hospitals were overpaid by hundreds of millions of dollars.

18 Sep 2009

Health plan advanced by Senator Baucus is a step in the right direction: CEO of AHCA

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (Alliance) characterized the health care finance reform plan released by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus as a step in the right direction, and said the process moving forward to a final bill should avoid steep cuts to Medicare financed nursing home care for the benefit of U.S. seniors, the overall stability of the nation's vital long term care sector, and the ongoing success of quality improvement initiatives.

18 Sep 2009

Health policy research roundup

Implementation Choices for the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 - This report examines two key areas of the implementation process of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 - outreach and enrollment, and quality of care - and issues a set of recommendations. "Recommendations include: giving funding priority to states that will adopt or maintain key simplifications… ensuring quality measures focus on priority health needs for children, and building quality measurement and improvement capabilities into electronic health information systems, among others," according to a Commonwealth Fund description of the report (Simpson, Fairbrother, Touschner and Guyer, 9/10).

18 Sep 2009

Deterioration in brain function following breast cancer therapy has negative effects on quality of life

One of the most problematic side effects of cancer treatment, chemobrain - a range of symptoms including memory loss, inability to concentrate, difficulty thinking and other subtle cognitive changes following chemotherapy - seriously diminishes women's quality of life and daily functioning.

18 Sep 2009

CNN says Obama may be seeking backup plan even as he rallies Dems

After a long-anticipated overhaul proposal was unveiled by Sen. Max Baucus Wednesday to a chilly reception, President Obama "quietly" held a meeting with Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, the cosponsors of an earlier, bipartisan plan, CNN reports.

18 Sep 2009

Baucus Bill not finding favor among Democrats or Republicans

Sen. Max Baucus' health care reform bill is the target of criticism from all sides.

18 Sep 2009

Health Care News and Research

Parents' insurance status affects their children's health care--even when the children are insured

Debate focuses on cost for coverage mandates

Health reform yet to address the critical issue of how federal rules will impact health care delivery systems

Young adults need quality and affordable health coverage

FDA advises consumers not to use stolen respiratory medications

Government-run health care and increased taxes top list of concerns

Merge Healthcare launches FusionWeb application software

Employers to reexamine health benefit strategies in response to passage of health care reform legislation

Obama to student audience: Health reform is 'defining struggle of this generation'

Two-day forum addresses maternal, child mortality in Asia-Pacific region

How Republicans would overhaul the health system: The wish list

Video library to address health insurance concerns

New bill to address Medi-Cal payment shortfalls

AAPA applauds Baucus' efforts to move forward on health care reform legislation

Federal officials say Louisiana owes $362 million for overpayments to public hospitals

Health plan advanced by Senator Baucus is a step in the right direction: CEO of AHCA

Health policy research roundup

Deterioration in brain function following breast cancer therapy has negative effects on quality of life

CNN says Obama may be seeking backup plan even as he rallies Dems

Baucus Bill not finding favor among Democrats or Republicans

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Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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