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Melbourne's national approach for managing chronic pain

An unprecedented gathering of some of Australia's leading authorities in pain medicine, together with consumer groups representing chronic pain sufferers, will meet in Melbourne today to work towards a national, coordinated approach to managing chronic pain.

17 Sep 2009

Congressional townhall panel to discuss the economic and moral implications of health care reform

This Friday, September 18th at 9:50 am, FRC Action will host a Congressional townhall panel that will discuss the economic and moral implications of health care reform. The panel will be a part of the fourth annual Values Voter Summit and will feature Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN), and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ). The panel will also take questions from the audience.

17 Sep 2009

State News Round-up: States trim budgets, experiment with reform ideas

News outlets report on a variety of state health stories including the Connector in Massachusetts, mental health care in Texas, hospital payments in Vermont, increased health insurance coverage in California and Republican efforts with employer insurance in Florida.

17 Sep 2009

Expo East 2009 conference to focus on integrative cancer care model

People diagnosed with cancer have a number of treatment options to choose from and increasingly, alternative and complementary therapies such as yoga, meditation, healing touch, music therapy, and nutritional supplementation are among them.

17 Sep 2009

NCSBN's new book examines instances of nursing practice breakdown

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) announces the release of "Nursing Pathways for Patient Safety," a new book which advocates an innovative approach to examining instances of nursing practice breakdown.

17 Sep 2009

Speaker Pelosi remarks on benefits for children in health insurance reform

Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks at an event for the Children's Health Fund this afternoon on the West Front Lawn of the Capitol to raise awareness for the more than 21 million children who will benefit from health insurance reform.

17 Sep 2009

Health plans will continue working with members of Congress to enact bipartisan legislation: AHIP

"Senator Max Baucus has led an unprecedented and rigorous bipartisan process to enact health care reform this year and challenged all stakeholders to contribute to this process. The introduction of legislation in the Finance Committee is a very important step in the health care reform process.

17 Sep 2009

Survey: Average cost of employer health plan up 5%

The average cost of an employer-provided family plan is now $13,375, up 5 percent from 2008, according to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust.

17 Sep 2009

Lawmakers may wage jurisdiction fight over medical malpractice reform

Roll Call reports that the Senate Finance Committee could clash with the Senate Judiciary Committee if they try to amend their health reform bill to scale back medical malpractice lawsuits.

17 Sep 2009

Insurers say seniors in Medicare Advantage spend less time in hospital

Insurers say seniors in Medicare Advantage spend less time in the hospital. CQ HealthBeat reports: "A new study issued Tuesday by the health insurance industry touts the benefits offered by Medicare Advantage, just as Congress contemplates slashing bonus payments to the managed-care program to help pay for the health care overhaul."

17 Sep 2009

HMS to provide third-party liability services to Medicaid agencies

HMS today announced that it had been awarded a contract by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide additional third-party liability services. With the addition of Minnesota, HMS now provides third party liability services to 39 state Medicaid agencies.

17 Sep 2009

AFSCME issues statement on health care reform bill

"The Senate Finance Committee health care bill is deeply flawed. It does not come close to meeting the needs of America's working families. Nor does it meet the standards President Obama laid out in his address last week to Congress.

17 Sep 2009

Affinion Security Center announces availability of new features in its IdentitySecure service

Affinion Security Center, a leading provider of identity theft protection services, today announced the availability of new features in its IdentitySecure service to help members detect and resolve one of the most damaging types of identity theft: medical identity theft.

17 Sep 2009

Cost-cutting measures to manage diabetes

Diabetes has so many costs -- to your health, your emotions, and of course, your wallet. The October issue of Diabetes Forecast, the consumer magazine of the American Diabetes Association, features ten ways to save some money and improve your health.

17 Sep 2009

Poll finds concerns about health care reform's effect on the economy

A new poll finds President Barack Obama's job-approval rating and favorability remain high - 56 and 61 percent, respectively - despite deep divides over his health care proposal and handling of the economy, Bloomberg reports.

17 Sep 2009

Health reform plan will affect middle-class families adversely: Consumer Watchdog

The new health reform plan released today by U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) will charge middle-class families nearly 20% of their annual income for health coverage, while letting insurance companies charge what they please for policies, said Consumer Watchdog.

17 Sep 2009

FDA approves H1N1 vaccine, paves way for large-scale U.S. vaccination campaign

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing that H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines produced by four manufacturers — CSL Ltd., Novartis, Sanofi-Pasteur and Medimmune — had won FDA approval, paving the way for a U.S. large-scale vaccination campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports. The application for GlaxoSmithKline PLC's vaccine is still being considered (Dooren/Favole, 9/15).

17 Sep 2009

Some Dems push back on Obama's proposed ban on illegal immigrants buying insurance

The Los Angeles Times reports: "Trying to quell a conservative uproar over his healthcare agenda, President Obama has proposed barring illegal immigrants from a possible government-arranged health insurance marketplace -- even if the immigrants pay with their own money.

17 Sep 2009

CEO of WageWorks issues statement on health care reform plan

Following today's introduction of a health care reform plan by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), Joe Jackson, chairman of Save Flexible Spending Plans and CEO of WageWorks, a benefits company based in San Mateo, California, issued the following statement:

17 Sep 2009

Health reform bill may limit tax-free flexible spending accounts

NASDAQ/Dow Jones reports: "Employees who enjoy unlimited tax-free treatment of out-of-pocket medical expenses through employee-benefit plans could be facing new curbs on the tax subsidy in health-care overhaul legislation.

17 Sep 2009