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Obama backs repeal of health insurers' antitrust exemption

"President Barack Obama urged Congress on Tuesday to strip health insurers of their decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws — hardening his stand against the industry as he tries to revive his stalled health care overhaul," the Associated Press/Los Angeles Times reports. "Removing this exemption will allow appropriate enforcement and examination of potential policies that might prove uncompetitve (sic), or might stifle competition," a White House spokesman said. The House could vote on the measure this week (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/23).

24 Feb 2010

House antitrust bill will keep exemption for med-mal insurers

A House bill would revoke the antitrust exemption from health insurers but keep the exemption for medical malpractice insurers.

24 Feb 2010

Insurers reject Obama's proposal for a rate-hike review panel

The health overhaul plan unveiled Monday by President Barack Obama puts the heat on insurers by requiring federal oversight of increases in health insurance premium rates, something the industry has strenuously objected to.

24 Feb 2010

SRI International awarded $3.8M BARDA contract to develop a radiation assessment device

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, has received a $3.8M contract from the Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). SRI will research and develop a device to triage individuals who may have been exposed to ionizing radiation after a radiological or nuclear incident.

24 Feb 2010

Officials crack down on Medicare fraud in Miami and Los Angeles

When it comes to health care fraud, schemes that target Medicare are among the most common and lucrative. That's because the $400 billion federal program is a fat and easy target. The Obama administration ... has requested an increase for an effort to crack down on Medicare fraud.

24 Feb 2010

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Today, two of the nation's leading health and fiscal policy experts discussed how to reign in rising health care costs in Medicare in light of a new Health Affairs study that shows rising Medicare costs in the nation's health care system are linked to the growth in several common costly chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and kidney disease.

24 Feb 2010

Flightless mosquitoes could fight dengue, study says

By rendering female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - the dengue virus vector - unable to fly, scientists say they may be able to slow the spread of the virus which experts believe "affects up to 100 million people a year and threatens over a third of the world's population," the BBC reports. Currently, there is no treatment for dengue nor a vaccine to protect against the virus.

24 Feb 2010

Clout of drug industry seen in MD residency programs and in health reform

News outlets report on the pharmaceutical industry's involvement in doctor training and its role in shaping the health care overhauls pending in Congress.

24 Feb 2010

Woman's risk of heart disease intensifies during natural menopause: Study

When women hear the word menopause, they often think about hot flashes, hormone shifts and mood swings. But what about heart disease? Studies show a woman's risk of heart disease intensifies drastically around the time of natural menopause, which for most women is around the age of 50.

24 Feb 2010

Obama builds on Senate health bill in hopes of broader support

President Barack Obama's health care proposal, an effort to resuscitate the debate, merges the separate legislation passed in the Senate and House "into a final version that could pass muster in both chambers," The Washington Post reports.

24 Feb 2010

Also in global health news: Global Fund; MDGs, women; polio eradication

Radio Australia examines the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's push for more funding from Australia and China. Global Fund Executive Director "Michel Kazatchkine is currently touring the world's capitals seeking renewed government pledges to build on an already impressive record and as well as looking to Australia to do more, he's hoping soon to get China to become not just recipient, but donor."

24 Feb 2010

The White House weighed political risks in health plan calculation

The Washington Post: "The president's proposal is striking for the extent to which it hews to the basic scale and framework of the bills on which Congress has toiled for months. That decision -- to go big one last time, rather than small -- emerged quickly inside the White House after senior advisers to President Obama concluded privately that his goals for comprehensive changes to the health-care system could not be done piecemeal" (Kornblut and Shear, 2/23).

24 Feb 2010

Doubts, questions loom over planned bipartisan health summit

More reactions to President Obama's health proposal are trickling in from Capital Hill, as the White House attempts to parry Republican criticism by asking GOP lawmakers to put their own plan on the table.

24 Feb 2010

Government, with billions in loans, bets electronic medical records can improve care

The New York Times reports that electronic health records hold potential for major improvements in health outcomes for patients as the federal government puts a renewed emphasis on implementing and digitizing patients' information. "President Obama's economic stimulus included $19.2 billion for health information technology, and a number of hospital systems around the country are taking advantage of this financial incentive and investing their own money to foster the creation and use of electronic records that are expected to improve the quality, efficiency and safety of medical care."

23 Feb 2010

Blair talks about combating malaria in Nigeria, part of 3-nation African trip

"Former British prime minister Tony Blair on Saturday called for concerted efforts to combat malaria in Nigeria which accounts for a quarter of the [nearly] one million malaria deaths annually in Africa," Agence France-Presse writes (2/20).

23 Feb 2010

Jobs bill missing Medicaid money for states, governors call for change

The $15 billion jobs bill that passed the Senate Monday does not include additional matching funds for state Medicaid programs, but governors are continuing to ask for its inclusion as they look for other ways to plus state budget holes made from Medicaid liabilities.

23 Feb 2010

Trial for lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross begins in California

The insurer "refused to pay for" customer Ephram Nehme "to get a liver transplant in Indiana because the company wanted to save money, a lawyer for the patient told jurors Monday," the Los Angeles Times reports. "But a lawyer for the state's largest for-profit insurer argued that the patient, Ephram Nehme, was not sick enough to qualify for an exception to his policy's requirement that transplants be performed in Blue Cross-contracted hospitals in California.

23 Feb 2010

AMA calls for fix to Medicare's doctor payments

With a sizable cut to Medicare physician payments taking effect in just one week, the American Medical Association is seeking clarity from Congress on its plan of action to stop the 21.2% reduction.

23 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 23, 2010

Today's headlines focus on President Obama's revamped health reform proposal, what it includes and how Democrats, Republicans and the insurers are reacting to it.

23 Feb 2010

Dental checkup before first baby tooth appears may help a lifetime of preventive dental care

Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. This February, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) encourages parents and caregivers to "Get it Done in Year One." Visiting a pediatric dentist by the time the first baby tooth appears enables the child to begin a lifetime of preventive dental care, helping to minimize tooth decay and cavities. In fact, studies show that dental costs for children who have their first dental visit before age one are 40 percent lower in the first five years than for those who do not see a dentist prior to their first birthday.

23 Feb 2010