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The anti-trust exemption for health insurers: Meaningful or not?

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold writes about legislation to repeal this exemption. "With comprehensive health care legislation foundering in Congress, the House is turning to a narrower piece of legislation that lawmakers hope has widespread, populist appeal: repealing the antitrust exemption for health and medical liability insurers.

9 Feb 2010

ebrary introduces new subscription database in Medical Technology

Health care companies that design and manufacture medical devices, equipment, and instruments can now help their technologists, engineers, and other employees conduct research more efficiently and effectively, resulting in greater cost savings and faster development times for new products.

9 Feb 2010

Broad coalition supports inclusion of new bill in the Minnesota legislature

A measure to make roads safer and more accessible for all Minnesotans – regardless of age or ability or whether traveling by car, bus, bike or on foot – was introduced into the Minnesota legislature today. The "Complete Streets" bills, SF 2461 and HF 2801, are supported by a broad coalition of health, family, environment, senior, and transportation advocates who attended an afternoon press conference.

9 Feb 2010

Study indicates pain treatment may vary in Latino and white children post surgery

Differences might exist in the amount of pain medicine given to Latino and white children after surgery, found a new, small study in which Latino children received 30 percent less opioid analgesics (morphine or morphine-like drugs) than white children did.

9 Feb 2010

Analysts: If health reform fails, expect more industry mergers

BusinessWeek: "With Congress' sweeping overhaul of the health system stalled, industry will seek its own answers to a push by government and the private sector to rein in costs, said Curtis Lane, senior managing director at MTS Health Partners, a New York-based equity fund."

9 Feb 2010

FDA approves Sagent Pharmaceuticals' labetalol HCl injection for severe hypertension

Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received FDA approval of labetalol hydrochloride (HCl) injection, USP, commonly used to control severe hypertension. The product will be available in two vial sizes – 100 mg per 20 mL and 200 mg per 40 mL, multi-dose vials.

9 Feb 2010

State health policy developments: Doctor shortages, hospital taxes, California insurance crackdown

The Los Angeles Times: "At a time when nearly 7 million Californians are uninsured, state regulators are trying to rein in discount health and dental plans that officials say frequently overstate benefits, offer little if any savings and promise access to doctors who aren't part of the system. Some of the discounters fraudulently market themselves as insurance, while preying on the poor, the elderly and others who urgently need care, officials say. ... Plan executives bristle at such criticism. They say a few bad apples have tarnished an industry that offers reliable -- and relatively inexpensive -- services.

9 Feb 2010

Texas court case and Florida web site raise questions about effectiveness of physician oversight

A Texas court case reveals gaps in physician oversight, The New York Times reports. "It was beyond [Anne Mitchell's] conception that she would be indicted and threatened with 10 years in prison for doing what she knew a nurse must: inform state regulators that a doctor at her rural hospital was practicing bad medicine." Mitchell was first jailed in June and will stand trial this week for "misuse of official information, a third-degree felony in Texas," after reporting a physician for using unorthodox procedures - some of which went awry - and practicing in an operating room where he did not have privileges.

9 Feb 2010

Study: Medicare bladder cancer treatment policy raises health costs

Reuters: "Medicare's move in 2005 to pay doctors to do bladder cancer surgery in their offices rather than in hospitals dramatically raised the number of procedures and overall health costs, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

9 Feb 2010

Tax on sugared drinks loses appeal, tanning salons still fighting

Los Angeles Times: "Only months ago, supporters of the soda tax saw it as an idea whose hour was near. The sheer magnitude of the medical cost of obesity added urgency to the issue ... But opponents questioned any link between sugary drinks and obesity, and expressed concern about a slippery slope of taxes on other products. Proponents, meanwhile, thought a tax that drove down consumption while raising money for health care seemed like a natural with Democrats controlling Congress."

9 Feb 2010

States deal with small budgets, Medicaid cuts

Virginian-Pilot: Area hospitals are preparing "for a round of Medicaid spending cuts that executives say could be the worst in decades and lead to more cutbacks in their organizations. Rising health care costs and a surge in the number of Medicaid patients have increased the state's obligation to the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled by $777.7 million over two years.

9 Feb 2010

Sebelius urges Anthem Blue Cross to justify rate hike

Los Angeles Times: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "called on Anthem Blue Cross on Monday to justify its controversial new rate hikes of as much as 39% for individual policyholders." Sebelius "voiced concerns" in a letter to Anthem's president. The new rates "go into effect March 1 for many of the insurer's estimated 800,000 individual policyholders" (Helfand, 2/8).

9 Feb 2010

Obama invites Republicans to share ideas at televised health reform summit

The New York Times reports that the President's inivitation is for a half-day televised summit February 25. It is "a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse." The move is seen as a way for Obama to force Republicans to help govern and to "put more scrutiny on Republican initiatives" on health care.

9 Feb 2010

Clinton health reform veterans helping with Obama overhaul effort

The Associated Press reports that aides who helped with President Bill Clinton's health care reform effort are pushing to help President Barack Obama pass his health system overhaul this year.

9 Feb 2010

The Obama health summit: More reactions, details emerge

The Associated Press/Washington Post reports on Republicans' "chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama's invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation."

8 Feb 2010

Dems may add health provisions - including COBRA subsidies and Medicare fixes - to jobs bill

Lawmakers may include a number of Medicare "fixes" in the jobs bill, now that the health overhaul bill has stalled, The Hill reports. They would include restoring Medicare provisions that expired Jan. 1 or are set to expire later this year. "Nursing homes and rehabilitation therapy providers, along with patient groups, are pushing legislation to undo a hard-dollar cap on Medicare coverage of physical, speech and occupational therapy. Hospitals are seeking to restore special payments to large rural and small urban hospitals.

8 Feb 2010

Insurers bringing plans into compliance with new mental health rules

The Wall Street Journal reports that insurers are bringing their insurance plans in compliance with new rules and laws that make mental health and substance abuse insurance coverage available to millions of Americans.

8 Feb 2010

Ending antitrust exemption for insurers may not affect consumers, analysts say

Kaiser Health News: "Proponents say that the legislation would spur competition among insurers and bring down costs for consumers. Reps. Tom Perriello, D-Va., and Betsy Markey, D-Colo., who are sponsoring the bill, said in a press release it would 'end special treatment for the insurance industry that allows them to fix prices, collude with each other, and set their own markets without fear of being investigated.' But many antitrust experts say that ending the exemption -- by repealing the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act -- wouldn't significantly increase competition or reduce premiums."

8 Feb 2010

CVS Caremark reports fourth-quarter and fiscal 2009 results

CVS Caremark Corporation today announced record revenues, operating profit, and income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2009.

8 Feb 2010