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KHN column: Why $75-a-day matters to caregivers

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: "In the ongoing congressional debate over the CLASS Act—the proposed national long-term care insurance program—critics and supporters have been arguing over whether a benefit of $50- or even $75-a-day is worthwhile.

15 Dec 2009

Medicare buy-in plan's cost may deter centrist lawmakers, potential customers

Some Democrats' idea to open Medicare to certain people aged 55 and older raises the question of whether premiums would be affordable enough.

15 Dec 2009

IOM issues review of national vaccine strategy

Reuters: To strengthen U.S. national vaccine strategy, the country "needs to establish a permanent group that advises the government on vaccine safety and spend more money to address safety concerns about vaccines," according to a report released Friday by the Institute of Medicine.

15 Dec 2009

NBC News examines 'fastest growing' vector-borne disease: Dengue

Dengue is the "fastest growing" vector-borne disease worldwide, NBC News' "World Blog" writes in a story examining the disease. "It used to be contained largely to south-east Asia, but has been spreading, and is now found in South America, Africa, south Asia and parts of Australia.

15 Dec 2009

Experts consider public option compromise, role of OPM in health bill

Kaiser Health News talks to nine experts who weigh in on the proposed public option compromise as a possible spinoff of the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program to be run by the Office of Personnel Management.

14 Dec 2009

Senate approves appropriations package, Obama expected to sign

After the Senate approved a House-passed spending package worth almost $450 billion on Sunday, the legislation, which "includes annual foreign aid packages," will go to President Barack Obama, Agence France-Presse reports. Obama is expected to sign the legislation (12/13).

14 Dec 2009

White House: Health reform would curb cost growth

The White House's Council of Economic Advisers has released a report that finds health reform would slow the growth of health costs in the United States and buttress the economy.

14 Dec 2009

Fine print raises alarms over health bill

News reports forecast that some provisions in the Senate health-overhaul legislation could create distractions for Democrats seeking to pass a bill by the year's end.

14 Dec 2009

DeParle gets GOP cold shoulder on health reform

Politico: "Senate Republicans say they want to 'smoke out' Democratic senators who could help them bring down the health care bill, and so far, they think they've found one in Sen. Jim Webb. With all the attention focused on four other fence-sitting moderates, Webb has voted with Republicans six times on the first series of amendments on the Senate floor — giving GOP leaders some hope that the unpredictable Virginian could buck his party in the end and block the bill" (Raju, 12/14).

14 Dec 2009

Data mining by drug companies raises concern

The Los Angeles Times examines a practice called data mining in which drug companies track how doctors prescribe medications by obtaining data from pharmacies and health insurers.

14 Dec 2009

McClatchy series examines Africa's population

"Although it's frequently portrayed as a continent decimated by epidemics, starvation and war, Africa is gripped by one of the greatest population explosions ever recorded.

14 Dec 2009

Companies shed more light on health bill lobbying

USA Today: "Sweeping ethics rules passed by Congress in 2007 require corporate interests that lobby Washington to reveal more information than ever, such as how much they donate to politicians' favorite charities.

14 Dec 2009

Language Line Services honored with ‘Raquel Cashman Language Access Award’

The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) recently awarded Language Line Services, a leading interpretation and translation provider, with the Raquel Cashman Language Access Award at the organization's 2009 conference.

14 Dec 2009

Musical greeting cards can pose danger for children

While musical holiday cards are a lot of fun, Their batteries pose a danger to little ones. Kids swallow them and stick them in their ears and nose, A health problem this does pose. The Montreal Children's Hospital doesn't mean to preach But please keep these batteries out of reach.

14 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 14, 2009

Today's headlines reflect the mounting pressure in the Senate regarding the pending health overhaul bill -- especially as the clock ticks closer to the Christmas holiday.

14 Dec 2009

Recipients of ‘2009 Putting Patients First grant’ program announced

Recognizing the need for programs that improve patient safety and quality care, AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management and Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. announced the six recipients of the second annual Putting Patients First grant program.

14 Dec 2009

Detroit-area residents plead guilty in connection with health care fraud schemes

Detroit-area residents Baskaran Thangarasan, Sandeep Aggarwal and Wayne Smith pleaded guilty this week for their roles in connection with several Detroit-area health care fraud schemes, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Terrence I. Berg, Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI's Detroit Field Office and Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.

14 Dec 2009

Psychopharmacology expert calls for more mental health staffing at army bases

The recent shootings at the Ft. Hood, Texas army base, allegedly by an army psychiatrist, have placed much-needed focus on mental health care in the army. In an article published in the December issue of the journal CNS Spectrum, renowned psychopharmacology expert Stephen M. Stahl, MD, PhD, calls for increased mental health staffing at Fort Hood and other army bases.

14 Dec 2009

Michigan Legislature passes new legislation for smoke-free workplaces

The Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) today applauded the wisdom of the Michigan legislature to enact legislation to make workplaces in our state smoke-free.

14 Dec 2009

Maine-based EMHS recognized for creating system-wide culture of safety

A poor economy in a rural area might seem like overwhelming obstacles to creating a sophisticated culture of safety in a health care system that serves the largest aging population in the country, but leaders at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) beat those odds in 2009.

14 Dec 2009