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Minn. Governor's letters detail plans to implement health law, exchange

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton sent letters to HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius and Republican leaders in his state Tuesday saying that he is moving forward with implementing the health law -- including the formation of a health insurance exchange -- even though GOP leaders there are in a holding pattern.

12 Jul 2012

The dust up continues as some Republican governors reject health law's Medicaid expansion

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, however, says he is considering opting out but would like more answers -- both in terms of policy questions and the political outcome of the election -- before he makes a decision. Meanwhile, Stateline explores how the Medicaid expansion will present a tough fiscal call for many of state executives.

12 Jul 2012

HHS inspector general: Many Medicare anti-fraud contractors have ties to companies they investigate

The Associated Press reports that as many as two-thirds of these contractors had financial connections to claims processors.

12 Jul 2012

Feds will waive insurance mandate for low-income people in states that opt against Medicaid expansion

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urged states to participate in the expansion, but said the administration would waive penalties against poor residents for not carrying insurance in states that opt out. Experts, meanwhile, urge the administration to "be flexible" with states regarding the Medicaid expansion. And Wall Street continues to view Medicaid as a growth opportunity.

12 Jul 2012

SRI receives NIAID grant to develop HIV vaccine

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a grant expected to total more than $77 million from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

12 Jul 2012

GOP lawmaker unveils draft bill on contraceptive coverage rule

The measure focuses on the potential tax implications of the Health and Human Services rule that contraceptives be counted -- without cost-sharing -- among the preventive health services that most employer-sponsored health plans offer.

12 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 11, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the scheduled House vote on repealing the health law as well as how stakeholders -- whether it be certain governors or wall street investors -- are responding to the Supreme Court's decision on the Medicaid expansion.

11 Jul 2012

SAMHSA announces 2012 System of Care Expansion Planning grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding up to $3.5 million for the Expansion of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families program.

11 Jul 2012

Feds OK Oregon Medicaid CCOs, ready $1.9B in funding

The federal government has granted Oregon a waiver to run Medicaid coordinated-care organizations and will provide enhanced Medicaid money -- $1.9 billion over five years -- for the program.

11 Jul 2012

Officials announce 89 more ACOs caring for 1.2 million on Medicare

The addition brings to 154 the total number of ACOs giving care to 2.4 million beneficiaries of Medicare. CMS says the program could save $940 million over four years.

11 Jul 2012

Perry rejects Medicaid expansion, opts not to create state-run health exchange

Gov. Rick Perry's announcement that Texas will not pursue either of these two elements of the federal health law is drawing both national and regional headlines. But other GOP governors are delaying and mulling these decisions.

11 Jul 2012

African-American youths in public housing communities more likely to use tobacco

Today, nearly 4,000 adolescents in the United States will smoke their first cigarette, and about a fourth of those youth will become daily smokers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports. A recent study by a University of Missouri researcher found that African-American youths who live in public housing communities are 2.3 times more likely to use tobacco than other African-American youths.

11 Jul 2012

‘Open to Options’ guides cancer patients in making critical health decisions

Cancer patients across the country have a new way to navigate through difficult treatment decisions and communicate better with their doctors. "Open to Options," which recently launched nationally, was developed in conjunction with UCSF to guide patients in making critical health decisions.

11 Jul 2012

FDA acknowledges receipt of resubmission of Human Genome Sciences’ raxibacumab BLA

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged receipt of the resubmission of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for raxibacumab, a treatment for inhalational anthrax, and has established December 15, 2012 as the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date.

10 Jul 2012

Jacobs receives contract to provide information technology services to NIH

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide information technology services to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and certain other government agencies.

10 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 10, 2012

Today's headlines include findings of a new Washington Post poll indicating Americans remain divided on the health law. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, cracks may be emerging in the Republican's repeal effort.

10 Jul 2012

UCLA to examine whether copper surfaces result in reduced hospital infection rates

Hospital-acquired infections are a huge public health burden, and hospital environments play a key role in harboring potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, C. difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

10 Jul 2012

Researchers develop new silk-based stabilizer for vaccines and antibiotics

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new silk-based stabilizer that, in the laboratory, kept some vaccines and antibiotics stable up to temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

10 Jul 2012

FDA approves risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for ER and LA opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioids, highly potent drugs approved for moderate to severe, persistent pain that requires treatment for an extended period.

10 Jul 2012

Measuring creatinine and cystatin C more accurately estimates kidney function

Measuring creatinine and cystatin C - two markers for chronic kidney disease (CKD) - more precisely estimates kidney function than either marker alone, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results appear in the July 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

10 Jul 2012