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AARP urge Idaho's U.S. Representatives to support health care reform legislation

As the debate over health care reform reaches a fevered pitch and the House readies to vote on critical health care reform legislation in the coming days - AARP is calling on Idaho's U.S. Representatives to support the bill. The AARP-backed Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), which will close the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole" and tackle soaring insurance premiums, serves to help hundreds of thousands of Idahoans.

6 Nov 2009

Dingell plays powerful and historical health care role

NPR examines the historical role that Rep. John Dingell has played in health care policy, including the establishment of Medicare: "When people think of health care and Congress, often the first name that springs to mind is the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.

6 Nov 2009

CVS investigated by FTC over business practices

"CVS Caremark Corp (CVS.N) has been the subject of a U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigation over some of its business practices since August, the company said on Thursday," Reuters reports. "Various groups have asked the government to look into CVS Caremark's practices since drugstore chain CVS bought pharmacy benefits management business Caremark Rx Inc in March 2007. They claim that changes to services in the pharmacy benefits business since the acquisition have led to higher prices, compromised quality of care and pushed patients to choose CVS drugstores over other pharmacies."

6 Nov 2009

H1N1 is now most dominant flu strain worldwide, WHO says

The H1N1 (swine flu) virus is now the dominant flu strain worldwide, the WHO reported Thursday, with the virus accounting for up to 70 percent of the flu viruses sampled in some countries, the Associated Press reports.

6 Nov 2009

Californians who lose jobs find health care safety net badly frayed

In this article for Kaiser Health News, Janet Wilson focuses on California and reports on how the safety net is fraying as economic woes take their toll on state budgets. "With a nip here and a slash there, California's budget crisis is now affecting health care for millions of residents, from wealthy Orange County to the struggling city of Oakland.

6 Nov 2009

ART as part of HIV prevention strategy supported by WHO

"AIDS drugs should be given to all who need them to reduce new infections, the World Health Organization said," following a three-day meeting on the topic of using antiretroviral therapy (ART) to help prevent the spread of HIV, Bloomberg reports. "Providing more antiretroviral drugs 'will achieve a significant transmission benefit,' Teguest Guerma, interim director of the WHO's AIDS department, said … 'In the past, there has been a false dichotomy between prevention and treatment. …'That is really what has been corrected. Prevention and treatment are two faces of the same coin'" (Bennett, 11/5).

6 Nov 2009

Bill to extend COBRA subsidies introduced in Senate

Senators introduced legislation Thursday to extend COBRA to help unemployed workers and their families with health coverage. WKYC-TV, a NBC affiliate in Ohio, reports. "U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Robert P. Casey (D-PA) introduced a bill Thursday to extend the 'COBRA' subsidy which helps unemployed workers and their families afford temporary health care [coverage].

6 Nov 2009

First Edition: October 6, 2009

Today's headlines highlight activity on different fronts -- with House Democrats scrambling to hold together fragile support for tomorrow's health bill vote while Republican lawmakers and other health reform opponents intensify their attack.

6 Nov 2009

New book available online addresses health care disparities

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins is proud to announce publication of LGBTQ Cultures: What Health Care Professionals Need to Know About Sexual and Gender Diversity, written by Michele J. Eliason, PhD, Suzanne L Dibble, DNSc, RN, Jeanne DeJoseph, CNM, PhD, and Peggy Chinn, RN, PhD.

6 Nov 2009

CREW urge HHS to investigate CDC's approval to distribute H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to investigate why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approved the distribution of the H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms at a time when the vaccine is unavailable to most Americans.

6 Nov 2009

Pharmacists are necessary to the medical care model

Roger Merrill, MD, chief medical officer of Perdue Foods Inc. of Salisbury, Md., told students at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy yesterday that they should be concerned about future health care costs.

6 Nov 2009

Older Americans in for the sham of the century: RetireSafe

In a statement released today, RetireSafe President Thair Phillips calls AARP's endorsement of the House health care bill the greatest fraud against seniors in the 21st century. He said, "AARP, easily the most influential seniors lobby, is using their clout to get a bill passed that will slash Medicare and ration the health care of seniors."

6 Nov 2009

Dentists can play a live-saving role by identifying patients at risk of fatal heart attacks: Study

A new study indicates dentists can play a potentially life-saving role in health care by identifying patients at risk of fatal heart attacks and referring them to physicians for further evaluation.

6 Nov 2009

USAction urges House to pass comprehensive health care reform legislation

The Affordable Health Care for America Act will make health care more affordable for consumers, hold insurance companies accountable and increase access to health care for millions of Americans.

6 Nov 2009

Alliance Québécoise du Psoriasis provides information concerning H1N1 vaccination campaign

The Alliance Québécoise du Psoriasis (Quebec psoriasis alliance) would like to give its members and other psoriasis sufferers information concerning the massive H1N1 vaccination campaign.

6 Nov 2009

James Capretta's column: The president should be opposing the house bill

In his latest column, James Capretta writes: "When Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled the revised House Democratic health care bill last week, the Obama White House hailed it as a "critical milestone" in the process.

6 Nov 2009

CABG completed "off-pump" has no advantages in patient outcomes: Study

A study of 2,203 cardiac surgery patients from Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers nationwide revealed that coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) completed "off-pump," meaning without a heart-lung machine, had no advantages in patient outcomes compared to the traditional "on-pump" procedure.

6 Nov 2009

Arthur H. Rubenstein to receive the Abraham Flexner Award

Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, and Dean, School of Medicine, will receive the Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

6 Nov 2009

Eclipsys’ Sunrise Enterprise integrated suite of solutions selected by NMMC

Eclipsys Corporation®, The Outcomes Company®, today announced that North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC), a 650-bed regional referral center located in Tupelo, MS, has selected the Eclipsys’ Sunrise Enterprise™ integrated suite of solutions.

6 Nov 2009

Free health clinic in New Orleans for uninsured residents of Louisiana

Uninsured residents of Louisiana who want to attend a free health clinic in New Orleans on Saturday, Nov. 14, should call 877-233-5159 toll-free as soon as possible to schedule appointments.

6 Nov 2009