Hiccups News and Research

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Hiccups refer to involuntary spasms of the diaphragm – the main muscle involved in breathing – followed by rapid closure of the vocal cords. This produces a distinctive “hic” sound at the top of the windpipe.

The political challenge for health law supporters: proving the health law is a success, rather than an SNL skit

For vulnerable House Democrats, the task of blunting criticism of the overhaul is especially important. Meanwhile, House Republicans have a plan to keep playing offense on the issue, with a number of votes planned this week.

13 Nov 2013

First Edition: October 31, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the Obama administration's efforts to recover from health law implementation hiccups and challenges.

31 Oct 2013

Healthcare.gov's technical problems persist even as some hiccups are fixed

For instance, the troubled healthcare.gov was recovering Monday from an outage caused by one of the companies supporting the site.

30 Oct 2013

State-run marketplaces rebounding from opening snags

Politico Pro examines how the marketplaces operated by states compare to the federally run operation. Other outlets look at some of the individual issues in states.

15 Oct 2013

States still wrestling with health exchange bugs, challenges

News outlets report on state health exchange operations in California, Kentucky, Maryland, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

5 Oct 2013

Figuring out how to shop around on health exchanges

News outlets report on the efforts by states, navigators, organizations and others to help uninsured people find their way through the challenges of applying for health insurance on the new online marketplaces.

3 Oct 2013

HHS warns of early hiccups as it premieres insurance website

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is asking the public and press to be patient as the law unfolds.

2 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Health law premium rates reveal 'mostly good news' but renew critics arguments; 'Cruz-ing for a bruising;'

President Obama, President Clinton, and Senator Ted Cruz all spent a lot of time talking about Obamacare on Tuesday. But the real news came just as the day was ending, right at midnight, when the Department of Health and Human Services released data on insurance premiums available through the new Obamacare marketplaces. Several states had already released their data. With this report, HHS provided premium information for most of the rest. Overall, the numbers are pretty consistent with previous reports, albeit with some new and interesting wrinkles. It seems like mostly good news, though the law's critics would argue it vindicates some of their arguments, as well (Jonathan Cohn, 9/25).

26 Sep 2013

Michigan gives final green light to Medicaid expansion

The Republican-led Michigan House gave final approval on Tuesday to a bill that would expand the Medicaid health program for the poor under Democratic President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law. Representatives voted 75-32 to concur with modifications of a bill that they had approved in June and agreed to send it to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican who has backed the expansion of the Medicaid program (Bailey, 9/3).

5 Sep 2013

White House takes aim at Latinos, young people with health law outreach efforts

Both populations are key to the success of new online health insurance marketplaces, which will begin enrolling people on Oct. 1 for coverage that takes effect Jan. 1.

27 Jun 2013

Tavenner outlines specifics on health exchanges, other health law issues

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief Marilyn Tavenner discussed health exchanges, among other things, with Georgia Health News. Other news outlets detailed the exchange developments in Minnesota and Colorado.

27 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the latest developments in the health care marketplace.

26 Jun 2013

The president's impassioned health law speech: 'We're going to keep fighting'

President Barack Obama was unusually detailed in his defense of the law, emphasizing the scope of insurance coverage for many Americans.

13 May 2013

St. Jude Medical receives approval for CRT-D quadripolar pacing system in India

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the approval of the industry's first quadripolar pacing system for cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) in India. The Promote Quadra CRT-D offers physicians the ability to more effectively and efficiently manage the ever-changing pacing needs of patients with heart failure.

7 Sep 2011

New device to treat heart hiccups

"It took off to about 160 beats per minute and then dropped to 50. It seemed confused. Then it went back to normal," recalled Tsuji, 47, an avid cyclist, of that day in 2003. "I didn't notice any symptoms at that point, so I blew it off. I figured there was something wrong with it."

3 Feb 2011

Officials look to 2 states for advice on setting up exchanges; other health overhaul news

Two states Massachusetts and Utah are forerunners in establishing health insurance exchanges, a key part of the health overhaul, and are likely to serve as models for other states, Politico reports.

17 Nov 2010

RIT professor designs database with physician input and novel eye-tracking techniques

Digital archives of biomedical images could someday put critical information at doctors' fingertips within seconds, illustrating how computers can improve the way medicine is practiced. The current reality, however, isn't quite up to speed, with databases virtually overwhelmed by the explosion of medical imaging.

3 Aug 2010

St. Jude Medical launches Promote Quadra CRT-D in Europe

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the European launch of its Promote Quadra™ cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The Promote Quadra CRT-D is the industry's first quadripolar pacing system, which offers physicians the ability to more effectively and efficiently manage the ever-changing pacing needs of patients with heart failure.

12 May 2010

ALCAT Laboratory introduces compatibility testing to over 130 new functional foods and medicinal herbs

Millions of people use herbs and functional foods to treat countless ailments, from hiccups and hemorrhoids, to balance hormones and stimulate libido. They may work well as natural remedies, but are they safe for everyone?

15 Feb 2010

New York Times examines HIV testing program in China

The New York Times examines an HIV prevention program in China aimed at promoting blood screening that has led "more than 110,000 people" to be tested so far: "On any given night, in 14 cities around the country, hundreds of people flock to makeshift blood collection centers in bars, bathhouses and apartments where workers test for syphilis and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."

4 Dec 2009