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Delaware House approves bill that would mandate HIV testing for accused sex offenders

The Delaware House recently approved a bill (HB 424) that would require HIV testing for sexual assault defendants under certain circumstances, the AP/Bethany Beach Wave reports.

24 Jun 2008

India's patent office rejects Boehringer's application for pediatric antiretroviral

India's Patent Office in New Delhi earlier this month rejected German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim's application for a pediatric version of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine, consequently allowing local generic pharmaceutical companies such as Aurobindo and Cipla to continue marketing low-cost versions of the medicine in the domestic market, the Business Standard reports.

24 Jun 2008

More government in health care is not a prescription for reform

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI) today launched BigGovHealth.org, a new initiative to expose the consequences of greater government control in health care.

24 Jun 2008

New AMA public health policies on vitamin D, processed foods, flavored cigarettes, tobacco sales, disaster medicine and seniors

The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation's largest physician organization, voted today at its Annual Meeting to adopt the following new public health policies.

17 Jun 2008

Few community health centers receive reimbursement for providing language services, report indicates

While 84% of community health centers treat patients with limited English proficiency on a daily basis, only 5% receive direct reimbursement for language services from Medicare, Medicaid or private insurers, according to a report released Monday by the National Association of Community Health Centers, CQ HealthBeat reports.

17 Jun 2008

Pharmaceutical companies lobbying States to restrict use of lower-cost generic alternatives

Pharmaceutical companies, which "have been waging war against inexpensive generic drugs for years at the national level," are now "taking their fights to the states, promoting proposals that would" bar pharmacists from automatically replacing prescriptions for brand-name drugs with generics, the Baltimore Sun reports.

17 Jun 2008

Connecticut Governor vetoes health care bill that would have expanded State employee health insurance plan

Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (R) on Friday vetoed legislation that would have allowed municipalities and small businesses to join the state's health insurance plan, the Hartford Courant reports.

17 Jun 2008

Washington post examines Medicare's 'growing fraud problem'

The Washington Post on Friday examined Medicare's "growing fraud problem and the need to devote more resources to theft prevention." According to the Post, law enforcement officials estimate that health care fraud costs taxpayers more than $60 billion annually.

17 Jun 2008

Massachusetts health insurance law of 2006 working, but challenges lie ahead, NYT editorial states

The "real test" of the 2006 Massachusetts health insurance law will come this year when higher penalties are levied on those who remain uninsured and the state determines "whether coverage can really be made mandatory without sparking political resistance," the New York Times writes in an editorial.

17 Jun 2008

HIV/AIDS advocates petition Sen. Reid to override Sen. Coburn's block on PEPFAR reauthorization bills

In a petition generated by MoveOn.org recently presented to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), advocates asked him to override seven Republican senators, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who are blocking a vote on measures (HR 5501, S 2731) aimed at reauthorizing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, CQ Today reports. More than 15,000 people have signed the petition, according to CQ Today (Graham-Silverman, CQ Today, 6/13).

17 Jun 2008

Health IT might not produce immediate savings, but it could improve quality of care, reduce health disparities

Health IT Now! Coalition on Friday at a Capitol Hill briefing asked lawmakers to pass legislation that would subsidize health care providers for the adoption of electronic health records, ensure interoperability among health care information technology platforms and address privacy concerns, CongressDaily reports (CongressDaily, 6/13).

17 Jun 2008

American Medical Association provides first ever guidance on medical tourism

To ensure the safety of patients considering traveling abroad for medical care, new guiding principles on medical tourism were adopted today at the American Medical Association's (AMA) annual policy-making meeting. The nine principles are the first-of-its- kind, and outline steps for care abroad for consideration by patients, employers, insurers and third-parties responsible for coordinating travel outside of the U.S.

17 Jun 2008

Concerns over placebo pill for kids

Responding to reports in the media that Obecalp, a placebo pill for children, is due to be made available on the UK market, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's (RPSGB) Chief Scientist, Jayne Lawrence said:

16 Jun 2008

European researchers take lid off the genome

European researchers have made significant progress unravelling how genes are governed and why this sometimes goes wrong in disease.

15 Jun 2008

CMS to launch Medicare pilot project that will provide physicians with incentives to use health IT

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Tuesday announced the 12 cities and states that have been chosen to participate in a $150 million Medicare pilot program to encourage physicians to use electronic health records, CQ Today reports.

11 Jun 2008

House bill would allow small businesses to form statewide, nationwide pools for purchasing insurance

A bipartisan coalition of House members on Tuesday introduced a bill (HR 6210) that would allow small businesses to form statewide or nationwide pools to purchase insurance and provide them with tax credits to lower the cost of coverage, CongressDaily reports.

11 Jun 2008

Medical Legislation News and Research

Delaware House approves bill that would mandate HIV testing for accused sex offenders

India's patent office rejects Boehringer's application for pediatric antiretroviral

More government in health care is not a prescription for reform

New AMA public health policies on vitamin D, processed foods, flavored cigarettes, tobacco sales, disaster medicine and seniors

Few community health centers receive reimbursement for providing language services, report indicates

Pharmaceutical companies lobbying States to restrict use of lower-cost generic alternatives

Connecticut Governor vetoes health care bill that would have expanded State employee health insurance plan

Washington post examines Medicare's 'growing fraud problem'

Massachusetts health insurance law of 2006 working, but challenges lie ahead, NYT editorial states

HIV/AIDS advocates petition Sen. Reid to override Sen. Coburn's block on PEPFAR reauthorization bills

Health IT might not produce immediate savings, but it could improve quality of care, reduce health disparities

American Medical Association provides first ever guidance on medical tourism

Concerns over placebo pill for kids

European researchers take lid off the genome

CMS to launch Medicare pilot project that will provide physicians with incentives to use health IT

House bill would allow small businesses to form statewide, nationwide pools for purchasing insurance

UNISON welcomes government guidance on procurement

Local doctors trial the coil to prevent womb cancer

Decline in cigarette smoking offset by increase in cigars and other tobacco products

Horse industry let off the hook over horse flu debt

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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