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Financial advisers help wealthy Americans navigate Medicare

Wealthy Americans are increasingly seeking help on how to navigate the Medicare system from financial advisers.

14 Oct 2009

Centric Health Resources launches unique marketing campaign to reach out to patients

With an ongoing dedication to improving the quality of life for people nationwide with rare, orphan, and ultra-orphan, chronic genetic disorders, Centric Health Resources, Inc. (www.centrichealthresources.com) announces the launch of its ground-breaking, direct response marketing campaign, which utilizes MP3 players loaded with informative podcasts about Centric’s patient-centered approach to all phases of its specialty drug programs.

14 Oct 2009

Approaching today's Finance Committee vote, predictions take the spotlight

Senate Finance Committee members Tuesday are preparing to cast their votes on health reform, with some offering predictions on the final outcome.

14 Oct 2009

News outlets examine East African drought

Sky News examines the drought in East Africa, focusing on its impact in Kenya. In "[o]ne of the worst-affected areas," 70 percent of the "herds of cattle and goats have died in the past year, threatening the survival of entire communities who depend on them for their food and income," according to Sky News (Hurd, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

Abortion law will cause serious and irreversible harm to teens: ACLU

Citing "serious and irreversible harm to teens," the American Civil Liberties Union asked an Illinois court to strike down a newly effective law that prevents teens from having an abortion unless they notify a parent or go to court.

14 Oct 2009

Aetna ends two Medicare advantage programs while a Medicare experiment grabs attention

A health insurer ends two Medicare Advantage programs in Connecticut, while providers nationwide examine a Medicare demonstration program in Texas.

14 Oct 2009

Global food price increases are 'realistic possibility,' FAO says at high-level forum

There is a "realistic possibility" that the world could see a repeat of the 2007-2008 upsurge in food prices that "caused a sharp rise in the number of hungry people around the world," the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday at a forum of experts who are meeting in Rome through Tuesday, Reuters reports. "Food commodities prices are likely to stay high and volatile in the medium term," according to the FAO.

14 Oct 2009

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

"Yes, we are going to crack down on health insurance company abuses and extend health insurance coverage. But, just as important, we are going to give our citizens access to a 21st century health care system — one that is focused on preventing obesity and disease, and helping us to live healthy, active, productive lives" (Sen. Tom Harkin, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

Department of Veterans Affairs selects Aquilent for health IT support

Aquilent, the recognized leading provider of Web-based solutions shaping the next generation of technology for the federal government, today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has chosen Aquilent for two health IT support contracts valued at more than $2.7M combined. Under the terms of the contracts, Aquilent will provide healthcare revenue data migration and health risk assessment solutions.

14 Oct 2009

States eye budget cuts and health reform

Pennsylvania's hospitals got a small piece of good news when an overdue budget came with smaller than expected cuts. But there and in other states, programs continue to find programs and budgets on the chopping block.

14 Oct 2009

Studies examine H1N1 treatment, outcome differences in Mexico, Canada

New studies suggest that "[d]eveloping countries with limited access to advanced health-care facilities may be in for a rough ride with swine [H1N1] flu and even countries with high-tech ICUs may find themselves pushed to the limit as their hospitals struggle to save gravely ill H1N1 patients," the Canadian Press reports.

14 Oct 2009

AHIP supports bipartisan health care reform that covers all Americans

"We strongly support comprehensive, bipartisan health care reform that covers all Americans, improves quality, and puts the health care system on an affordable, sustainable path. Health plans have proposed guaranteed coverage, elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, and no longer basing premiums on health status or gender. Experience in the states has shown that market reforms need to paired with universal coverage to make health care as affordable as possible.

14 Oct 2009

African leaders, Chirac unite to fight fake drug manufacturing, distribution

Leaders from Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Congo-Republic, Niger and Senegal on Monday joined former French President Jacques Chirac in Cotonou, Benin, in a campaign against the manufacturing and sale of fake pharmaceutical products, Reuters reports (Lewis, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

BRIC nations spend $500 billion in 2009 for health care despite economic downturn

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, sustained economic growth since 2003 in Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) has enabled massive increases in health care expenditures with an astounding $500 billion spent in 2009 alone.

14 Oct 2009

Ahead of key Committee vote, Democrats attack insurers' claim that health premiums will rise

White House officials and Democratic lawmakers are fighting assertions from insurers that the Senate Finance Committee health bill would push health insurance premiums higher.

14 Oct 2009

Consumer reports survey shows health plans get lukewarm response

A recent survey shows health insurance plans get "lukewarm" responses while other articles examine how to choose a good plan. The Washington Post reports: "Consumers aren't that enthralled with their current insurance to begin with. In a recent Consumer Reports survey, only 64 percent of readers said they were very or completely satisfied with their plan. That's a lukewarm response and a slight drop from the 67 percent who responded the same way in CR's 2007 report."

14 Oct 2009

Used hotel soaps help prevent disease in developing countries

The Associated Press/Washington Post profiled the efforts of Atlanta-based Derreck Kayongo, a Ugandan "anti-poverty advocate." Kayongo has launched "the Global Soap Project, an effort to help his country's poorest - one used bar of hotel soap at a time," the AP/Washington Post writes.

14 Oct 2009

Kaiser Permanente receives $54 million grant from NIH to conduct health research

As part of the $5 billion in grants announced by President Obama, the National Institutes of Health has granted Kaiser Permanente more than $54 million over two years through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to conduct health research on a multitude of critical public and clinical health areas.

14 Oct 2009

More employers demand workers prove dependents are eligible for coverage

The Washington Post reports that some employers are pushing ineligible dependents out of health insurance plans. "Call it a sign of the times: A growing number of area employers, including the Commonwealth of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University and the Navy Federal Credit Union, are cracking down on workers who enroll ex-spouses, over-age children, grandchildren and others not entitled to coverage under their health plan.

13 Oct 2009

Prescription drug ads drive up U.S. health costs

NPR reports on how prescription drug advertising drives up consumer demand, which drives up medical costs. The story, done in partnership with the public radio program, This American Life, is the third in a three-part series about why American health care costs are so high. "Prescription drug spending is the third most expensive cost in the U.S. health care system.

13 Oct 2009