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RWJF to honor 10 unsung heroes for improving health care in their communities

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will honor 10 unsung heroes with the announcement of the 2009 recipients of its Community Health Leaders (CHL) Award on October 8, 2009, at the Mayflower Hotel.

3 Oct 2009

Rough rhetoric pervades health care debate in the House

Democrats and Republicans in the House continue to assail each other as the debate on health care proposals progresses.

3 Oct 2009

Medicare advantage plans to increase premiums for some -- but not all -- in 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports on the future prospects for seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. "In Miami next year, seniors once again won't have to pay any monthly premiums for a Medicare health plan sold by HMO giant Humana Inc.

3 Oct 2009

Pharmacies sue states they say underpaid them for prescription drugs

New York, California and Washington state have been sued by drug store groups who say their members were underpaid in Medicaid payments for prescription drugs.

3 Oct 2009

Obama tells Governors health reform will help in tough times

"President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he is committed to helping keep Democrats in governors' offices across the country and move their states forward, starting with changes to the health care system," The Associated Press reports. In his comments at a Democratic Governors Association fundraiser in Washington, Obama talked about the "challenging times for the states and the nation."

3 Oct 2009

Teens with chronic disease often have expensive, uncertain coverage

ABC News profiles teens living with chronic diseases, and examines their insurance coverage and the cost of such care. The article notes: "Chronic diseases affect 1 in 10 Americans and are the leading cause of disability, accounting for 70 percent of all deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are also expensive."

3 Oct 2009

TIME examines breastfeeding in the Philippines

TIME examines breastfeeding in the Philippines, noting that the country will be one of 18 taking part in a "global moment of breastfeeding" on Friday.

3 Oct 2009

Report highlights rural health care challenges

"Rural residents have even more cause to support a public health insurance plan than those living in cities, advocates of such a plan said Thursday," The Omaha World-Herald reports. "The Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Neb., and the Center for Community Change issued a joint report highlighting the particular health care challenges faced by those living in rural parts of the country."

3 Oct 2009

Mothers must heal physically and psychologically from the first stillbirth before conceiving again

Women who experience a stillbirth in their first pregnancy may be at higher risk for complications or adverse outcomes in their next pregnancy, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears online in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

3 Oct 2009

Lawmakers get contributions from industry groups and associated lobbyists

A study by the Center for Responsive Politics and the Sunlight Foundation has found that key lawmakers have received significant contributes not only from major health industry companies - who often lead in contributions to members of Congress - but also from their lobbyists, who have contributed from their personal resources, The Washington Post reports.

3 Oct 2009

New (and old) ideas for health care show possibility of savings, improvements

The search for reform models continues, with news reports exploring the Veterans Administration's "government-run health care," Washington State's "reputation for lower-cost, higher-quality health care," and Kaiser Permanente's new money-saving approach to heart attack treatment.

3 Oct 2009

VA Medical Centers, health care organizations join Planetree to focus on patient-centered health care

As the nation focuses on the future of health care in U.S. hospitals, VA Medical Centers and health care organizations around the country will join Planetree this October to spotlight patient-centered approaches to health care by commemorating the third annual Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month.

3 Oct 2009

News outlets continue to examine findings of recent U.N. report

News outlets continue to mine through the findings of the U.N.'s 2009 progress report on HIV and AIDS.

3 Oct 2009

FDA approves Bayer's IUD Mirena for treating heavy menstrual bleeding

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mirena (levonorgestrel intrauterine system) to treat heavy menstrual bleeding in women who use intrauterine contraception as their method of pregnancy prevention. This is the first intrauterine device approved by the FDA for this additional indication.

3 Oct 2009

New health care ads hit the airwaves

The onslaught of health care advertising continues, with new ads from MoveOn.org, Organizing for America, the medical industry and Americans United for Change.

3 Oct 2009

Budget cuts to affect low-income seniors

An 81-year-old San Francisco woman with dementia, little money and an equally aged caregiver sister who is suffering from cancer.

3 Oct 2009

Health reform unlikely to fix Medicare doctor payment system

Health care reform in Congress is unlikely to reform the Medicare physician payment system, and lawmakers are likely to settle for another one-year fix to block a reduction in payments to doctors, CQ Politics reports.

3 Oct 2009

Google's venture capital wing invests in biotech company

Google's venture capital group is investing millions into Adimab, a biotech company that will construct a massive library of antibodies, some of which may yield powerful new drugs, the New York Times blog Bits reports.

3 Oct 2009

First U.S. patients could receive H1N1 vaccine next week

U.S. health officials announced Thursday the first batches of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine the government ordered will begin arriving in designated locations across the country on Tuesday and may be administered in the first patients by the end of next week, Reuters reports (Fox, 10/1).

3 Oct 2009

Finance's marathon markup complete as senators look forward to panel vote and floor action

Senators finished amending the Senate Finance Committee's health reform draft early Friday morning. The next stop after the panel's final vote early next week is the Senate floor.

3 Oct 2009