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Holding onto insurance that works

As part of the continuing series, "Are You Covered?" Kaiser Health News and NPR profile Dave Koenig. He has a job with good benefits. Still, he thinks some aspects of the insurance industry should be changed to protect patients from losing coverage" (Weiss, 9/28). Watch the video.

30 Sep 2009

AP examines low- cost lobbying effort for birthing centers

The Associated Press/The Boston Globe reports on Karen Fennell, a lobbyist who lacks the typical "fat expense account and clients paying six-figure fees," but has still managed to secure "some coveted federal money" for her clients: birthing centers. "How she did it is a case study in how Washington's influence game can work, even for those without bottomless checkbooks. She cultivated key allies in Congress, crafted an argument that aligns with the prevailing political winds, and represents a constituency no lawmaker could shun: mothers-to-be."

30 Sep 2009

Employers provide health coverage for most Americans

Kaiser Health News and NPR report on employer-based health insurance by examining the experience of a 49-year-old Californian: "Dave Koenig gets private insurance through his employer and couldn't be happier.

29 Sep 2009

Flooding in the Philippines could spread infectious diseases, Health Department says

The Health Department in the Philippines "warned Monday of a possible spread of infectious diseases" in the capital of Manila, which has had the largest rainfall "in nearly half a century, according to the government weather bureau," the New York Times reports. Rains have flooded "80 percent of this metropolis of 12 million people" and killed at least 240 so far.

29 Sep 2009

Ontario government files cost-recovery litigation against tobacco companies

The Canadian Cancer Society is pleased the Ontario government is suing tobacco companies to recover tobacco-related health care costs.

29 Sep 2009

Africa's agricultural sector grew in '08, 'concerted' policy action needed for growth to continue, FAO paper says

The growth of sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural sector in 2008 is a "a break with the past," but "concerted and purposeful policy action" is required for developments to continue, according to a new U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) paper, VOA News reports (De Capua, 9/28).

29 Sep 2009

California's failed health reform attempts offer useful lessons

California's failed attempt at remaking the state's health care system provides useful lessons for participants in the current federal health care debate.

29 Sep 2009

State Republicans attack health reform bill

Republican state officials are escalating their opposition to elements of the proposed health care overhaul.

29 Sep 2009

Medicare commission proposal and MedPAC data shape reform

A proposal for a Medicare Commission passes through the Senate Finance markup while MedPAC data may help rework Medicare spending.

29 Sep 2009

Illinois nursing homes mix seniors and mentally ill patients, some criminals

Some Illinois nursing homes create dangerous and unsafe environments by mixing seniors and younger mentally ill residents, the Chicago Tribune reports: "More than any other state, Illinois relies heavily on nursing homes to house mentally ill patients, including those who have committed crimes. But a Tribune investigation found that government, law enforcement and the industry have failed to adequately manage the resulting influx of younger residents who shuttle into nursing facilities from jail cells, shelters and psychiatric wards."

29 Sep 2009

Democrats look to Medicare to help finance reform

The Associated Press: "Medicare is looking like a big fat piggy bank for health care overhaul. President Barack Obama and the Democrats want to pay for much of their plan to cover the uninsured by cutting hundreds of billions from the Medicare budget over the next 10 years. From its inception, the health plan for seniors has been kept afloat by taxes out of workers' paychecks. Now, Medicare savings would count toward helping uninsured working-age children and grandchildren afford their own coverage."

29 Sep 2009

Solos to supply MammoView surgical endoscopy instruments for Beth Israel Medical Center

Solos Endoscopy, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SNDY) is pleased to announce that the Company has received purchase orders for the MammoView(TM) line of surgical endoscopy instruments from Beth Israel Medical Center, one of the five Continuum Health Partners health care facilities that play a vital role in providing quality medical care for millions of New Yorkers.

29 Sep 2009

90-day supply program to improve overall healthcare

Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) today launched a broad initiative for 90-day prescriptions that promotes delivery of maintenance and chronic care medication through its national network of more than 7,000 community pharmacies and employer worksite centers.

29 Sep 2009

Local officials address long-term costs associated with employee and retiree health care

About 49 percent of the nations’ cities, counties and townships expect less revenue in 2010, and 21 percent expect fewer employees, according to a new survey.

29 Sep 2009

First edition: September 29, 2009

The Finance Committee will resume work today on its mark up of its health bill -- with some fireworks likely on the public plan and other wild cards.

29 Sep 2009

Campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience to end insurance abuse

Citizens and health care providers who are fed up with the state of our health care system will risk arrest at a New York Aetna health insurance office on Tuesday morning. The sit-in is the first action in part of a larger mobilization to end insurance abuse and build support for real reform – Medicare for All, a single payer plan.

29 Sep 2009

Research finds novel chemical that targets drug-resistant bacteria

Eric Brown, a professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, and a team of researchers from the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research have identified a novel chemical compound that targets drug-resistant bacteria in a different way from existing antibiotics. The discovery could lead to new treatments to overcome antibiotic resistance in certain types of microorganisms.

29 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: News outlets explore AIDS vaccine research; chloroquine resistance unraveled; authorities contest maternal mortality report

The Associated Press examines the role of the Thai participants in the recent clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine which showed modest potential for preventing infection. "Nearly 16,000 Thais ignored the false rumors that they were being infected by the AIDS virus, and overcame their fears of becoming social outcasts to participate in trials of the first vaccine found to prevent infection with the deadly virus," the news service writes (Ahuja/Casey, 9/27).

29 Sep 2009

Baucus target of ad favoring a public option

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is the target of an advertising campaign by two progressive groups advocating for the inclusion of a public option in legislation to overhaul the health care systeml, according to Capitol Briefing, a Washington Post blog.

29 Sep 2009

Statistical modeling used to estimate benefits and risks of PSA screening

Men largely make decisions about prostate cancer screening based on conversations with their clinicians, but these discussions often do not include information about the risks of testing in addition to the benefits, according to a report in the September 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

29 Sep 2009