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ANCIR poll: High immigration levels affect the cost of the health care system

The American Council for Immigration Reform (ANCIR) national poll on immigration and its impact on health care issues conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC, of 1,000 likely voters on August 26, 2009 found that 78% of Americans believe that high immigration levels have had an adverse impact on the quality and cost of our health care system. Republicans (89%) felt more strongly on the issue, but Democrats (69%) were not far behind.

16 Sep 2009

Somatic Systems launches its second Clinical Somatics Professional Training Program

Somatic Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of a second Clinical Somatics Professional Training Program this year. The program will begin December 5, and feature a convenient, innovative modular format to accommodate a variety of professional schedules.

16 Sep 2009

American consumers largely unsure of their health benefit plans

A survey released today from Plan for Your Health, the health benefits public education program launched in September 2004 by Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA), found that less than 20 percent of insured adults surveyed consider themselves very knowledgeable about their health benefits plan.

16 Sep 2009

Majority of Americans believe that "side deals" are harming real healthcare reform

The Greenlining Institute (www.greenlining.org) today reacted to a survey conducted by the Lombardo Consulting Group which shows that Americans are losing confidence in the health care reform process (available here.) The national poll found that an overwhelming number of poll respondents believe that "side deals" between Washington decision makers and the pharmaceutical industry have "seriously compromised efforts to enact real reform of the health care system."

16 Sep 2009

Six research project grants aimed at improving human health awarded

Six research project grant awards totaling $5.1 million will be made to Washington life sciences organizations and their partners, the state’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund announced today.

16 Sep 2009

Insurance and HMO interests fighting health care reform with huge money

A campaign finance watchdog's analysis of insurance and HMO political contributions and lobbying expenses found the industries spent $126,430,438 over the first half of 2009 and $585,725,712 over the past two and a half years to influence public policy and elected officials.

16 Sep 2009

State news round-up: Insurance coverage, infection reporting, immigrant health

News outlets report on a range of state health stories including infections in New Hampshire, children's insurance in Michigan, increased insurance coverage in North Carolina, immigrant health in Texas and long-term financial planning on Florida.

16 Sep 2009

Medicare Advantage's preventive health care strategy keeps seniors out of the hospital

Seniors in Medicare Advantage spent fewer days in a hospital, were subject to fewer hospital re-admissions, and were less likely to have "potentially avoidable" admissions, for common conditions ranging from uncontrolled diabetes to dehydration, according to a new analysis of publicly available AHRQ data released today by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

16 Sep 2009

Health care reform should include protections for retiree health care benefits

The executive director of a national retiree advocacy group has called proposals for nationalized health care (HR 3200) a "back-door bailout" that would enable companies to skip out on fiscal obligations to retirees and stick the taxpayers with the bill.

16 Sep 2009

Some Senate Dems voice concerns with Baucus bill

Sen. Max Baucus' pursuit of a bipartisan health care reform bill is being met with increasing skepticism from his own party.

16 Sep 2009

Cancer Program established to treat young cancer patients

A new partnership of Providence Health & Services, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group has been developed to treat young adults with cancer, providing diagnostics and treatment for a group that nationwide falls in a gap between adult and pediatric health care.

16 Sep 2009

Public option politically charged on both sides of aisle

Alternatives to the government-run public option for health insurance are part of a long list of policy and politics considerations that officials are pondering in the run down to the final health care reform bill this week.

16 Sep 2009

Primary care shortage could worsen under reform

The shortage of primary care physicians could prove a major challenge to health reform. To make matters worse, some doctors are considering early retirement because of the high cost of practicing medicine.

16 Sep 2009

Breast cancer prevention drugs may negatively affect patients

Three drugs, including tamoxifen, reduce a woman's chance of getting breast cancer, but each drug carries distinct potential harms of its own, according to a new report from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Sep 2009

Obama's malpractice proposal falls flat for GOP and Democratic contributors

Trial lawyers have used lobbying and fundraising clout to avert malpractice reform for decades, Politico reports. "Given that their political donations went overwhelmingly to Democrats — generally, by a 3-to-1 ratio — this should be a period of respite. But it won't be, now that President Barack Obama has injected tort reform into the health care reform debate" (Cummings, 9/15).

16 Sep 2009

Youthful Aging celebrates 15th anniversary

A most unusual home health care firm is marking its 15th anniversary of helping seniors do more than they think they can do.

16 Sep 2009

President Obama urges labor support for health overhaul

The Washington Post reports that President Obama "urged the nation's largest labor federation... to get behind his proposal to overhaul the U.S. health-care system, saying that reform would help revive an economy that is still struggling with high unemployment."

16 Sep 2009

U.N. General Assembly votes to create U.N. agency for women

After three years of negotiations, the U.N. General Assembly unanimously voted on Monday "to create a new, more powerful agency for women, in a move supporters hailed as a breakthrough for women's equality and rights," Reuters reports (Worsnip, 9/14). Last week, Cuba, Egypt, Iran and Sudan "mounted a last-minute campaign to delay ratification" (Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, 9/11).

16 Sep 2009

Medicaid expansions could spell trouble for states, Democrats in Congress

Rising health costs, growing numbers of Medicaid enrollees and the possibility of a new mandate to increase the income threshold to become eligible for the program are combining to put state's governors, as well as Democrats in Congress in sometimes awkward positions.

16 Sep 2009

New poll suggests Americans believe health reform could make problems worse

USA Today reports that a new polls suggests some Americans believe President Obama's efforts to overhaul the health care system could actually make the system's problems worse.

16 Sep 2009