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Many high health costs remain mysterious, including the cost of reform

Health care's high costs are a main reason lawmakers are taking on health reform, but it's also a challenge to identify and target the many reasons care is so expensive. NPR takes a look at medical devices, like plastic tubes and scalpels, that boast surprisingly big price tags. A $2,000 dollar metal stent must be tiny and flexible, a $60 plastic catheter must bend in exactly the right way and "the market is still sorting itself out" on the appropriate price of relatively new specialty scalpels used for heart surgery (Joffe-Walt 9/4).

5 Sep 2009

Health bills would maintain COBRA, offer more help for unemployed

The health care reform bills would keep provisions from the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) that allow workers who lose their jobs to buy health insurance through their old plan, The Plain Dealer reports in answer to a reader's question. But the Cleveland paper notes that other options could also be available.

5 Sep 2009

Over 2,800 people worldwide have died from H1N1, WHO reports

The WHO on Friday announced the H1N1 (swine) flu virus has killed at least 2,837 people - the result of an continued increase in the number of H1N1 cases worldwide, not the virulence of the virus, Reuters reports. "There is no sense that the virus has mutated or changed in any sense," WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl said during a news conference (Nebehay/MacInnis, 9/4).

5 Sep 2009

Proposed Medicare cuts worry seniors and nursing homes

As Congress prepares to reconvene next week following an August recess replete with wide-ranging local discussion of how to fund health care reform, new polling finds both seniors and the public at large are strongly opposed to slashing Medicare-funded nursing home care to pay for the plan. Meanwhile, at events in Florida and Pennsylvania - states with large concentrations of Medicare beneficiaries - seniors and caregivers are urging their respective state congressional delegations to help preserve, protect and defend quality nursing home care as the legislative debate resumes Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

5 Sep 2009

Abbott is again the top-ranked health care company in BusinessWeek's "50 Best Places to Launch a Career"

For the fourth consecutive year, Abbott (NYSE: ABT) has been named one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Career" by BusinessWeek magazine. The list highlights companies that excel at offering a superior workplace for entry-level employees. This year, Abbott moved up to No. 13, and was once again the top-ranked health care company on the list. Abbott has been included on the list every year since BusinessWeek initiated the list in 2006.

5 Sep 2009

Experience of Seattle's Group Health raise questions about co-ops' role in reform

An examination of Seattle's Group Health raises questions about the role of health co-ops in insurance reform. Seattle Weekly reports: "Two weeks ago, as the national debate over health care began to fixate on cooperatives like Seattle's Group Health as a possible model for reform, Eugene and Yukiko Gatlin filed for bankruptcy protection.

5 Sep 2009

Dems divided along regional, ideological boundaries

When it comes to health care, Democrats in specific and lawmakers in general will face deep policy differences when they return to work next week.

5 Sep 2009

Toronto nurses join In Labour Day parade

Front-line registered nurses from the Toronto area will join hundreds of union members marching in the city's Labour Day parade this long weekend.

5 Sep 2009

Google searches for 'death panels' trigger new ad war

Weeks after Sarah Palin coined the term, "death panels" to refer to a proposal in the House health reform bill, the term is among those helping to generate the most active internet advertising spree ever linked to a public policy issue, the Los Angeles Times reports.

5 Sep 2009

Health Net's ECHO kit to help military families maximize the health care benefits

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), today announced its newly developed Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) kit for service members and their families in the TRICARE North Region, designed to provide user-friendly, educational information to enhance understanding of the ECHO program.

5 Sep 2009

Clear Choice Health Plans awards a five-year contract to The TriZetto Group

Clear Choice Health Plans, Inc. (OTCBB:CCHN) announced that the company and Adaptis, Inc., its business process outsourcing (BPO) vendor, have mutually agreed to terminate their business relationship and that the Company has entered into a five-year contract for BPO services with The TriZetto Group, Inc., an information technology and services company focused on the health care industry.

5 Sep 2009

Democrats consider 'trigger' option instead of immediate public plan

The White House is considering a health reform proposal that would turn to a government-run public plan only if private insurers fail to provide affordable options.

5 Sep 2009

Health care reform could affect Americans having dental and vision coverage policies

Over 132 million Americans face having their family dental and vision coverage split in two under current Congressional proposals for health care reform, according to the National Association of Dental Plans whose members cover 80 percent of Americans with dental benefits.

5 Sep 2009

Alcohol is harmful for unborn babies

Learning disabilities, mental health issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell their patients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant.

5 Sep 2009

As Dems' hopes for two GOP Senators fade, a third gets special attention

The Senate Finance Committee's so-called "gang of six" will hold a conference call Friday to continue negotiations on a possible bipartisan health care compromise, as a Sept. 15 deadline set by Democrats approaches. "But the prospects of reaching such an agreement within 11 days have fallen as politics has crept further into the debate," the Washington Times reports.

5 Sep 2009

Dems revisit tax on the wealthy to fund health care reform

Senate Democrats are revisiting proposals to raise taxes on high-income people to help pay for an overhaul of the health-care system," The Wall Street Journal reports.

5 Sep 2009

Today's state news: Medicaid challenges, high denial rates and a new plan to tax Calif. insurers

Today's state news includes Wyoming's worries about a Medicaid crunch, a surprising last minute solution to California's children health worries, the state's high insurance claims denial rates, and a windfall of stimulus grants to medical researchers in Massachusetts.

5 Sep 2009

Government favors hospitals' joint purchasing agreement proposal

The Department of Justice announced today that it will not challenge a proposal by Memorial Health Inc. (Memorial), and St. Joseph's/Candler Health System (St. Joseph's/Candler) to enter an exclusive joint purchasing agreement with respect to the purchase of certain medical and surgical supplies.

5 Sep 2009

Congressional delegation visits Zimbabwe

Five members of Congress visiting Africa this week said on Thursday that Zimbabwe's unity government can bring "hope to the people of the impoverished African country," RTTNews reports.

5 Sep 2009

Discovery of two antibodies could move AIDS vaccine development forward

Scientists from Scripps Research Institute on Thursday announced they have discovered and isolated two antibodies "with the ability to neutralize [or block the action of] many strains of the AIDS virus, a discovery that might help create a long-sought vaccine against the deadly disease," Bloomberg reports.

5 Sep 2009