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General Motors, United Auto Workers nearing deal to use company stock for half of VEBA obligation, sources say

General Motors and the United Auto Workers are close to finalizing a deal that would reduce the automaker's cash obligation to a retiree health care trust fund, according to people with knowledge of the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports.

15 May 2009

Pfizer to give away 70 of its most widely prescribed drugs to those who lost jobs

Pfizer on Thursday announced a new program that would provide some of its existing customers access to more than 70 types of medications at no cost if they have recently been laid off or lost their prescription drug coverage, USA Today reports. The program -- called MAINTAIN, or Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need -- will begin July 1.

15 May 2009

House, Senate Committees approve bills that include influenza pandemic funds

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a $91.3 billion defense and foreign aid spending bill that includes President Obama's request for $1.5 billion in emergency funds to fight a potential influenza pandemic, the AP/Winston-Salem Journal reports.

15 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee holds second closed-door meeting on health care reform; details of House Energy and Commerce Committee overhaul plan leaked

The Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday both worked on health care proposals aimed at overhauling the U.S. health care system, CQ Today reports.

15 May 2009

Obama campaign contributors being asked to donate to effort supporting health care reform

The Washington Times on Friday examined how President Obama's "former campaign apparatus is cranking up a full-tilt drive for passage of a health care overhaul this year" by "tapping his 13-million-strong e-mail list" for financial contributions to fund advertising efforts, hire staff and open election-style offices.

15 May 2009

Industry groups say White House overstated pledge to reduce health spending growth

Groups representing hospitals and insurers on Thursday said that President Obama considerably overstated their pledge to rein in health care spending, the New York Times reports.

15 May 2009

Sexual violence aimed at girls, women in Swaziland linked to high HIV/AIDS risk, other health issues

A new report commissioned by UNICEF and CDC and recently published in the journal Lancet found that one in three girls in Swaziland has experienced sexual violence by age 18, which can lead to serious health issues such as HIV, IRIN/PlusNews reports.

15 May 2009

Public hearing examines issues faced by children in Thailand, including HIV/AIDS, lack of sex education

Thailand's Office of Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable People earlier this week held a public hearing to discuss various risks facing the country's children, including HIV/AIDS, Thailand's The Nation reports. The office plans to present a draft report on the state of child rights in the country.

15 May 2009

Lambda Legal files suit against assisted-living facility for allegedly discriminating against HIV-positive resident

Lambda Legal, a group that represents HIV-positive people, on Tuesday filed a law suit against the Fox Ridge assisted-living facility in North Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly evicting a resident because he is HIV-positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

15 May 2009

New Jersey Senator proposes plan to avert HIV/AIDS drug copayments

New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D) -- chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee -- earlier this week proposed a plan to temporarily reduce rebate checks to senior citizens earning $100,000 to $150,000 in an effort to alleviate the effects of possible budget cuts on certain populations, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Vitale's proposal also would avert planned $6 to $15 prescription drug copayments for people living with HIV/AIDS in the state (Livio, Newark Star-Ledger, 5/12).

15 May 2009

PIH founder Farmer discussing possible appointment to coordinate U.S. global health initiatives, Boston Globe reports

Paul Farmer -- founder of Partners in Health and vice chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School -- said he is in discussions with the State Department about a possible Obama administration appointment to coordinate U.S. global health initiatives, the Boston Globe reports. Farmer made the announcement Monday during a meeting with HMS faculty.

15 May 2009

Obama names New York City Health Commissioner Frieden next CDC Director, New York Times reports

President Obama on Friday named New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden as the next CDC director, the New York Times reports. It has long been expected that Obama would select Frieden, an infectious disease specialist, according to the Times.

15 May 2009

Common gene variation explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School and the University of Bristol, using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Exeter Family Study of Childhood Health, have identified a common genetic variant that explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy.

15 May 2009

Don't punish people for just staying alive!

Among all the mixed messages on retirement flowing from the budget, the biggest policy development is the decision to extend the working age for Australians to 67. Without doubt, this change will be the enduring legacy of this budget, certainly for future retirees, and for the country as a whole.

14 May 2009

Urgent Care Centers: Between the ER and the family doctor

Urgent care centers (UCCs) are providing an alternative to emergency room treatment. A study published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research has shown that UCCs tend to be open well outside of office hours and offer a wider range of services than primary care offices.

14 May 2009

California ballot measures would have negative effect on health care access for children, immigrants, minority advocacy groups say

A coalition of ethnic minority advocacy groups has raised concerns that two of six budget-related propositions on the May 19 special election ballot would negatively affect minorities' health, New America Media reports.

14 May 2009

Editorial says, Obama is “right to push for health care reform”

President Obama is "right to push for [health care] reform now, despite calls to postpone efforts solely on the economic recovery," a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial states.

14 May 2009

Missouri Legislature passes bills that impose levies on health care providers to generate additional Federal Medicaid funding

Missouri lawmakers have approved two bills (HB 740 and SB 307) that extend or create health care provider taxes or certification fees as part of an effort to draw in more federal Medicaid matching dollars, the AP/Ann Arbor News reports.

14 May 2009

Prescription drug use dropped in 2008, though spending increased, Medco Research indicates

Use of prescription drugs in the U.S. declined in 2008 -- the first such decrease in a decade -- but total spending on such treatments increased by 3.3%, according to a report released on Wednesday by Medco Health Solutions, the AP/Washington Post reports.

14 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee to discuss public plan options; House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses state, regional plans

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday will meet to discuss the inclusion of a public insurance plan in its health care reform legislation, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/14). Supporters of the public plan say it would allow middle-income workers a choice between their employer coverage and coverage offered by the government. The insurance industry and Republican lawmakers oppose such a plan.

14 May 2009

Health Care News and Research

General Motors, United Auto Workers nearing deal to use company stock for half of VEBA obligation, sources say

Pfizer to give away 70 of its most widely prescribed drugs to those who lost jobs

House, Senate Committees approve bills that include influenza pandemic funds

Senate Finance Committee holds second closed-door meeting on health care reform; details of House Energy and Commerce Committee overhaul plan leaked

Obama campaign contributors being asked to donate to effort supporting health care reform

Industry groups say White House overstated pledge to reduce health spending growth

Sexual violence aimed at girls, women in Swaziland linked to high HIV/AIDS risk, other health issues

Public hearing examines issues faced by children in Thailand, including HIV/AIDS, lack of sex education

Lambda Legal files suit against assisted-living facility for allegedly discriminating against HIV-positive resident

New Jersey Senator proposes plan to avert HIV/AIDS drug copayments

PIH founder Farmer discussing possible appointment to coordinate U.S. global health initiatives, Boston Globe reports

Obama names New York City Health Commissioner Frieden next CDC Director, New York Times reports

Common gene variation explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy

Don't punish people for just staying alive!

Urgent Care Centers: Between the ER and the family doctor

California ballot measures would have negative effect on health care access for children, immigrants, minority advocacy groups say

Editorial says, Obama is “right to push for health care reform”

Missouri Legislature passes bills that impose levies on health care providers to generate additional Federal Medicaid funding

Prescription drug use dropped in 2008, though spending increased, Medco Research indicates

Senate Finance Committee to discuss public plan options; House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses state, regional plans

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

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How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Single-cell proteomics: Revealing proteome diversity from cellular heterogeneity to non-canonical biology

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