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Senate Democrats meet with White House adviser to craft response to Republican criticism on health reform

Senate Democrats on Wednesday worked with senior White House adviser David Axelrod to craft a health care message focused on affordability and choice, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Werner, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/13).

14 May 2009

Health Subcommittee considers bill to eliminate pre-emption for medical devices

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Tuesday heard testimony on the Medical Device Safety Act of 2009 (HR 1346), which would allow consumers to sue medical device manufacturers in state courts, CQ HealthBeat reports.

14 May 2009

Herpes drug Acyclovir does not reduce risk of HIV transmission, does slow HIV progression, study says

The drug acyclovir, which suppresses herpes simplex virus-2, does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission when taken by HIV-positive people who also have herpes, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, United Press International reports.

14 May 2009

Vietnamese HIV/AIDS Department announces funding for prevention efforts

Vietnamese officials announced recently that about 678 billion dong, or about $38.7 million, will be allocated for HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in the country in 2009, the VNA/VietnamPlus.com reports.

14 May 2009

About 20% of surveyed sex workers who use drugs in Irish capital living with HIV, report finds

About one-fifth of commercial sex workers surveyed in Dublin, Ireland, are HIV-positive, while 78% of the surveyed group is living with hepatitis C, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, the Irish Times reports.

14 May 2009

Vigils held worldwide to protest jailing of Iranian physicians who addressed HIV/AIDS

Health professionals on Tuesday held vigils in several cities worldwide to protest the imprisonment of Iranian brothers Kamiar and Arash Alaei -- physicians and leading HIV/AIDS advocates in the country -- following the release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, the Albany Times Union reports.

14 May 2009

Many Americans support increased domestic funding to address HIV/AIDS, report says

Many Americans support increased funding to address HIV/AIDS in the U.S. according to a report released Wednesday for the National AIDS Coordinating Committee with support from the MAC AIDS Fund, Reuters Health reports.

14 May 2009

Baylor Research Institute receives multi-million dollar grant to develop flu vaccine

Scientists at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) in Dallas, part of Baylor Research Institute (BRI) and the Baylor Health Care System, announced today that they received a renewal of a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design new vaccines to prevent influenza - including swine flu (H1N1).

13 May 2009

Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic?

A survey of health care workers has revealed that as many as 85% may stay off work if an influenza pandemic did take hold of the country.

13 May 2009

Black women develop breast cancer at earlier ages, have higher mortality rates

Although black women are one-third less likely than women of other races to develop cancer, they are 30% more likely than other women to die if they are diagnosed with the disease, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the Miami Herald reports.

13 May 2009

Two New York State health agencies launch series of projects that seek to reduce racial health disparities

The Perinatal Network of Monroe County and the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency in New York state on Friday will unveil a series of 13 initiatives that aim to reduce racial health disparities, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

13 May 2009

Texas Democrats trying to pass Medicaid enrollment extension before June 1 deadline

Democrats in the Texas House on Monday called on lawmakers to prioritize consideration of a Medicaid bill (HB 1541) that would extend the enrollment period for children's coverage through the program, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports. The legislative session ends June 1.

13 May 2009

Nevada Legislative Committee reinstates Governor's proposed Medicaid cuts

A Nevada Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee has voted to reject some of the changes to the $900 million state Medicaid budget proposed by Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) and others, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports (Gines, AP/San Jose Mercury News, 5/12).

13 May 2009

Independent pharmacists raise concerns over letters from CVS Caremark indicating members must pay higher copayments at non-CVS pharmacies

An unidentified trade group representing independent pharmacies on Wednesday plans to send to Federal Trade Commission Chair Jon Leibowitz a series of letters from pharmacy benefits manager CVS Caremark that indicate the PBM charges higher copayment rates for some of its members who opt to fill their prescriptions at pharmacies other than CVS, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee weighs proposal to tax employer health benefits, other plans to pay for health reform

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday heard arguments for taxing employer-sponsored health care benefits as a means for funding a comprehensive health care overhaul, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 May 2009

House Democrats say they will introduce reform legislation August recess; Obama Administration to look into wellness programs

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-Calif.) and other House Democrats met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday, promising a health reform bill by the end of July, the AP/Examiner reports.

13 May 2009

Medicare will not cover virtual colonoscopies, CMS Says

CMS on Tuesday announced a final decision to end Medicare coverage for virtual colonoscopies, also known as CT colonographies, the Wall Street Journal reports (Yoest, Wall Street Journal, 5/13).

13 May 2009

Medicare hospital fund will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than expected, trustees say

The trust fund that Medicare uses to pay for beneficiaries' hospital care will be insolvent by 2017, as the program since last year has been paying out more than it collects in taxes and interest, in part due to the worsening economy, according to a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report issued Tuesday, the Washington Times reports.

13 May 2009

Canada 'leading contributor' to global HIV/AIDS efforts, Canadian official says

A recent column in the Victoria Times on Canada's response to HIV/AIDS, written by Times columnist Kate Heartfield, "overlook[ed] the real story here -- that Canada is dedicated to getting results" in treating and preventing HIV/AIDS in Canada and worldwide, Canadian Minister of International Cooperation Beverley Oda writes in an Ottawa Citizen opinion piece.

13 May 2009

International Nurses Day chance to improve conditions for health workers in developing countries, opinion piece says

International Nurses Day, which took place on Tuesday, was "an appropriate day ... to consider the challenges faced by health care personnel in developing countries," including those related to HIV/AIDS, Gary Cohen, board director of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the CDC Foundation, writes in a NorthJersey.com opinion piece.

13 May 2009

Health Care News and Research

Senate Democrats meet with White House adviser to craft response to Republican criticism on health reform

Health Subcommittee considers bill to eliminate pre-emption for medical devices

Herpes drug Acyclovir does not reduce risk of HIV transmission, does slow HIV progression, study says

Vietnamese HIV/AIDS Department announces funding for prevention efforts

About 20% of surveyed sex workers who use drugs in Irish capital living with HIV, report finds

Vigils held worldwide to protest jailing of Iranian physicians who addressed HIV/AIDS

Many Americans support increased domestic funding to address HIV/AIDS, report says

Baylor Research Institute receives multi-million dollar grant to develop flu vaccine

Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic?

Black women develop breast cancer at earlier ages, have higher mortality rates

Two New York State health agencies launch series of projects that seek to reduce racial health disparities

Texas Democrats trying to pass Medicaid enrollment extension before June 1 deadline

Nevada Legislative Committee reinstates Governor's proposed Medicaid cuts

Independent pharmacists raise concerns over letters from CVS Caremark indicating members must pay higher copayments at non-CVS pharmacies

Senate Finance Committee weighs proposal to tax employer health benefits, other plans to pay for health reform

House Democrats say they will introduce reform legislation August recess; Obama Administration to look into wellness programs

Medicare will not cover virtual colonoscopies, CMS Says

Medicare hospital fund will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than expected, trustees say

Canada 'leading contributor' to global HIV/AIDS efforts, Canadian official says

International Nurses Day chance to improve conditions for health workers in developing countries, opinion piece says

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