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PA. Gov. Corbett expected to announce Medicaid expansion plan today; issue also contentious in VA. governor's race

Corbett, a Republican, is reportedly likely to call for a hybrid program similar to what Arkansas is doing. In Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe's vows to expand the program for low-income people could hold the state's budget hostage, Republicans argue.

17 Sep 2013

State highlights: Analysis finds no imminent patient danger before Texas abortion law; N.M. fraud investigation disrupts mental health care

In their successful push this summer for strict new regulations on abortion facilities and the doctors performing them, proponents said the legislation was needed because conditions at existing facilities made it unsafe for women seeking to terminate pregnancies. But a Texas Tribune review of state inspection records for 36 abortion clinics from the year preceding the lawmakers' vote turned up little evidence to suggest that the facilities were putting patients in imminent danger.

17 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 16, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about new polling indicating that the health law still faces an uphill climb.

16 Sep 2013

Inovalon's advanced healthcare data analytics to leverage Allscripts EHR platform

Inovalon, Inc., a leading provider of data-driven healthcare solutions, today announced that Allscripts and Inovalon have entered into a multi-year agreement that enables Inovalon's advanced healthcare data analytics for payers to leverage Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) Platform to improve clinical and quality outcomes and financial performance.

12 Sep 2013

Undervaccination results in increased risk for whooping cough in young children

Undervaccination – not receiving all recommended vaccinations or not being vaccinated according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices schedule – results in an increased risk for whooping cough in children 3 to 36 months of age, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.

12 Sep 2013

Undervaccination with diptheria increases risk of whooping cough

Undervaccination with the diptheria, tetanus toxoids and acelluar pertussis (DTaP) vaccine appears to be associated with an increased risk of pertussis (whooping cough) in children 3 to 36 months of age, according to a study by Jason M. Glanz, Ph.D., of the Institute for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver.

10 Sep 2013

SPCB launches feasibility study for Certified Specialty Pharmacy Technician designation

The Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board (SPCB) announced plans to launch a feasibility study for a Certified Specialty Pharmacy Technician™ (CSPT™) designation.

31 Aug 2013

Nutritional supplements provided to inpatients linked with reductions in length of stay, hospitalization cost

A recent health economics and outcomes study, conducted by leading health economists and supported by Abbott, found that oral nutritional supplements provided to patients during hospitalization were associated with significant reductions in length of stay and hospitalization cost.

31 Aug 2013

State highlights: Calif. dems propose alternative prison care plan; N.Y. extends managed care to cut Medicaid costs; Ga. Medicaid rolls at new high

Democratic leaders of the state Senate on Wednesday proposed an extra $200 million annually for rehabilitation, drug and mental health treatment as an alternative to Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for reducing prison crowding (McGreevy, 8/28).

30 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 29, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about ongoing fiscal fights surrounding efforts to raise the nation's debt limit and to defund the health law. Also, the White House enlists former President Bill Clinton to help spread the word about the overhaul.

29 Aug 2013

Research roundup: Moving kids onto Medicaid; competitive markets

Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

26 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Republican patient takes GOP health message to task; the deadlines the administration has missed

In recent months, President Obama and his subordinates have waived or delayed a number of Obamacare's notable features, such as the law's employer mandate, and its procedures for protecting taxpayers from fraud and identity theft.

21 Aug 2013

State health insurance marketplaces progress with fits and starts

The Washington Post reports on tools that will be available to residents in D.C., Maryland and Virginia to help them get up to speed on the health law, and The Associated Press details how some insurers are opening retail stores to help educate potential consumers about the health law. Other news outlets report on the latest developments in Georgia, Oregon, California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Minnesota.

13 Aug 2013

First Edition: Aug. 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about state action on the health law's implementation and other news from the health insurance marketplace.

12 Aug 2013

State highlights: Wis. AG says hospitals can't deny admitting privileges to abortion docs

Plans by three Catholic hospital systems in Wisconsin to deny admitting privileges to doctors who perform abortions would "be in active violation of federal law," state Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen's Department of Justice said in a court filing last week. Federal law "provides that hospitals accepting federal funds may not discriminate against a physician because that physician has participated in or refused to participate in abortions," the state Justice Department said in its filing in federal court (Ahmed, 8/7).

8 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Obamacare isn't a 'job-killing' law; hometown insurer Aetna pulls out of Conn. exchange

The share of part-time jobs rose sharply during the recession, as it always does - employers always cut workers' hours in downturns. Here's the question: Has this share continued to grow as we approach the start of the ACA's employer mandate, which was recently pushed back a year to 2015? The answer is no. Part-time workers represent 19.0 percent of total employment - below the post-recession peak of 20.0 percent and exactly the same as a year ago (Jared Bernstein and Paul Van de Water, 8/6).

8 Aug 2013

State highlights: Psychiatric care worries as Brooklyn hospitals close; working parents could lose Medicaid in Fla.; new phase of Calif. healthy families transition concerns some

A selection of health policy stories from New York, Florida, California and Oregon.

3 Aug 2013

Aetna's profits rise after managed care plan purchase

The insurer's second quarter earnings increased 17 percent as it reaped enrollment and revenue gains from its acquisition of the managed health care company Coventry Health Care Inc.

1 Aug 2013

Triple-S Management reports consolidated revenues of $599.8 million for Q2 2013

Triple-S Management Corporation, the leading managed care company in Puerto Rico, today announced consolidated revenues of $599.8 million and consolidated operating income of $16.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013.

31 Jul 2013

SASB releases first set of provisional standards for industries in Health Care sector

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sustainability accounting standards for use by publicly listed corporations in the U.S., today released its first set of provisional standards for industries in the Health Care sector.