Medical Legislation News and Research

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Rep. Ryan proposes plan to reduce entitlement spending, revise health care system

A "growing, bipartisan consensus" exists among lawmakers about the "greatest threat to our nation's long-term economic prosperity: the explosion of entitlement spending," which "Washington is not planning to address ... this week, or any time soon," effectively "shackling our future with unsustainable debt and taxes," Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a member of the House Budget Committee, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

21 May 2008

Veteran group to present proposals for advance funds for health care in department of Veterans Affairs budget

Disabled American Veterans on Wednesday at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing plans to present a proposal under which lawmakers would approve funds for health care in the Department of Veterans Affairs budget one year in advance, The Hill reports.

21 May 2008

Congress should 'resolve' issues preventing consideration of PEPFAR reauthorization legislation, editorial says

Although it is a "bit risky to herald progress during a global pandemic when infections of a disease such as AIDS still seem to multiply by the millions," the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief gives the U.S. a "record that is worth celebrating, if only to show others around the world what's possible," a Wilmington News Journal editorial says.

21 May 2008

Teenage blood donors have greater risk of donation-related complications

Sixteen- and 17-year olds who donate blood are significantly more likely to experience donation-related complications such as fainting and bruising than older blood donors, according to a study in the May 21 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

21 May 2008

Babies born preterm more than twice as likely to have major birth defects as full-term infants

Preterm birth, live birth before 37 completed weeks gestation, is a growing national health crisis, according to the March of Dimes. More than a half million babies are born too soon each year, and the rate continues to rise. Birth defects and preterm birth are the leading causes of infant death.

21 May 2008

Some specialty hospitals would benefit from amendment in supplemental war appropriations bill

Several physician-owned specialty hospitals in the states of four Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats would benefit from an amendment to a supplemental war appropriations bill (HR 2642) that would allow the facilities to continue participating in Medicare and Medicaid, CQ Today reports.

20 May 2008

PEPFAR reauthorization legislation should make HIV/AIDS treatment 'priority,' letter to editor says

"When it comes to AIDS, treatment is prevention," Republican Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) write in a Washington Post letter to the editor in response to a recent opinion piece by columnist Michael Gerson.

20 May 2008

CQ's Carey looks at Bush Administration SCHIP directive, privacy protections in health IT bill, request for increased FDA funding

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses testimony by Government Accountability Office officials about SCHIP expansion guidelines, compromise on a Senate health information technology bill and a request for increased funding from FDA's top official in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

19 May 2008

Industry group letter indicates qualified aupport for bill to allow approval of generic biotechnology medications

The Biotechnology Industry Organization has issued a letter to Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) to indicate qualified support for a bill (HR 5629) that they have introduced to allow FDA to approve generic biotech medications, CQ HealthBeat reports (McCarthy, CQ HealthBeat, 5/16).

19 May 2008

Bush Administration should 'rethink' immigration detention policies, editorial states

The "skyrocketing rate" of immigrants to the U.S. who are held in detention centers "is the result of an administration policy decision" to detain "all those who may be subject to deportation" and has led to "serious concerns about its ability to provide adequate care to this growing population because of staff shortages and budget shortfalls that inevitably lead to neglect or errors," a Washington Post editorial states.

19 May 2008

National Community Pharmacists Association to launch ad campaign to lobby lawmakers for policy changes

The National Community Pharmacists Association this week plans to launch a new advertising campaign that asks lawmakers to address two policies that the group maintains has or will result in closures of community pharmacies, CongressDaily reports. As part of the launch of the campaign, about 500 community pharmacists and independent pharmacy owners will visit Washington, D.C.

19 May 2008

Senate leaders agree on privacy protections amendment to health care information technology bill

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday announced that sponsors of a bill (HR 1693) that would promote the use of health care information technology have agreed to include an amendment Leahy proposed to help protect patient privacy, CQ HealthBeat reports. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) introduced the legislation last October.

19 May 2008

Two California health insurers agree to reinstate coverage for 1,200 people whose policies were rescinded after incurring high medical bills

California health insurers Kaiser Permanente and Health Net on Thursday agreed to reinstate coverage to about 1,200 individuals whose policies were improperly rescinded, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

19 May 2008

Michigan Judge rules against Blue Cross Blue Shield rate hikes, cites large surplus

A Michigan administrative law judge on Wednesday ruled that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan would not be justified in increasing premiums by 24% to 42% for individual health insurance plans, the Detroit Free Press reports.

19 May 2008

House Committee holds hearing on concerns about nursing home ownership, inspections

The House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Thursday held a hearing to examine the effects that the "increasingly veiled nature" of nursing home ownership and problems with inspections have had on the quality of care for elderly and disabled residents, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).

19 May 2008

Despondent nurse practitioners - disabling postmodern punishment

The essence of postmodernism theme is that of an epochal shift, discontinuity, or rupture with modernity, bringing new social conditions and sociological principles with it (Baudrillard, 1988). Postmodernism views that the authority and status of the medical professionals does not exist anymore in the area of health care consistent with the postmodern message about the deconstruction of traditional centers of postindustrial authority (Cockerham et.al, 1997).

19 May 2008

Asbestos-induced lung cancer patients do not appear to benefit from chemotherapy

Adding chemotherapy to established methods of symptom management does not appear to enhance the quality of life or survival of patients suffering from an asbestos-induced form of lung cancer called malignant plural mesothelioma (MPM). These are the results of MS01, a large UK and Australian study published in the Lancet, which set out to assess the potential benefits of combining active symptom control (ASC) with chemotherapy.

18 May 2008

Medical Legislation News and Research

Rep. Ryan proposes plan to reduce entitlement spending, revise health care system

Veteran group to present proposals for advance funds for health care in department of Veterans Affairs budget

Congress should 'resolve' issues preventing consideration of PEPFAR reauthorization legislation, editorial says

Teenage blood donors have greater risk of donation-related complications

Babies born preterm more than twice as likely to have major birth defects as full-term infants

Some specialty hospitals would benefit from amendment in supplemental war appropriations bill

PEPFAR reauthorization legislation should make HIV/AIDS treatment 'priority,' letter to editor says

CQ's Carey looks at Bush Administration SCHIP directive, privacy protections in health IT bill, request for increased FDA funding

Industry group letter indicates qualified aupport for bill to allow approval of generic biotechnology medications

Bush Administration should 'rethink' immigration detention policies, editorial states

National Community Pharmacists Association to launch ad campaign to lobby lawmakers for policy changes

Senate leaders agree on privacy protections amendment to health care information technology bill

Two California health insurers agree to reinstate coverage for 1,200 people whose policies were rescinded after incurring high medical bills

Michigan Judge rules against Blue Cross Blue Shield rate hikes, cites large surplus

House Committee holds hearing on concerns about nursing home ownership, inspections

Despondent nurse practitioners - disabling postmodern punishment

Asbestos-induced lung cancer patients do not appear to benefit from chemotherapy

New report details cancer prevention efforts

Three quarters of child car deaths could have been prevented in Australia

Just what is a binge drinker and how to get through to them

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