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Obesity leads to more doctor visits than smoking

Statistics show that today, almost one in four Canadians is obese. A deadly trend that has been on the rise for the last thirty years, obesity is associated with diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But is the obesity epidemic putting more pressure on an already strained Canadian health care system?

17 Jul 2012

Roundup: Some troubled N.Y. hospitals don't carry malpractice insurance; Lobbying may dilute Mass. health care cost bill

Several of the city's most troubled hospitals are partially or completely uninsured for malpractice, state records show, forgoing what is considered a standard safeguard across the country.

17 Jul 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis patients take-up cancer screening

Insurance records for rheumatoid arthritis patients in the USA indicate that patients are receiving their recommended cervical, breast, and colon cancer screening tests.

16 Jul 2012

Research reveals how metformin reduces HCC risk

For every year that a patient with diabetes takes metformin, their risk for hepatocellular carcinoma reduces, say the authors of a study that also sheds light on the cellular pathway it uses.

16 Jul 2012

UnitedHealthcare to host educational seminars at Jersey City Medical Center

UnitedHealthcare will host a series of educational seminars at the Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, N.J., to help baby boomers and other Medicare beneficiaries learn more about the Medicare program so they can make confident health care coverage choices.

16 Jul 2012

Uninsured U.S. women more likely to struggle with medical bills and go without needed care

Twenty percent of U.S. women (18.7 million) ages 19-64 were uninsured in 2010, up from 15 percent (12.8 million) in 2000, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report on women's health care. An additional 16.7 million women were underinsured in 2010, compared with 10.3 million in 2003.

16 Jul 2012

Governors' concerns continue to surface about health law's Medicaid expansion

Though much of the dust-up following the Supreme Court's Medicaid decision has come from Republican governors vowing to opt out of the expansion, news outlets report that some Democratic governors also have concerns. Meanwhile, Kentucky became the 13th state to say it would set up its own online insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses could shop for coverage beginning in 2014.

14 Jul 2012

Roundup: Stark price differences at Calif. hospitals; Mass. health law framers helping other states

The typical patient in the San Mateo area was charged nearly $48,000 for a Cesarean birth in 2010 while the average charge in Fresno was less than $13,000, according to a report published Thursday by the California Public Interest Research Group's Education Fund, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization.

14 Jul 2012

Bioethicists discuss personal experiences with cancer in new book

"Since my diagnosis, I had been immersed in a crash course in real-world medical ethics," writes Rebecca Dresser, editor of Malignant: Medical Ethicists Confront Cancer, published by Oxford University Press. She and five other bioethicists discuss their personal experiences with cancer or caring for loved ones with the disease, with lessons for doctors and nurses, patients, and caregivers.

14 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Wis. Gov. calls Obamacare 'bad policy;' 'Do the math' before deciding on Medicaid expansion

Since the Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health-care mandate, there has been exhaustive discussion about the philosophical basis of this federal law. As Election Day approaches, debate will surely grow about the proper role of our federal government. But while much attention has focused on Congress's intention to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act, too few are studying the law's practical impact.

14 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Rick Perry says Obama is selling a 'broken' Medicaid system; House GOP assailed for 'foolish' repeat of repeal vote

Not so meaningless, however, are recent decisions of several states to resist what ought to be some of the less controversial aspects of ObamaCare. They're refusing to set up easy-to-use exchanges that would help residents make insurance choices. And they're turning down a Medicaid expansion, which will deny insurance to millions who can't afford coverage and shift the cost of their care to people who have it (7/11).

13 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 13, 2012

Today's headlines reflect continuing coverage of how the nation's governors are handling the high court's decision allowing states to opt out of the health law's Medicaid expansion.

13 Jul 2012

Study: Despite popular theory, Medicaid patients visit ER mostly for emergencies

Medicaid patients may not overuse the emergency room for routine care, despite popular notion, a new study has found.

13 Jul 2012

State roundup: Bankrupt Calif. city's retirees sue

A group of Stockton retirees has filed suit in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento asking for a restraining order against the city's moves to cut their health benefits. The city informed retirees by letter that they must pay their premiums by July 30 or "medical coverage will be canceled retroactive to July 1."

13 Jul 2012

Republican-led House votes (again) to repeal health law

The repeal effort is a means for Republican leaders to rev up voters before November's elections. Five Democrats also voted with the majority. As with previous efforts, however, the measure is expected to languish in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

13 Jul 2012

Governors continue to mull, question Medicaid expansion

In the weeks since the Supreme Court ruling, several Republican governors opposed to the law have declared that they will opt out of its Medicaid expansion, which is set to take effect in 2014 and would cover those earning 133 percent or less of the federal poverty level.

13 Jul 2012

Nutrisystem announces debut of enhanced weight management plan for people with diabetes

Nutrisystem, a leading provider of weight management products and services, today announced the debut of its enhanced weight management plan for people with diabetes, Nutrisystem D.

12 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 12, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with The Philadelphia Inquirer, reports: Penn is one of a small, but growing number of hospitals taking their advertising campaigns to Facebook, Google and other websites. Fewer than 150 of the nation's 6,000 hospitals use Google and Facebook to market services, estimates Rob Grant, executive vice president of eVariant, a Simsbury, Ct.-based hospital consulting firm.

12 Jul 2012

Minn. Governor's letters detail plans to implement health law, exchange

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton sent letters to HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius and Republican leaders in his state Tuesday saying that he is moving forward with implementing the health law -- including the formation of a health insurance exchange -- even though GOP leaders there are in a holding pattern.

12 Jul 2012

Obama to make federal health insurance available to seasonal firefighters

The directive to make federal health insurance coverage available to these seasonal employees follows a two-month electronic petition drive.

12 Jul 2012

Health Insurance News and Research

Obesity leads to more doctor visits than smoking

Roundup: Some troubled N.Y. hospitals don't carry malpractice insurance; Lobbying may dilute Mass. health care cost bill

Rheumatoid arthritis patients take-up cancer screening

Research reveals how metformin reduces HCC risk

UnitedHealthcare to host educational seminars at Jersey City Medical Center

Uninsured U.S. women more likely to struggle with medical bills and go without needed care

Governors' concerns continue to surface about health law's Medicaid expansion

Roundup: Stark price differences at Calif. hospitals; Mass. health law framers helping other states

Bioethicists discuss personal experiences with cancer in new book

Viewpoints: Wis. Gov. calls Obamacare 'bad policy;' 'Do the math' before deciding on Medicaid expansion

Viewpoints: Rick Perry says Obama is selling a 'broken' Medicaid system; House GOP assailed for 'foolish' repeat of repeal vote

First Edition: July 13, 2012

Study: Despite popular theory, Medicaid patients visit ER mostly for emergencies

State roundup: Bankrupt Calif. city's retirees sue

Republican-led House votes (again) to repeal health law

Governors continue to mull, question Medicaid expansion

Nutrisystem announces debut of enhanced weight management plan for people with diabetes

First Edition: July 12, 2012

Minn. Governor's letters detail plans to implement health law, exchange

Obama to make federal health insurance available to seasonal firefighters

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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