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First Edition: June 14, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how the pending Supreme Court decision is being viewed by investors, and the latest from the campaign trail.

14 Jun 2012

Insurers, politicians girding for Supreme Court health law decision

Insurance company executives tell news outlets they support the mandate to buy insurance or pay a fine, as Republicans try to refine their post-SCOTUS decision strategy.

14 Jun 2012

Tooth scaling reduces CV disease risk

Taiwanese study results show that undergoing tooth scaling significantly reduces the risk for future myocardial infarction, stroke, and total cardiovascular events.

14 Jun 2012

Health care costs to reach nearly one-fifth of GDP by 2021

New health care cost projections released Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicate that the nation's health care spending will keep outpacing economic growth despite a recent slowdown.

14 Jun 2012

Iowa Gov. wants state workers to pay for part of health care

This pair of stories from the Des Moines Register, based on a meeting with Gov. Terry Branstad, details Branstad's plans for state employees' health benefits and efforts to develop a state alternative to the health law.

14 Jun 2012

Romney sees 'consumer' health care in the post-health law landscape

As the country awaits the health law decision and President Barack Obama appears to be playing down campaign talk about the health law, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney took the opposite approach by offering his vision of health care in America when the law is undone.

14 Jun 2012

R.I. lawmakers pass federal health care law compliance bill

Rhode Island and Connecticut moved forward on implementing the health law: Lawmakers in Providence approved legislation to bring state health insurance laws in line with the federal health care law. In Connecticut, the health insurance exchange board added a member.

14 Jun 2012

Study finds increase in inpatient medical procedures after Mass. health reform implementation

Researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health (BUSM, BUSPH), along with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, have found inpatient medical procedures increased more among non-elderly, lower- and medium- income populations, Hispanics and whites, after health care reform went into effect in Massachusetts.

14 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Puzzling slowdown in health spending; Court decision could help end businesses' fears about health law

Economists will debate the causes of the great slowdown in health-care spending that's now underway for a long time to come. ... And last year, preliminary government estimates released Tuesday showed, health care spending once again grew at just a 3.9 percent rate.

14 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 13, 2012

Today's headlines feature reports about new government projections for the nation's health care spending and the latest from the campaign trail.

13 Jun 2012

CMS predicts modest health spending growth, then acceleration

The nation's been enjoying a respite from rising health care costs, but government experts say don't look for it to last. Health care spending will grow faster than the economy for the foreseeable future, says a report Tuesday from Medicare's nonpartisan economic analysts. ... By 2021, health care spending will be growing roughly 2 percentage points faster than the overall economy, about the same rate as the last 30 years.

13 Jun 2012

Obama administration warns about what's at stake in health law decision

Federal officials and health policy experts forecast what the future might hold if the Supreme Court overturns, or upholds the health law. Also, surveys highlight how employers plan to react to the decision, and how the law might help stabilize certain aspects of the insurance market.

13 Jun 2012

Think tank calls for new federal office to simplify health insurance administration

Health insurers, however, raise concerns and suggest other parts of health economy must also be considered.

13 Jun 2012

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

New York lawmakers unanimously approved legislation Monday that will require doctors to issue drug prescriptions electronically within three years, meanwhile establishing tighter restrictions on painkillers and other addictive drugs on the state list of controlled substances.

13 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Praise for insurers' move to keep consumer protections; Supreme Court's reputation falters

UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation's largest health insurers, announced this week that it would keep some of the popular benefits and consumer protections required by the federal health care law even if the Supreme Court strikes down all or part of it. ... But such voluntary actions are not a substitute for the broader mandatory reforms that will take effect after 2014 under the law.

13 Jun 2012

Insurers propose rate hikes for Calif. small businesses; New survey finds interest in expanding small biz coverage

Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California propose raising health insurance rates up to 24 percent. Meanwhile, the poll finds that one in three small businesses now offer health coverage and 44 percent said they would likely do it if an insurance exchange opens.

13 Jun 2012

Organized rallies around U.S. decry contraception coverage mandate

More than 100 organized rallies in states around the nation this weekend decried the Obama administration decision to require insurers and employers to cover contraception in their health plans as an attack on their religious freedom.

12 Jun 2012

Consequences of female genital mutilation could be reduced by reconstructive surgery

Reconstructive surgery after female genital mutilation (FGM) appears to reduce pain and restore sexual pleasure in women, according to the first large prospective trial to assess long-term outcomes of a new surgical technique published Online First in The Lancet. Over the past 10 years, between 130 and 140 million women worldwide have been subject to FGM.

12 Jun 2012

Health exchange progress pending in some states ... along with court decision

Meanwhile, implementation issues related to health exchanges, such as the importance of a state's insurance market, are emerging. Also, a model for exchange development has been unveiled.

12 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Hoping that 'Gang of Six' will cut fiscal deal; Sen. Alexander links health law and college tuition increases

The public has a famously low opinion of Congress, even though people tend to hold a less disparaging view of their own representatives. The last two years have been especially tough on the institution's reputation, a response to the body's relentless brinkmanship and paralyzing partisanship in the face of a slow economy. So it is with some trepidation that I throw out a little love for a handful of senators still seeking bipartisan agreement on a plan to bring the federal government back to fiscal responsibility.

11 Jun 2012

Health Insurance News and Research

First Edition: June 14, 2012

Insurers, politicians girding for Supreme Court health law decision

Tooth scaling reduces CV disease risk

Health care costs to reach nearly one-fifth of GDP by 2021

Iowa Gov. wants state workers to pay for part of health care

Romney sees 'consumer' health care in the post-health law landscape

R.I. lawmakers pass federal health care law compliance bill

Study finds increase in inpatient medical procedures after Mass. health reform implementation

Viewpoints: Puzzling slowdown in health spending; Court decision could help end businesses' fears about health law

First Edition: June 13, 2012

CMS predicts modest health spending growth, then acceleration

Obama administration warns about what's at stake in health law decision

Think tank calls for new federal office to simplify health insurance administration

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

Viewpoints: Praise for insurers' move to keep consumer protections; Supreme Court's reputation falters

Insurers propose rate hikes for Calif. small businesses; New survey finds interest in expanding small biz coverage

Organized rallies around U.S. decry contraception coverage mandate

Consequences of female genital mutilation could be reduced by reconstructive surgery

Health exchange progress pending in some states ... along with court decision

Viewpoints: Hoping that 'Gang of Six' will cut fiscal deal; Sen. Alexander links health law and college tuition increases

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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