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Legislatures push health care changes in disabled, immigrant care, medical boards

State lawmakers grapple with health care issues including establishing a new monitor for disabled care in New York, avoiding cuts for undocumented immigrant care in D.C. and a Massachusetts revamp of the state medical board.

18 May 2012

Obama administration announces Nov. 16 deadline for state proposals on health exchanges

The Department for Health and Human Services released guidelines detailing the requirements states must meet in their proposals if they want to gain federal approval to operate these insurance markets.

18 May 2012

Conservative group makes major ad buy to charge President Obama with using the health law to raise taxes

News outlets report on the details of the ad campaign, which is being paid for by Crossroads GPS -- and also provide fact checking regarding some of its assertions.

18 May 2012

D.C. abortion bill to get hearing; Mo. considers allowing employers to opt-out of contraception coverage mandate

The House is considering a bill that would ban abortions in the District of Columbia after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Elsewhere, Missouri lawmakers consider allowing businesses to opt-out of a federal mandate to cover contraception in their health plans and another Catholic university -- this one in Florida -- considers dumping its health plan instead of complying with the mandate.

18 May 2012

Study: No racial and ethnic disparities in preoperative breast cancer imaging

If racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer exist, they are not due to differences in the use of imaging to assess the extent of tumors before surgery, according to new findings that will be presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Monday, June 4.

18 May 2012

Some states receive more than $181M in grants to help implement new health care law

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Washington will receive more than $181 million in grants to help implement the new health care law. The grants will help states establish Affordable Insurance Exchanges.

17 May 2012

First Edition: May 17, 2012

Today's headlines includes reports about the deadline set by the federal government regarding the creation of state-based health insurance exchanges.

17 May 2012

MedWorks and its partners to offer two days of free cancer screenings

On Saturday, June 2, and Sunday, June 3, 2012, MedWorks, its partners The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and the Cleveland Clinic-Taussig Cancer Center, and volunteers will provide two days of free cancer screenings at a MedWorks clinic held at The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, 12201 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.

17 May 2012

For a family of 4, health care costs can top $20,000

A study by the benefits consultant group Milliman notes the average annual health care costs for a family of four are $20,728 -- a 7 percent increase from last year.

17 May 2012

Contraception coverage rule ripples through college campuses

A fight over allowing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- a key player in creating a mandate to force student health plans to cover contraception -- to speak at Georgetown's graduation continues. In the meantime, a Catholic university in Ohio is ending its student health insurance plan instead of complying with the mandate.

17 May 2012

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

When I was governor of Tennessee in the early 1980s, I traveled to meet with President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office and offer that Grand Swap: Medicaid for K-12 education. The federal government would take over 100% of Medicaid, the federal health-care program mainly for low-income Americans, and states would assume all responsibility for the nation's 100,000 public schools. Reagan liked the idea, but it went nowhere.

17 May 2012

La. panel kills health exchange plan; Kansas enacts another abortion hurdle; Utah official resigns after medical records breach

With a decisive 8-1 vote late Tuesday evening, the Louisiana Senate Finance Committee buried a bill that would have set up a body of elected and appointed officials to craft the exchanges that are an anchor of President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul. With the death of Senate Bill 744, Louisiana remains one of a handful of states that have refused to set up their own exchanges, with Gov. Bobby Jindal punting the job back to federal government that he accuses of taking over the American health care system

17 May 2012

Minn. hospital workers weigh strike

Unionized workers at eight Twin Cities hospitals -- including nursing assistants, food service employees and other support staff -- are taking a vote on whether to strike over management's contract offer.

16 May 2012

Trend among businesses to offer health benefits to same-sex couples leaves federal policy behind

Although President Barack Obama's pronouncement last week in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage does not reverse current federal policy which denies health benefits to domestic partners, some advocates hope it will be a "morale boost." And many employers already offer such benefits to attract and retain top workers.

16 May 2012

New guidelines require insurers to credit health law when issuing consumer rebates

The rule, which was finalized Friday, will result in an estimated $1.3 billion in rebates for nearly 16 million Americans.

15 May 2012

Viewpoints: Approving drugs quickly; Berwick: In health care, cheaper can mean better; Health costs 'persistent' concern

For about 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has charged pharmaceutical companies "user fees" for reviewing drug-approval applications. The revenue allows the FDA to hire more evaluators, which allows useful drugs to reach patients faster. Now the Prescription Drug User Fee Act needs reauthorization, as it does every five years. Legislators should not dillydally.

15 May 2012

Health Insurance News and Research

Legislatures push health care changes in disabled, immigrant care, medical boards

Obama administration announces Nov. 16 deadline for state proposals on health exchanges

Conservative group makes major ad buy to charge President Obama with using the health law to raise taxes

D.C. abortion bill to get hearing; Mo. considers allowing employers to opt-out of contraception coverage mandate

Study: No racial and ethnic disparities in preoperative breast cancer imaging

Some states receive more than $181M in grants to help implement new health care law

First Edition: May 17, 2012

MedWorks and its partners to offer two days of free cancer screenings

For a family of 4, health care costs can top $20,000

Contraception coverage rule ripples through college campuses

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

La. panel kills health exchange plan; Kansas enacts another abortion hurdle; Utah official resigns after medical records breach

Minn. hospital workers weigh strike

Trend among businesses to offer health benefits to same-sex couples leaves federal policy behind

New guidelines require insurers to credit health law when issuing consumer rebates

Viewpoints: Approving drugs quickly; Berwick: In health care, cheaper can mean better; Health costs 'persistent' concern

Five new capabilities added to Aetna Rx Check Program

First Edition: May 14, 2012

Towers Watson signs agreement to acquire Extend Health

Viewpoints: Two views on how to fight obesity; Tough choices for big business on health costs

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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