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Workers in small businesses more likely to have high premium for employer-sponsored health plans: AHRQ

Nearly 13 percent of workers with employer-sponsored health plans who worked in firms with 10 or fewer employees had premiums of $7,200 or more a year for single-coverage plans in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This amount is much higher than the $4,704 average, national premium for employer-sponsored single-coverage health plans in 2008.

25 Jun 2010

ACF, HRSA accept applications for Tribal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration, is accepting applications for fiscal year 2010 for the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program.

25 Jun 2010

LTCFP announces publication of revised guidebook, Long Term Care Insurance at the Worksite

Many companies seem conflicted by a key part of the recent Health Reform legislation, the CLASS Act, which will offer a form of long term care insurance for working people who may become disabled. "CLASS" stands for Community Living Assistance Services and Supports; and the program, a legacy of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, is intended to offer new choice and security for millions now at risk. But, "we find that those who manage employees or employee benefits don't know how to react," says Denise Gott, Chairman of the Board of LTC Financial Partners LLC, one of the nation's most experienced long term care insurance agencies.

24 Jun 2010

Secretary of Labor issues statement on mental health and substance abuse benefits, services

We are very pleased that the court ruled in favor of the U.S. Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services, thereby allowing us to continue a regulatory process designed to benefit vulnerable members of our society. It will make mental health benefits more affordable by putting the cost on par with other health benefits.

24 Jun 2010

Study examines relationship between SCIP measures and postoperative infection

A study by investigators at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine published in this week's issue of JAMA found that public hospital comparison data reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services does not accurately correlate with a patient's risk for surgical postoperative infection.

24 Jun 2010

New poll illustrates difficult situations cancer patients face in affording needed health care

A new poll illustrates the difficulty that cancer patients, survivors and their families face in affording needed health care and paying for other basic necessities such as food and heat, underscoring the need to strongly implement the Affordable Care Act so that it works for people with cancer.

24 Jun 2010

Minn. Gov. decides to not expand Medicaid early; Ohio wrestles with increased Medicaid costs in overhaul; Kansas officials worry about 25% cut in health policy operating budget

"As expected, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has declined the opportunity for Minnesota to get an early shot at expanding Medicaid eligibility. The federal health plan calls for all states to expand Medicaid eligibility to low-income adults without children in 2014, but Minnesota was among a few states offered a chance to do it earlier." The legislature, however, passed a measure that would allow Pawlenty's successor next year to reverse his ruling (Kimball, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

White House unveils consumer protections in health law

New health-law-prompted regulations were released Tuesday, Kaiser Health News reports. The regulations could likely affect a small fraction of the country, but address key insurance concerns.

24 Jun 2010

Obama to insurers: Health reform no excuse for big rate hikes

President Barack Obama warned a dozen large insurers not to use the new health law as an excuse for boosting premium rates at a White House meeting Tuesday, The Washington Post reports. After acknowledging that insurers weren't solely responsible for rising medical costs, the president said, "we've got to make sure this new law is not being used as an excuse to simply drive up costs.

24 Jun 2010

How new health insurance regulations could affect some premiums, coverage

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "As he trumpeted what he called a new 'Patient's Bill of Rights' Tuesday, President Barack Obama tried to calm fears that the new health law would increase insurance costs.

23 Jun 2010

Several hospitals seek buyers or mergers to strengthen their bottom lines

The Boston Globe: Massachusetts officials are holding public comment sessions on a proposed sale of chain of hospitals in the state, and "scores of local officials, state representatives, community leaders, and employees and retirees of Caritas hospitals in Eastern Massachusetts have paraded to the podium to praise Caritas management and the private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, that has pledged to preserve the chain of six hospitals, at least for three years."

23 Jun 2010

SIGA completes fourth human clinical trial of ST-246 smallpox antiviral drug candidate

SIGA Technologies, Inc., a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to combat bio-warfare pathogens, announced today the successful completion of its fourth human clinical trial, supporting the safety and tolerability of the anticipated clinical dose of ST-246®, SIGA's lead smallpox antiviral drug candidate.

23 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 23, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on President Obama's Tuesday meeting with health insurance executives and the administration's new version of the "Patient's Bill of Rights."

23 Jun 2010

Misperceptions about 'light,' 'low,' 'mild' cigarettes

Today, new legislation will go into effect surrounding the ban of word descriptors such as "light," "low," and "mild" on all packaging and advertising of existing cigarettes and smokeless products. However, a new survey, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, shows that many smokers will choose the cigarettes in lighter-colored packaging because they incorrectly believe these cigarettes would be less harmful to their health or make it easier to quit smoking.

23 Jun 2010

Recent objections would eliminate use of routine breast cancer screening mammograms: Authors

The firestorm that followed the November 2009 release of guidelines that would have reduced use of screening mammograms in women aged 40 to 49 highlights challenges for implementing the findings of comparative effectiveness research, according to a new analysis. Meeting such challenges - which may become more common due to increased funding for CER - requires better communication to the public and stakeholders about evidence and its connection to health care quality and efficiency.

23 Jun 2010

Mass. weighs overhaul's effects; Conn. first state to add adults to Medicaid under new health law

"In most states, the passage of the sprawling federal health care overhaul legislation means the poorest will have a better shot at affording health insurance. But in Massachusetts, the law might have the opposite effect. Senator John. F. Kerry, state leaders, and health care advocates met yesterday to discuss a new report that highlights the major differences between the federal and state health care models. The focus of the event quickly turned to the hurdles of implementation and the need to protect the gains Massachusetts has made since 2006. ... The report reveals that ... some Massachusetts residents might end up facing higher premiums" (Lee, 6/22).

23 Jun 2010

Obama warns health insurers against using reform to boost premium rates, unveils new patient bill of rights

Today, during an address in the East Room of the White House following a meeting with executives of leading health insurance companies and state insurance commissioners, "President Barack Obama warned insurance firms … not to use his healthcare overhaul as an opportunity to enact big rate increases and said the federal government would work with states to monitor them."

23 Jun 2010

HHS, insurers, health systems preparing for health law's impact

Politico reports on the Department of Health and Human Services' HealthCare.gov, "the new Web portal that goes live July 1 and is designed to give consumers a place to research and compare health insurance plans. Since it will be the most tangible link to the health reform law for many Americans, health policy experts and administration officials say it's crucial that the site is well-designed, easy to navigate and free of the jargon that makes the field of health insurance so unintelligible to the public. ... When HealthCare.gov launches next Thursday, it will have information about insurance plans that users can sort based on their own situation and their eligibility for public insurance programs, like Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the new high-risk pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions" (Kliff, 6/22).

23 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 22, 2010

In this Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "High-deductible health plans and the health savings accounts (HSAs) that link to them are becoming a familiar fixture on the insurance landscape, even though they get mixed reviews from many consumers and health-policy experts" (Kaiser Health News).

22 Jun 2010

NIH, Wellcome Trust partner to support population-based genetic studies of disorders, communicable diseases in Africa

The National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Wellcome Trust, a global charity based in London, today announced a partnership to support population-based genetic studies in Africa of common, non-communicable disorders such as heart disease and cancer, as well as communicable diseases such as malaria.

22 Jun 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

Workers in small businesses more likely to have high premium for employer-sponsored health plans: AHRQ

ACF, HRSA accept applications for Tribal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program

LTCFP announces publication of revised guidebook, Long Term Care Insurance at the Worksite

Secretary of Labor issues statement on mental health and substance abuse benefits, services

Study examines relationship between SCIP measures and postoperative infection

New poll illustrates difficult situations cancer patients face in affording needed health care

Minn. Gov. decides to not expand Medicaid early; Ohio wrestles with increased Medicaid costs in overhaul; Kansas officials worry about 25% cut in health policy operating budget

White House unveils consumer protections in health law

Obama to insurers: Health reform no excuse for big rate hikes

How new health insurance regulations could affect some premiums, coverage

Several hospitals seek buyers or mergers to strengthen their bottom lines

SIGA completes fourth human clinical trial of ST-246 smallpox antiviral drug candidate

First Edition: June 23, 2010

Misperceptions about 'light,' 'low,' 'mild' cigarettes

Recent objections would eliminate use of routine breast cancer screening mammograms: Authors

Mass. weighs overhaul's effects; Conn. first state to add adults to Medicaid under new health law

Obama warns health insurers against using reform to boost premium rates, unveils new patient bill of rights

HHS, insurers, health systems preparing for health law's impact

First Edition: June 22, 2010

NIH, Wellcome Trust partner to support population-based genetic studies of disorders, communicable diseases in Africa

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