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First Edition: January 19, 2012

Today's headlines include news about a health exchange progress report from the White House and the latest activity on the GOP presidential primary campaign trail.

19 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: The 'need' to repeal CLASS; Squaring Romney's poverty and tax promises

As a physician, I treated hundreds of patients who needed long-term care, including ones with Alzheimer's. More than 13.5 million seniors could have this disease by 2040. Middle-class families remain dangerously unprepared for these costs. Some people will likely spend more than $100,000 on care. The fictional CLASS daily benefit of $50 per day won't cover this. I urge my House and Senate colleagues to support this CLASS repeal.

19 Jan 2012

Medicaid news: N.Y. Gov. proposes state 'takeover' of local costs; Kansas docs, hospitals endorse managed care plan

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's overall budget proposal would increase state spending by 2 percent, much of it involving 4-percent school aid and Medicaid spending hikes agreed to last year with legislative leaders. But the overall plan, including federal funding, is a fraction of 1 percent lower than the current budget, and eliminates a $2 billion deficit.

19 Jan 2012

State roundup: Single-payer plans in Calif., Vt.; Calif. may regain state prison health care control; Abortion issues in Texas, Minn.

The California universal health care bill didn't make it past the Senate Appropriations Committee last year -- but Tuesday, more than 100 advocates plan to present it to the committee again, hoping for a better outcome. Under the single-payer bill, Californians would pay the state -- instead of private insurance companies -- to negotiate health care. The bill would cover any resident, including the estimated 7 million Californians who don't have health insurance now. ... A legislative health committee estimated the cost of plan would be around $200 billion.

18 Jan 2012

GOP presidential primary candidates clash in S.C. debate, on the airwaves

Republican candidate Rick Santorum is unveiling a new ad that will compare rival Mitt Romney to President Barack Obama, citing the Massachusetts health law Romney signed while governor.

18 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Health care is a civil right; A Medicare strategy based on Lenin

Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is one of progress toward a better life for every American, including equal opportunity in voting, housing, education, and employment. Reflecting on his legacy also means recognizing the steps we must take to address the inequalities that persist. Many of these involve health care. Poor and minority Americans suffer from more preventable diseases on average, lower-quality care, fewer treatment options, and less health insurance coverage.

18 Jan 2012

California single-payer system has another go before Senate committee

A proposal to institute a single-payer health care system in California has found its way to a key state Senate committee. The proposal, which would cover all Californians through a state-run health insurance program, died in the Senate Appropriations Committee in California last year.

18 Jan 2012

S.D., Wisc. wrestle with health exchange implementation

While Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker faces a dilemma regarding his state's Early Innovator Grant, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced his state wouldn't try to pass health exchange legislation because "there is too much uncertainty."

18 Jan 2012

Insurance in the states: New York retailers often don't cover employees, HHS steps up scrutiny of Ariz. insurers

In New York City, a new study has found only three of 10 retail workers get health insurance through their job. In the meantime, the federal government is stepping up scrutiny of health insurers in Arizona, and Connecticut considers changes to appeal insurance company coverage denials.

17 Jan 2012

Alcohol-dependent Americans more likely to seek treatment than South Koreans

Hazardous alcohol use and depression are among the 10 leading causes of disability and premature death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Many low- to middle-income countries have begun to see a steady increase in alcohol use and have entered the early stages of a tobacco epidemic. A study of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), nicotine dependence (ND), and mood and anxiety disorders in the United States and South Korea has found that while AUDs are substantially more common among Americans than South Koreans, alcohol-dependent Americans are significantly more likely to seek treatment.

17 Jan 2012

Study finds wide disparity in melanoma mortality rates by education

A new study from the American Cancer Society finds recent declines in melanoma mortality rates in non-Hispanic Whites in the U.S. mainly reflect declines in those with the highest level of education, and reveals a widening disparity in melanoma mortality rates by education.

17 Jan 2012

Research Roundup: Raising Medicare's eligibility age; Insurance status affects ER imaging services

Raising The Ages Of Eligibility For Medicare And Social Security -- The authors analyzed a scenario in which the eligibility age - current 65 - would be increased by two months every year until it reached 67 in 2027. They found that would cut Medicare expenditures by 5 percent but many people between the ages of 65 and 67 would pay more for health care.

13 Jan 2012

S.C. GOP primary puts spotlight on Romney abortion stance

Nine days before the South Carolina primary, Mitt Romney has 'picked up his pro-life rhetoric' as Newt Gingrich goes on the attack.

13 Jan 2012

State Roundup: Iowa mental health budget tussle; Calif. orders Anthem to pay docs, hospitals

Anthem Blue Cross has been ordered to pay doctors and hospitals for outstanding services dating back to 2007 after the insurer failed to remediate violations revealed by a state audit, California regulators said Thursday. It's unclear how much money the medical providers would get if Anthem complies with the order from the Department of Managed Health Care.

13 Jan 2012

Health law's individual mandate, essential benefits draw headlines

A new study concludes that dropping the individual mandate would result in overall lower health spending, but increases in health insurance premium costs. Meanwhile, CQ HealthBeat reports on the drama that surrounds the Obama administration's essential benefits proposal.

13 Jan 2012

Oregon, Georgia following very different health exchange paths

In Georgia, the state GOP leaders and the governor have agreed not to push an exchange bill. Meanwhile, in Oregon, consumer groups have offered a list of priorities to the organization responsible for developing its exchange.

13 Jan 2012

HHS says Trustmark's planned insurance rate hikes are 'unreasonable'

The insurance company, whose proposed increases would have taken place in five states, has a very different view of the situation.

13 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 13, 2012

"The much celebrated, and much maligned, public option may have died in Congress, but it's alive and well in California. Unique in the nation for having public health insurance plans that are run by counties, California has plans that stretch from San Francisco to the Mexican border and cover 2.5 million residents"

13 Jan 2012

State-level action on health exchanges draws political responses, control questions

Some Idaho Democrats say they may vote with the GOP against legislation to create a state-run exchange. In Ohio, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor has control issues about health exchanges -- whether they are run by the state or by the federal government.

13 Jan 2012

Study: Medicare Advantage Plans with perks like gym memberships attract healthier seniors

A new study, which was published by the New England Journal of Medicine, found 35.3 percent of new enrollees in a fitness membership benefit plan reported "excellent" or "very good" health, compared with 29.1 percent in the group without the gym membership benefit.

13 Jan 2012

Health Insurance News and Research

First Edition: January 19, 2012

Viewpoints: The 'need' to repeal CLASS; Squaring Romney's poverty and tax promises

Medicaid news: N.Y. Gov. proposes state 'takeover' of local costs; Kansas docs, hospitals endorse managed care plan

State roundup: Single-payer plans in Calif., Vt.; Calif. may regain state prison health care control; Abortion issues in Texas, Minn.

GOP presidential primary candidates clash in S.C. debate, on the airwaves

Viewpoints: Health care is a civil right; A Medicare strategy based on Lenin

California single-payer system has another go before Senate committee

S.D., Wisc. wrestle with health exchange implementation

Insurance in the states: New York retailers often don't cover employees, HHS steps up scrutiny of Ariz. insurers

Alcohol-dependent Americans more likely to seek treatment than South Koreans

Study finds wide disparity in melanoma mortality rates by education

Research Roundup: Raising Medicare's eligibility age; Insurance status affects ER imaging services

S.C. GOP primary puts spotlight on Romney abortion stance

State Roundup: Iowa mental health budget tussle; Calif. orders Anthem to pay docs, hospitals

Health law's individual mandate, essential benefits draw headlines

Oregon, Georgia following very different health exchange paths

HHS says Trustmark's planned insurance rate hikes are 'unreasonable'

First Edition: January 13, 2012

State-level action on health exchanges draws political responses, control questions

Study: Medicare Advantage Plans with perks like gym memberships attract healthier seniors

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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