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Many factors contribute to high caesarean section rate around the world

A wide range of clinical and non-clinical factors can affect whether women go on to have a vaginal delivery after having a caesarean, according to two major reviews published in the August issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

28 Jul 2011

Law center presses its health law challenge

"The Thomas Moore Law Center formally asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to reverse an appeals court decision upholding the health care reform law. Marking the first appeal of its kind to reach the nation's highest court, the conservative legal group continues to insist the mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance is unconstitutional".

28 Jul 2011

Bill introduced to increase Medigap MLR

The AARP endorsed the measure, introduced in both the House and Senate, which in 2014 would require Medigap insurers to spend 85 percent of every premium dollar in the group market on medical care.

28 Jul 2011

Consumers would pay more for insurance that caters to their needs

Almost half of insurance customers would be willing to pay more for health insurance that caters to their needs, according to a new report from the consulting firm Accenture.

28 Jul 2011

Latinos less likely to spend for health care than whites

New research out of UCLA has found that Latinos living in the United States - particularly those who were born outside the country - are far less likely to spend for health care and are more likely to pay out-of-pocket when they do spend than the white population.

28 Jul 2011

Moody's: States face Medicaid budget issues, cuts will affect hospitals

Modern Healthcare reports that hospital reimbursements — because of the end of the enhanced federal matching rate that became law as part of the 2009 stimulus package — will be pinched. In addition, congressional action and the federal debt debate is also causing concern at the state level.

28 Jul 2011

State roundup: Cuomo's N.Y. home health reform spurs complaints

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's effort to overhaul New York state's $6 billion home health-care industry is coming under scrutiny from patient advocates and other industry players who say the administration is bowing to the interests of large, politically connected providers.

28 Jul 2011

New enhanced MS ActiveSource for patients with multiple sclerosis

Biogen Idec today announced it has strengthened MS ActiveSource, its industry-leading suite of services for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), with the addition of new resources and support programs.

28 Jul 2011

Aetna second-quarter operating earnings increase to $522.8 million

Aetna today announced second-quarter 2011 operating earnings of $522.8 million, or $1.35 per share, a per share increase of 29 percent over 2010.

27 Jul 2011

NFIB: Some small businesses drop coverage

Supporters of the health care reform law say there are major flaws in a new survey of small businesses. They say the study, released Monday by the National Federation of Independent Business, mischaracterized key policies in the health care law.

27 Jul 2011

Roundup: Md. to release cancer control plan; funding cut at Texas mental health centers

Maryland health officials plan to release today their newest plan to control cancer, a set of diseases responsible for one in four deaths in the state. The officials say the plan to be used by health care providers, policy makers, communities and individuals is ambitious, aiming to save some 1,200 more people a year. Now, about 10,000 Marylander die a year from all kinds of cancer.

27 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: The effects of the debt debate; Medicare's birthday; N.Y. drug plan

In the scramble to cut the nation's debt burden, President Obama, congressional Democrats and even some Republicans have proposed squeezing money out of Medicare by changing the way it pays for prescription drugs.

27 Jul 2011

NY Times: 10 states will be subject to insurance rate reviews by feds

The Obama administration will soon take over the review of health insurance rates in 10 states where it says state officials do not adequately regulate premiums for insurance sold to individuals or small businesses.

27 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 26, 2011

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "In the controlled chaos of an hospital emergency department, ensuring that patients are pain-free and can make informed choices about their care often takes a back seat to assessing and stabilizing them and moving them through the system as fast as possible.

26 Jul 2011

Centene reports diluted earnings per share of $0.54 for second quarter 2011

Centene Corporation today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. The discussions below, with the exception of cash flow information, are in the context of continuing operations and all financial ratios exclude premium taxes.

26 Jul 2011

State roundup: Doctor supply at issue in several states

Laramie, Wyoming, is a long way from Waycross, Georgia. Dr. Joel Higgins has mixed feelings about departing the Peach State. Born in Augusta, he practiced in Waycross as an ob/gyn from 2001 until last December. ... But a deteriorating financial situation drove him to move to Wyoming, he says. ... Roughly 70 percent of Higgins' Waycross patients were on Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor and disabled.

26 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Van Hollen on Medicaid cuts; debate on rising Medicare age; women's health issues

Walking away from the federal commitment to Medicaid doesn't solve the problem; it just passes health care costs down to states. Because almost every state, including Maryland, is required by law to balance its budget every year, it means cuts in services and more financial strains for already suffering families, cuts in provider payments, lost jobs in the health care sector, and dampened business activity as the consequences of lost jobs and unmet health care needs ripple through the economy.

26 Jul 2011

More Americans now support woman's right to choose abortion

Despite recent moves by some states to restrict access to abortion, more Americans now support a woman's right to choose than they did two years ago, a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll finds.

25 Jul 2011

Health law changes present enrollment challenges

Meanwhile, news outlets report on a range of other implementation issues, including the decision of Ohio Gov. John Kasich to follow through on forming a state-based exchange despite his opposition to the overhaul, changes to FSAs and the measure's impact on farmers.

25 Jul 2011

Iowa, Kentucky get extra time to comply with MLR rule

But North Dakota became the first state to have the Department of Health and Human Services deny a waiver request regarding the health law's medical loss ratio provision, which requires health plans in the individual and small-group markets to spend no more than 20 percent of premiums on administrative costs.

25 Jul 2011