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Health plans cut out expensive doctors and hospitals

The Los Angeles Times reports that thousands of California employers are cutting back on insurance expenses by restricting access to expensive doctors and hospitals. Also, Bloomberg looks at which companies are getting money from the new federal health law for retiree expenses includes some major US corporations.

5 Apr 2011

Lack of specialists accepting Medicaid hampers care

Eight-year-old Draven Smith was expelled from school last year for disruptive behavior, and he is being expelled again this year. But his mother and his pediatrician cannot find a mental health specialist to treat him because he is on Medicaid, and the program, which provides health coverage for the poor, pays doctors so little that many refuse to take its patients.

4 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: 'Saving' Medicare; Dole on innovative vets' care; Texas 'death panel' on HIV?

(Rep. Paul) Ryan's plan reportedly will include steep Medicaid cuts, disguised as a proposal to turn the program into a "block grant" to the states. The net effect would be to leave even more Americans to the mercies of the private insurance market.

4 Apr 2011

More waivers issued for insurance plans

Obama administration officials released new information on the number of businesses and other organizations that have received waivers on their insurance plans. Meanwhile, Republicans criticize the law's high risk pools.

4 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 4, 2011

Today's health policy news coverage includes reports about Republican lawmakers' plans to make dramatic changes to Medicare and Medicaid as they seek to cut $4 trillion from the budget over the next 10 years.

4 Apr 2011

Lack of doctors accepting Medicaid could complicate health overhaul

As pressure mounts on state Medicaid budgets, the New York Times examines whether the programs can handle the influx expected under the new health law. And The Hill looks at the latest waivers awarded by the administration for insurance plans that don't meet the requirements of the law.

4 Apr 2011

U.S. News ranks Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center as No. 1 hospital in Philadelphia

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center has been ranked highest in southern New Jersey - placing above all other southern New Jersey hospitals in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area of U.S. News & World Report's first-ever Best regional hospitals.

2 Apr 2011

U.S. News ranks Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center as No. 1 hospital in the LA

The UCLA Health System's Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and its Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital has been ranked No. 5, in U.S. News & World Report's first-ever "Best Hospitals" metro area rankings.

2 Apr 2011

HealthPartners membership increased by 4.6% in 2010

In 2010, more people chose HealthPartners to provide medical and dental insurance, health and wellness solutions and medical care. As a result, HealthPartners membership grew by 4.6 percent, now totals nearly 1.36 million members and has grown by 56 percent since 2005.

2 Apr 2011

Reimbursement for surgical services has declined in recent years

In recent years reimbursement for surgical services has declined, failing to keep up with inflation and economic growth. Financial incentives aimed at re-distributing reimbursement from procedural specialties to primary care specialties have been ineffective thus far, and the financial returns of being a physician continue to decrease, according to new research published in the April 2011 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

2 Apr 2011

MBGH to host its 31st Annual Conference for employers, health benefits professionals

The Midwest Business Group on Health, one of the nation's leading business groups of private and public employers, will host its 31st Annual Conference for employers, health benefits professionals and other health care stakeholders, May 5-6, 2011 in Chicago. This year's theme is Health Benefits MEGATrends: Transformations in Health Care, Health Benefits & Health Improvement.

2 Apr 2011

Colorectal cancer screening vital for prevention and early detection

We're all familiar with messages like this one – "men and women aged 50 and older should have regular colorectal cancer screening tests." We read this message in our community newspapers and hear it on television and radio. Why is there so much media attention on colorectal cancer screening? Well, here's a message you might not have seen: over the last decade, in part due to increased screening, rates of new cases and deaths from colorectal cancer have been on the decline.

1 Apr 2011

Ther-Rx Corporation announces important initiative to reduce cost of Makena

As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure that high-risk women have access to FDA-approved Makena instead of unapproved, unregulated compounded drugs, Ther-Rx Corporation, a subsidiary of K-V Pharmaceutical Company, announced today important initiatives to reduce the cost of Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection) and encourage stakeholders to provide timely access to this important FDA-approved medication.

1 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: The dangers of targeting the AARP; health reform in rural areas; prisoners faring better in Calif. than disabled

In hearings Friday, some of my former congressional colleagues are due to explore the operations of the AARP, the nation's oldest and largest organization representing Americans age 50 and older. Specifically, the hearing is to examine the group's tax status, evaluating it in view of its management structure and funding.

1 Apr 2011

Roundup: Fla. moves closer to Medicaid overhaul; Abortion provisions advance in Va., Kan. and Iowa

The Florida House on Thursday approved a statewide proposal to shift Medicaid beneficiaries into managed-care plans. ... Supporters said the plan would improve care for Medicaid beneficiaries, reduce widespread fraud and control costs in the $20 billion program.

1 Apr 2011

Research roundup: Patient's income and electronic health records; high deductible plans; raising Medicare age

Healthcare Spending And Preventive Care In High-Deductible And Consumer-Directed Health Plans - Authors analyzed data from more than 800,000 families insured during 2004 and 2005 through one of 53 large employers in U.S., about half offering the high-deductible or consumer-directed plans.

1 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 1, 2011

Today's health policy news coverage helps fill in the details of the much-anticipated rule for accountable care organizations, which was released yesterday by the Obama administration.

1 Apr 2011

OPO staff working with ICU team can help recover more organs from brain dead donors

More than twice as many lungs and nearly 50 percent more kidneys could be recovered for transplant operations if intensive care physicians were to work with organ procurement organization (OPO) coordinators to monitor and manage donor bodies after brain death has occurred, according to an analysis by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physicians that is now in the online version of the American Journal of Transplantation.

1 Apr 2011

California State Controller urges Merck, Tibotec and ViiV to reduce AIDS drug prices

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced that California State Controller John Chiang has sent letters to the CEOs of Merck & Co., Tibotec Therapeutics and ViiV Healthcare, asking the companies to reduce the price of their HIV/AIDS medications for California and its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

1 Apr 2011

AARP under attack in GOP efforts against health law

House Republicans issued a report Wednesday and plan to hold a hearing Friday to investigate AARP's support for the health law as well as the organization's business interests.

1 Apr 2011

Health Insurance News and Research

Health plans cut out expensive doctors and hospitals

Lack of specialists accepting Medicaid hampers care

Viewpoints: 'Saving' Medicare; Dole on innovative vets' care; Texas 'death panel' on HIV?

More waivers issued for insurance plans

First Edition: April 4, 2011

Lack of doctors accepting Medicaid could complicate health overhaul

U.S. News ranks Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center as No. 1 hospital in Philadelphia

U.S. News ranks Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center as No. 1 hospital in the LA

HealthPartners membership increased by 4.6% in 2010

Reimbursement for surgical services has declined in recent years

MBGH to host its 31st Annual Conference for employers, health benefits professionals

Colorectal cancer screening vital for prevention and early detection

Ther-Rx Corporation announces important initiative to reduce cost of Makena

Viewpoints: The dangers of targeting the AARP; health reform in rural areas; prisoners faring better in Calif. than disabled

Roundup: Fla. moves closer to Medicaid overhaul; Abortion provisions advance in Va., Kan. and Iowa

Research roundup: Patient's income and electronic health records; high deductible plans; raising Medicare age

First Edition: April 1, 2011

OPO staff working with ICU team can help recover more organs from brain dead donors

California State Controller urges Merck, Tibotec and ViiV to reduce AIDS drug prices

AARP under attack in GOP efforts against health law

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

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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