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First Edition: December 15, 2010

Today's major health policy news is full of second-day stories and analysis regarding Monday's health law decision by a federal court judge in Virginia.

15 Dec 2010

Customer satisfaction with health insurance falls 2.7%, says ACSI report

Steady or improving customer satisfaction with several types of financial services is not enough to overcome the customer satisfaction challenges of the health insurance industry, according to a report released today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The report covers customer satisfaction with banks, credit unions, health insurance, life insurance and property & casualty insurance.

15 Dec 2010

Legal analysis, implementation predictions and political posturing abound in the wake of yesterday's decision

Yesterday's court decision triggered a wave of analysis, speculation, posturing and predictions about what health reform's future will hold.

15 Dec 2010

Federal judge in Virginia voids key provision of health law

A federal court judge in Virginia issued a decision Monday striking at a key element of the health care law — the individual mandate. This ruling marked the first time a court decision invalidated a part of the sweeping overhaul.

15 Dec 2010

Inhaled corticosteroids may cause diabetes

In a study published in the most recent issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers found that inhaled corticosteroids were associated with a 34% increase in the rate of diabetes onset and in the rate of diabetes progression. At the highest inhaled doses the risk increased by 64% in diabetes onset and 54% in diabetes progression.

15 Dec 2010

OpEds: Assessing Judge Hudson's decision on individual mandate

In March, New Hampshire preschool teacher Gail O'Brien, who was unable to obtain health insurance through her employer, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma. Her subsequent applications for health insurance were rejected because of her condition. With each round of chemotherapy costing $16,000, she delayed treatment because she knew her savings wouldn't last (Eric H. Holder and Kathleen Sebelius, 12/14).

14 Dec 2010

Healthcare reform – debates begin all over again

The US Justice Department this Tuesday announced its intention to appeal a federal court’s ruling against a key part of the Obama administration's healthcare law.

14 Dec 2010

Bohai to acquire rights to 14 approved Traditional Chinese Medicines for $7,200,000

Bohai Pharmaceuticals Group, Inc., a China-based pharmaceutical company engaged in the production, manufacturing and distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has entered into a binding agreement with Shandong Daxin Microbiology Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd. to acquire the rights to 14 approved TCM medicines that were previously issued to Daxin by the Shandong Branch of the State Food and Drug Administration of China ("SFDA").

14 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 14, 2010

Today's headlines detail yesterday's ruling by a federal court judge in Virginia that strikes at a key part of the health law.

14 Dec 2010

The Affordable Care Act can benefit 18.3 million men and women ages 50 to 64

18.3 million men and women ages 50 to 64 stand to benefit from provisions in the Affordable Care Act, assure that all health insurance provides a standard comprehensive benefit, prevent insurers from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions, and eliminate lifetime and annual limits in health insurance policies, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report released today.

14 Dec 2010

State roundup: New Dem Gov. and Minn. Medicaid; Fla. docs on Medicaid changes; Iowa Gov. eyes long-term care loopholes; Conn. provider rates

Over the past decade, programs that integrate Medicaid and Medicare have resulted in improved consumer satisfaction, better health outcomes and lower Medicaid costs in Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Washington. In each case, states have had to change their Medicaid rules by attaining a waiver from the federal government (Vestal, 12/13).

13 Dec 2010

Survey: Health savings accounts pick up steam but remain a small part of health insurance market

A new survey finds that health reimbursements and health savings accounts are picking up steam but still remain a small piece of the national insurance market. Meanwhile, leaders in the Texas health insurance and delivery system agree that paying for value in health care, rather than volume, is key. Finally, maternity insurance continues to be a challenge for some consumers.

13 Dec 2010

OpEds: Ryan on 'welfare state'; Wisconsin health care; Facing AIDS; Penn. safety net

Government health programs can help fulfill the mission of health security, but the current structures of Medicare, Medicaid - and now Obamacare - rely on a faulty architecture that puts the federal government in charge on health care decision-making.

13 Dec 2010

Strategies for securing life insurance policy for pre-existing medical conditions

If you've ever been told that you can't buy life insurance due to a pre-existing medical condition or that your application was rated up due to one or more medical conditions, Life Quotes, Inc. offers these tips for securing a life insurance policy at a rate you can live with.

13 Dec 2010

Arizona's transplant funding cuts continue to trigger controversy; Florida, Kansas focus on state role in reforms; Wisc. plan would elminate tax on health savings accounts

[Arizona Gov. Jane] Brewer's transplant cutbacks have become a rallying cause for Democrats, who call her decision "Brewercare." It's hypocritical for Republicans to support the program's end while opposing President Barack Obama's health-care legislation on the ground it would create death panels run by bureaucrats, said Anna Tovar, a Democratic state representative from Tolleson (Palmeri, 12/10).

10 Dec 2010

Research roundup: For-profit hospitals' readmission rate, containing self-referrals, children's dental health, revisiting McAllen

For-Profit Hospital Status And Rehospitalizations At Different Hospitals: An Analysis of Medicare Data - "Rehospitalization within the first 30 days of discharge affects 1 in 5 hospitalized Medicare fee-for-service patients and costs approximately $17.4 billion in payments annually ... the top 4 factors most related to the risk for rehospitalization at a different facility were initial admission to a for-profit index hospital … lower-volume index hospital (hospitals with <1000 annual discharges) … hospital with a major medical school affiliation … and being disabled."

10 Dec 2010

HHS slaps 'mini-med' plans with new restrictions

The Department of Health and Human Services offers new guidance on "mini-med" health plans, requiring that insurers selling these limited coverage offerings must inform consumers "in plain language" how such plans fall short of the health law's minimum coverage standards.

10 Dec 2010

The New York Times: Aetna's former chief executive ponders the new health law

Insurers continue to "ponder" their future under the new order of the health law and, in California, rate increases trigger a blame game.

10 Dec 2010

GOP lawmaker calls government funding bill a 'trojan horse' for health reform

Politics continue to swirl around health overhaul and deficit reduction issues. A new Bloomberg poll, for instance, indicates that the public wants the deficit addressed, but still wants Congress to stay away from Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs. Meanwhile, a GOP senator targets the catch-all spending bill to fund the government as a "trojan horse" to fund the health overhaul. Off the hill, groups are paying particular attention to the words used in discussing health policy issues.

10 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 10, 2010

In today's health policy headlines, reports about the Obama administration lawyer charged with defending the health law as well as the latest action in this lame duck Congress.

10 Dec 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

First Edition: December 15, 2010

Customer satisfaction with health insurance falls 2.7%, says ACSI report

Legal analysis, implementation predictions and political posturing abound in the wake of yesterday's decision

Federal judge in Virginia voids key provision of health law

Inhaled corticosteroids may cause diabetes

OpEds: Assessing Judge Hudson's decision on individual mandate

Healthcare reform – debates begin all over again

Bohai to acquire rights to 14 approved Traditional Chinese Medicines for $7,200,000

First Edition: December 14, 2010

The Affordable Care Act can benefit 18.3 million men and women ages 50 to 64

State roundup: New Dem Gov. and Minn. Medicaid; Fla. docs on Medicaid changes; Iowa Gov. eyes long-term care loopholes; Conn. provider rates

Survey: Health savings accounts pick up steam but remain a small part of health insurance market

OpEds: Ryan on 'welfare state'; Wisconsin health care; Facing AIDS; Penn. safety net

Strategies for securing life insurance policy for pre-existing medical conditions

Arizona's transplant funding cuts continue to trigger controversy; Florida, Kansas focus on state role in reforms; Wisc. plan would elminate tax on health savings accounts

Research roundup: For-profit hospitals' readmission rate, containing self-referrals, children's dental health, revisiting McAllen

HHS slaps 'mini-med' plans with new restrictions

The New York Times: Aetna's former chief executive ponders the new health law

GOP lawmaker calls government funding bill a 'trojan horse' for health reform

First Edition: December 10, 2010

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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