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Many skin cancer patients unaware of being diagnosed with melanoma or nonmelanoma cancer

Socioeconomic factors such as a lower level of education and lack of health insurance may impact individuals' knowledge of the type of skin cancer with which they are diagnosed. As a result, these individuals may have a poor sense of the measures they need to take to reduce the risk of future skin cancers.

19 Oct 2010

Novartis announces six-year data of Reclast injection for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Novartis announced today that new six-year data reinforce the long-term efficacy and safety profile of once-yearly Reclast (zoledronic acid) injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.The study of more than 1,200 women was presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto, ON, Canada.

19 Oct 2010

Federal judge says he'll rule on Virginia's health law challenge by year's end

Bloomberg: "A federal judge in Virginia said he'll rule by yearend whether President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is constitutional, adding that his decision will be a 'brief stop' in the case on its way to the Supreme Court." U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson heard arguments today in Richmond, Virginia, about whether the health law's requirement for individuals to buy health insurance is congressional overreaching.

19 Oct 2010

Federal court to allow Calif. case on Medicare underpayments to move forward; LA county gets new health department head

A recent court decision gave a group of California counties another chance to challenge what they contend are severe Medicare underpayments that jeopardize access to care across the country.

19 Oct 2010

CMS could save billions by changing payment, delivery methods

Experts examine ways to change care delivery and payment at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services while seniors prepare for the Medicare open enrollment period.

18 Oct 2010

As health law kicks in, so do grants, subsidies and worries for insurance brokers

Federal spending on health care is proof that the industry can look forward to continuing growth, according to the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. "Along with the $2.7 billion increase that the state received to pay for Medicaid, at least $655 million in grants from stimulus funds and the health-reform law recently has been awarded.

18 Oct 2010

Support for health law dips, GOP aims to seize opportunity

Politico reports that support among the public for the health overhaul dipped during the last month, even as the "percentage of Democrats who say they'll go to the polls to defend the law rose. … According to the Kaiser Family Foundation October Tracking Poll out Monday morning, overall support for the law has dropped to 42 percent — down seven points in a month (Kaiser Health News is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation).

18 Oct 2010

Legal challenge to 'individual mandate' sees day in court

The Washington Post:The legal challenges to the health law continue. "A federal judge in Virginia will hear arguments Monday on whether the new federal health care law is unconstitutional. Virginia Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R) will argue that Congress overstepped its constitutional authority by enacting a provision that requires individuals to purchase health insurance by 2014 or pay a fine.

18 Oct 2010

Candidates turn health reform volume up as midterms near

A number of candidates for federal and state office are sounding off on how they view health reform.

18 Oct 2010

KHN column: What's the worst that could happen with the new health law?

In this Kaiser Health News column, Rea Hederman and Paul Winfree, both of the Hertiage Foundation, write "the health overhaul could end up costing American taxpayers millions of dollars in higher health insurance premiums or put a tremendous amount of pressure on an already soaring national debt.

18 Oct 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law's effects on the economy and Medicare; 10th Amendment questions

The health care reform legislation also will have a devastating impact on the spending power of working Americans and our economy as the higher premiums kick in (Armstrong Williams, 10/17).

18 Oct 2010

Long-term care news: Insurance costs jump; nurses' training pays off

The Wall Street Journal: "People with long-term care insurance policies are getting hit with a new round of steep premium increases," which insurers attribute to "policyholders living longer, generating higher claims and canceling fewer policies than they had projected."

18 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 18, 2010

Today's news includes continuing coverage of the run-up to the mid-term elections and how health reform is playing in the discourse.

18 Oct 2010

Tips to understand health benefits during open enrollment

Consumers spend an average of 10 hours researching a new car, but only one hour or less reviewing their health benefit options in open enrollment season which begins this fall for millions of Americans.

18 Oct 2010

Deductible-free screening encourages use of preventive care services

When they do not have to pay a health insurance deductible, people are more likely to undergo screening for conditions like cancer and high cholesterol. However, the increase is modest, and in high-deductible plans, it is quite small, according to a new study in the journal Health Services Research.

18 Oct 2010

Catholic officials approve Caritas sale in Mass., Boston and Milwaukee hospitals strengthen their financial standing

Catholic church officials have signed off on the sale of Caritas Christi Health Care to a private equity firm, according to a document filed with the Supreme Judicial Court.

18 Oct 2010

Six-year data of reinforces efficacy and safety of Reclast injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Novartis announced today that new six-year data reinforce the long-term efficacy and safety profile of once-yearly Reclast (zoledronic acid) injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The study of more than 1,200 women was presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto, ON, Canada.

18 Oct 2010

Elective surgeries routed to private health system to ease burden

According to the Australian Medical Association, the ACT Government's elective surgery plan is not a long term solution. The plan will see 200 public patients undergoing elective surgery at two private health facilities. The Government has planned to clear up the backlog of elective surgery by using the private health system. At present there is a focus on ear, nose and throat procedures, urology and orthopedic procedures.

17 Oct 2010

Report: Fewer people than expected chose COBRA subsidy

Fewer people than expected chose to use the COBRA subsidy offered by the federal government, according to an analysis by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, The New York Times Prescriptions blog reports.

15 Oct 2010

Aetna adds The Washington Hospital to provider network

Aetna announced that it has reached agreement with The Washington Hospital on a contract that adds a new hospital and potentially as many as 200 new physicians to Aetna's provider network in western Pennsylvania.

15 Oct 2010