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Eastmont Community Center launches new adolescent immunization awareness initiative

Eastmont Community Center responded today to alarmingly low whooping cough and meningococcal meningitis immunization rates among Latino adolescents by launching a new adolescent immunization awareness initiative. The grassroots campaign aims to educate local Latino families about free or low-cost vaccines available to help protect children against these and other infectious diseases.

24 Sep 2010

Aetna releases statement on 6-month anniversary of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Aetna today released the following statement from Chairman and CEO Ronald A. Williams regarding the six-month anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

24 Sep 2010

Olympus Healthcare Solutions declared HIPAA Compliant

Olympus Healthcare Solutions is pleased to announce that it has achieved Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Certification. Olympus Healthcare Solutions, which includes its Olympus Managed Health Care, Inc., Healthcare Concierge Services, and Axiom Risk Management operating units, is now among a prestigious group of organizations that comply with the HIPAA regulations.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 24 Sep 2010

GOP lawmakers formally 'pledge' to repeal health law, and more

In their just-released campaign manifesto, "A Pledge to America," Republican lawmakers say repealing the health overhaul law would be among their goals if they retake Congress, The New York Times reports. Repeal comes alongside goals like the permanent extension of Bush tax cuts, spending caps, and the recouping of unspent money from President Obama's stimulus last year.

24 Sep 2010

Insurers face barrage of challenges in overhaul's rollout

The first big wave of new rules under the federal health care law goes into effect on Thursday, leaving many insurers scrambling to get ahead of the changes. Insurers are cutting administrative staff to lower overhead costs, investing in big technology upgrades and training employees to field the expected influx of customer inquiries.

24 Sep 2010

Health Reform's Big Day: New consumer protections start now

Today marks the six month anniversary of enactment of the health reform law, and with it, a slew of consumer friendly provisions go into effect.

24 Sep 2010

Bay Area nonprofit hospitals struggle with finances; Medicaid plan for neighborhood clinics in New Orleans approved

When Mountain View's El Camino Hospital last month announced plans to lay off about 140 workers due largely to a rise in nonpaying clients, the medical provider highlighted a debate over the financial health of the Bay Area's nonprofit hospitals.

24 Sep 2010

At six month anniversary, Obama touts benefits of health care law

Six rocky months after winning passage of the landmark health-care law, President Obama celebrated the half-year mark by holding a sunny backyard get-together in the Virginia suburbs with a sampling of Americans from across the country who he said are already benefitting.

24 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: The health law's 'Semi-Versary'

Six months after its enactment, there are two totally different stories to tell about the health-reform law. The public remains split on the law largely along traditional partisan lines

24 Sep 2010

Research suggests race plays a factor in accident survival

African-American victims of motorcycle crashes were 1.5 times more likely to die from their injuries than similarly injured whites, even though many more of the African-American victims were wearing helmets at the time of injury, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

23 Sep 2010

New online health care reform resource from WebMD

WebMD Health Corp., the leading source of health information for consumers and health care professionals, is launching a new online resource to help Americans better understand the health care reform provisions that go into effect today. WebMD's health care reform resource presents a series of exclusive video interviews with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as well as in-depth editorial coverage, blogs, community and interactive polls.

23 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 23, 2010

A flurry of news coverage today highlights the health law's six-month anniversary and the specific provisions that take effect today, as well as the GOP's scheduled release of their "Pledge To America," which includes a repeal of the health overhaul among its priorities.

23 Sep 2010

Protections for children - including young adults - in new health law cause relief and some concern

Kaiser Health News, in partnership with USA Today: "Starting tomorrow, adult children will no longer be left to fend for themselves in their search for health insurance. The new federal health law requires that insurers give parents the option of keeping their adult children covered until they're 26 years old. It becomes effective for the health policy at the beginning of the plan year.

23 Sep 2010

AAOPD and Homeland HealthCare enter partnership

The American Association of Professional Drivers (AAOPD) announced today a partnership with Homeland HealthCare Inc., a third party administrator of supplemental insurance plans based in Allen, Texas, and a member of Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the US. The announcement commemorates National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (September 19 – 25) honoring America's 3.2 million truckers.

23 Sep 2010

Merck expands patient assistance programs to provide medicines to needy people

Today, Merck announced that it has significantly expanded the number of Merck medicines available through its Merck Helps patient assistance programs, which include the Merck Patient Assistance Program, the Merck Vaccine Patient Assistance Program, the ACT Program for Oncology and Hepatitis C medicines, and the SUPPORT Program for HIV/AIDS medicines.

23 Sep 2010

New health law's protections for adult children starts tomorrow

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with USA Today, Lisa Zamosky writes: "Parents, mark your calendars. Starting tomorrow, adult children will no longer be left to fend for themselves in their search for health insurance.

23 Sep 2010

Obama takes health reform on the road, touts key consumer provisions

President Obama Wednesday took to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to tout provisions of the new health law that protect consumers. These changes go into effect Thursday.

23 Sep 2010

Medical loss ratio debate drags on, drags down stock prices

The failure to clearly define the key health law requirement that many insurers must spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health services has left investors tepid about health plan stocks and has complicated corporate decisions in the sector, Bloomberg reports. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a group of state regulators, were supposed to offer a definition to federal policy makers by June, but their deadline was pushed back to October.

23 Sep 2010

Congress examines health care payment issues and high costs

Congress is preparing to tackle health care issues including reforming the payment system and addressing the high costs of Alzheimer's care, Medicare fraud and long-term disability.

23 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Coloradans' insurance concerns, contraception and New York's Medicaid burden

For years, Coloradans have lived with uncertainty about their health insurance: lifetime caps, recisions, coverage for life-saving screenings. New provisions that begin Thursday, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, address some of the biggest concerns consumers had about the failing health system (Dede de Percin, 9/22).

23 Sep 2010