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Survey finds modest rise in health coverage costs

The Washington Post: "Amid high unemployment and a weak economy, employers have been shifting health care costs to workers, according to a study released Thursday. The premiums that employees pay for employer-sponsored family coverage rose an average of 13.7 percent this year, while the amount that employers contribute fell by 0.9 percent, the survey found.

3 Sep 2010

Employers push higher health insurance costs onto workers

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Workers nationwide, on average, are paying nearly $4,000 toward the cost of family coverage. That's a hefty 14 percent, or $482, more for family health insurance in 2010 than in 2009.

3 Sep 2010

Acquisition of Standard Life Healthcare strengthens PruHealth PMI market scale

PruHealth has become a competitor of scale in the UK Private Medical Insurance (PMI) market following the completion of the acquisition of Standard Life Healthcare by Discovery Holdings of South Africa.

2 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 2, 2010

Today's headlines include reports about a new study examining the impact of the health overhaul on the small business workforce.

2 Sep 2010

Calif. allows safety-net coverage cost increase; Georgia illegal immigrant dialysis agreement reached

"As state leaders blast giant health insurers for raising rates, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has quietly allowed hefty increases for thousands of sick or jobless Californians who must rely on expensive safety-net coverage -- if they want insurance at all.

2 Sep 2010

Health Reform Politics: Florida Court on ballot question; Repeal campaign touted by Conservatives; Nebraska flap

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that targeted the new federal-health reform law, ruling that state lawmakers included misleading wording that could not be fixed.

2 Sep 2010

Employers from nearly every sector of economy applying for health overhaul's early retiree subsidies

Seven states that are suing the federal government to throw out the health overhaul are also readying to take subsidies that will help them afford medical costs for retirees, The Associated Press reports. "An administration official said Tuesday seven states suing the federal government are among 16 already approved for subsidies to help with the health care costs of early retirees. The seven are Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Nevada."

2 Sep 2010

CDC launches new online video to provide information on Assisted Reproductive Technology

Reproductive health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have launched three new online videos to provide science-based information for anyone considering Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).

2 Sep 2010

Support falls for health overhaul as Obama administration prepares for midterms

Kaiser Health News: Public support for the new health law slipped in August, "a development sure to stir concerns among the Obama administration and congressional Democrats seeking to shore up support for the law in the months leading up to the mid-term elections." The latest poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 43 percent of Americans viewed the law favorably, which is down from 50 percent in July.

2 Sep 2010

More health overhaul policies settling in

The Wall Street Journal: "Almost 2,000 employers and unions will be eligible to submit retirees' medical bills for reimbursement by a $5 billion federal fund, the Obama administration will disclose Tuesday, suggesting the fund will be spread widely but thinly." General Motors, Pepsi, Alcoa and Pfizer are among the major employers that are said to be signing up.

2 Sep 2010

Michigan, New York roll out high-risk pools

In Michigan, enrollment begins today and is open to adults 19 to 64, the Detroit Free Press reports. The pool "will provide comprehensive but not necessarily cheap coverage for people who can prove they have been denied health insurance in the past six months" and is "intended for any uninsured people in the last six months and who had been turned down by an insurer because of a pre-existing health problem.

2 Sep 2010

CIGNA completes acquisition of Vanbreda International

Global health service company CIGNA has acquired Vanbreda International, based in Antwerp, Belgium, giving CIGNA unmatched global reach in expatriate benefits and further accelerating CIGNA's global growth strategy.

31 Aug 2010

Uninsured Maine adults with mental illness struggle to get care; Florida continues to push to repeal reform

Kennebec (Maine) Journal: "A growing number of uninsured Mainers with mental illness are falling through the cracks of the health care system because of state budget cuts and financial strains on nonprofits, according to state officials and private agencies. Just as when someone goes without treatment for a toothache and ends up in the ER, the lack of access to regular mental health care means illnesses are getting more expensive and patients are getting sicker, officials said."

31 Aug 2010

Medicare beneficiaries receive prescription drug cost relief under Affordable Care Act

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that more than 1 million Medicare beneficiaries have received prescription drug cost relief through the Affordable Care Act.

31 Aug 2010

Record number taking anti-poverty programs, COBRA coverage alternatives examined

One in six Americans is now taking advantage of government anti-poverty programs, including more than 50 million on Medicaid, for which enrollment is up 17 percent since the recession began in December 2007, USA Today reports. "The program has grown even before the new health care law adds about 16 million people, beginning in 2014. That has strained doctors. … As caseloads for all the programs have soared, so have costs. The federal price tag for Medicaid has jumped 36% in two years, to $273 billion. Jobless benefits have soared from $43 billion to $160 billion.

30 Aug 2010

Some small businesses look forward to health care tax credits

Word of new tax credits for some small businesses continued to make the rounds in news reports this weekend, as business owners seek to make sense of it details.

30 Aug 2010

Ebix signs merger agreement with A.D.A.M.

Ebix, Inc., a leading international supplier of On-Demand software and E-commerce services to the insurance industry, today announced that it has signed a merger agreement with Atlanta based A.D.A.M., Inc., a leading provider of health information and benefits technology solutions in the United States. Ebix will acquire A.D.A.M. on a debt-free basis for aggregate merger consideration of $66 million.

30 Aug 2010

Roughly one in six cancer survivors forgo some medical care due to cost, Study finds

Two years after undergoing a double mastectomy and chemotherapy so severe she was hospitalized in intensive care for several weeks, breast cancer survivor Denise Hicks should be following what her doctors call 'the plan' which includes additional medications and treatments.

30 Aug 2010

MEND 7-13 Program improves obesity management in children

The MEND 7-13 Program today announced statistically significant results from 2009/2010 US Community Implementation Data. This preliminary data is the first to come from a US population and is further evidence that programs achieve positive outcomes and are welcomed by communities.

30 Aug 2010

Weekend Update: Use of high deductible insurance plans rises; Rubio assails health law; Medicaid vs. schools

The New York Times takes a look at the use of high deductible health insurance plans linked to tax exempt savings accounts and points out that although the plans have been growing in use, the new federal health law may make them "less attractive, if new rules, yet to be announced, require lower deductibles and impose other restrictions."

30 Aug 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Survey finds modest rise in health coverage costs

Employers push higher health insurance costs onto workers

Acquisition of Standard Life Healthcare strengthens PruHealth PMI market scale

First Edition: September 2, 2010

Calif. allows safety-net coverage cost increase; Georgia illegal immigrant dialysis agreement reached

Health Reform Politics: Florida Court on ballot question; Repeal campaign touted by Conservatives; Nebraska flap

Employers from nearly every sector of economy applying for health overhaul's early retiree subsidies

CDC launches new online video to provide information on Assisted Reproductive Technology

Support falls for health overhaul as Obama administration prepares for midterms

More health overhaul policies settling in

Michigan, New York roll out high-risk pools

CIGNA completes acquisition of Vanbreda International

Uninsured Maine adults with mental illness struggle to get care; Florida continues to push to repeal reform

Medicare beneficiaries receive prescription drug cost relief under Affordable Care Act

Record number taking anti-poverty programs, COBRA coverage alternatives examined

Some small businesses look forward to health care tax credits

Ebix signs merger agreement with A.D.A.M.

Roughly one in six cancer survivors forgo some medical care due to cost, Study finds

MEND 7-13 Program improves obesity management in children

Weekend Update: Use of high deductible insurance plans rises; Rubio assails health law; Medicaid vs. schools

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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