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One in five Americans visited ER in 2007

The New York Times: One in five Americans visited the emergency room in 2007 whether they were insured or not, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. "Among the uninsured, 7.4 percent made two or more visits to an E.R., but so did 5.1 percent of people with private insurance. Medicaid recipients were the heaviest users of E.R.'s, with 15.3 percent of them making two or more visits during the year.

11 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Bringing down health care costs; More on the Medicare trustees report

Short of transforming the medical payment system, can we bring down health care costs by feasible fixes? Yes, by reducing the number of services that must be covered by every insurance policy and requiring higher copayments for patients using the highest cost providers (Robert Pozen, 8/10).

11 Aug 2010

Census Bureau releases schedule for 2009 income, poverty and health insurance estimates

The Census Bureau announced today the public release schedule for the official income, poverty and health insurance estimates for 2009 from the Current Population Survey (CPS), as well as estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS).

10 Aug 2010

DSS research survey reveals relationship between engagements, health literacy

DSS Research, the leader in market research for the health insurance industry, developed a proprietary set of metrics that gauge the level of engagement in health care on the part of the consumer. This quarter we added extra questions to further test the relationship between different literacy measures and the level of engagement amongst commercial and Medicare populations and the uninsured.

10 Aug 2010

Calif. considers reduction in funding for home care aides; Ill. union workers strike over health issues at uranium conversion plant

California, facing a $19.1 billion budget gap, is considering a reduction in funding that pays for home care aides for the disabled. It already cut funds last year. … Last month, the nation celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act … Now, though, gains made under the ADA are running into recession-battered state budgets.

10 Aug 2010

Researchers find disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections

Research has documented that ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist among patients with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Now, a new study by researchers from UCLA and Harvard University has found disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections. The findings, published in the August edition of the journal Laryngoscope, show that frequent ear infections plague white children and children living below the poverty level more than children of other racial or ethnic backrounds or income levels.

10 Aug 2010

Virginia Attorney General, Governor talk health reform mandate; Missouri vote still reverberating

NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday interviewed Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli about the state's challenge to the federal government's health law requiring people to purchase health insurance. Cuccinelli said a judge that refused to throw out his case "did not say it's unconstitutional. But he did say that this legislation goes farther than anything that has been held constitutional under the Commerce Clause and it goes farther than anything that has been held constitutional under the taxing power before.

10 Aug 2010

Hemodialysis with AVF depends on patient’s health insurance: Study

Kidney disease patients insured by some federally sponsored national health care organizations are more likely to undergo an important predialysis procedure than patients with other types of insurance, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results may provide insights into ways to improve kidney-related care for patients before they go on dialysis.

10 Aug 2010

Reports warn of new costs, gaps unfilled in health overhaul

Insurance rates may rise next year even more than anticipated because of the health overhaul for mid-sized companies. "While most major pieces of the new health law don't go into effect until 2014, some reforms affecting health insurance carriers take effect this year. These include provisions that require health plans to cover adult children until age 26, extend coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, end maximum lifetime spending limits and end the practice of retroactively canceling a member's coverage for any reason other than fraud."

10 Aug 2010

Insurers to help doctors, hospitals buy health IT

The Wall Street Journal: Health insurance companies are moving to help doctors and hospitals adopt electronic medical records with subsidies, bonuses for adoption and, in some cases, digital products to improve quality and disease management. "The lure: the estimated 80% of U.S. physicians and 90% of hospitals whose records are still on paper, and the $27 billion in federal stimulus money available to help these holdouts switch.

9 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 9, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include dispatches from the campaign trail, news of the President's weekly address and developments from the health care marketplace.

9 Aug 2010

Pharmacy Network transaction connectivity links myMatrixx, Starr Comprehensive Solutions at Texas A&M System

The Texas A&M University System's workers' compensation pharmacy benefit management strategy with Tampa, FL based myMatrixx, which integrates clinical pharmacy services with advanced technology to optimize recovery outcomes, features a collaborative connectivity arrangement assuring continuation of the Texas A&M System's compliance with state eBilling requirements.

9 Aug 2010

Active outreach may enhance kids’ ability to get health insurance

A new review of existing research suggests that health system workers can boost the number of children with medical insurance by providing application materials to parents and helping them fill out the forms.

9 Aug 2010

United Security Bancshares second-quarter net interest income increases 1.8% to $8.7 million

United Security Bancshares, Inc. today reported a net loss attributable to USBI of $348,000, or $0.06 per diluted share, for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010, compared with net income of $2.9 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, for the same period of 2009.

7 Aug 2010

BMS to join ranks of AIDS drug companies to offer price concessions

Bristol-Myers Squibb will soon announce an agreement that will provide additional cost savings to cash-strapped ADAPs nationwide. The agreement, with the ADAP Crisis Task Force (ACTF) of the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors, is expected to be announced any day. BMS has been the target of a sustained advocacy campaign led by AHF over its pricing of its key AIDS drug Reyataz.

7 Aug 2010

Will health savings trickle from your paycheck to social security?

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz writes: "If employers save money on health insurance because of the new health law, will they give their workers a raise? Absolutely, says a new report by the trustees of Social Security.

7 Aug 2010

Health reform law update: State lawsuits, implementation efforts attract attention

Today, 20 states and the National Federation of Independent Business are planning "to file their response to the government's attempt to dismiss their lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The Justice Department in June asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the U.S. District Court in Pensacola lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over some of the lawsuit's claims. ... A key issue raised by their lawsuit is whether the federal government can require individuals to purchase health care insurance and fine those who don't" (Kay, 8/6).

7 Aug 2010

Vemma joins with Presbyterian Hospital to provide ultra-premium nutrition for underprivileged children

Vemma Nutrition Company announces a partnership with Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina to provide ultra-premium nutrition to underprivileged children. Through Vemma's NEXT Helping Now Project, for each month's supply sold, the company donates a month's supply of its children's nutritional supplement, Vemma NEXT, to a child in need. Vemma will make ongoing donations to the Presbyterian Hospital Community Care Cruiser so children in need throughout Charlotte can receive proper nutrition.

7 Aug 2010

Aetna offers financial incentives to physicians who adopt electronic health record technology

Aetna Chief Medical Officer, Lonny Reisman, M.D., will attend the Health Industry Forum and present the insurer's plan to advance electronic health records adoption and meaningful use to help drive improvements in health care quality, cost and accessibility. To support this work, Aetna will, through its provider contracting process, offer financial incentives to physicians who achieve specific quality of care goals and who make investments in technology for implementation of an electronic health record.

7 Aug 2010

Upbeat Medicare solvency report quickly finds doubters

The new health law will buttress Medicare for a dozen more years than previously expected, according a report issued Thursday by the program's trustees, The Washington Post reports. But, "[t]he relatively bright picture of Medicare's future triggered immediate debate over whether the forecast by the trustees, all members of President Obama's Cabinet, is realistic.

7 Aug 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

One in five Americans visited ER in 2007

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Bringing down health care costs; More on the Medicare trustees report

Census Bureau releases schedule for 2009 income, poverty and health insurance estimates

DSS research survey reveals relationship between engagements, health literacy

Calif. considers reduction in funding for home care aides; Ill. union workers strike over health issues at uranium conversion plant

Researchers find disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections

Virginia Attorney General, Governor talk health reform mandate; Missouri vote still reverberating

Hemodialysis with AVF depends on patient’s health insurance: Study

Reports warn of new costs, gaps unfilled in health overhaul

Insurers to help doctors, hospitals buy health IT

First Edition: August 9, 2010

Pharmacy Network transaction connectivity links myMatrixx, Starr Comprehensive Solutions at Texas A&M System

Active outreach may enhance kids’ ability to get health insurance

United Security Bancshares second-quarter net interest income increases 1.8% to $8.7 million

BMS to join ranks of AIDS drug companies to offer price concessions

Will health savings trickle from your paycheck to social security?

Health reform law update: State lawsuits, implementation efforts attract attention

Vemma joins with Presbyterian Hospital to provide ultra-premium nutrition for underprivileged children

Aetna offers financial incentives to physicians who adopt electronic health record technology

Upbeat Medicare solvency report quickly finds doubters

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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