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Social Security benefits play major role in leading older men to work longer: Study

The decline in the generosity of Social Security benefits for workers who recently reached their 60s has been the leading cause of the trend toward delayed retirement of older men, a new national study suggests.

5 May 2010

The practice of medicine: Changes are evident -- From med school training and technology to concierge medicine

Kaiser Health News, in partnership with The New York Times, explores what medical students are taught about health care costs: "Doctors in training have traditionally been insulated from information about the cost of the tests and treatments they order for patients — in fact, for decades, the subject was virtually taboo when professors and trainees discussed treatment decisions during hospital rounds.

5 May 2010

Deloitte Survey: Consumers still profess to know very little about health care system in the U.S.

Following widespread media coverage of health care reform, political debates and legislative initiatives over the past year, consumers still profess to know very little about the health care system in the United States, according to the 3rd Annual Deloitte Center for Health Solutions Survey of Health Care Consumers.

5 May 2010

Health IT Roundup: Many obstacles, much promise

The Boston Globe: There is a lingering "professional resistance to electronic records systems that computerization advocates say threatens the goals of the new health care overhaul law. These advocates argue that using computers to track what care patients receive, for instance, is vital to deciding what medications and treatments work best."

5 May 2010

Most women pay for abortions out of pocket; Okla. and Fla. abortion restrictions in the news

"Most women getting abortions pay for them out of their own pockets, with private insurers picking up the cost for just 12%, according to a new survey" from the Guttmacher Institute. The Journal adds that abortion coverage was "a flash point" in the health reform debate, "with abortion opponents seeking to block plans that include abortions from the new federally mandated insurance exchanges set to launch in 2014."

5 May 2010

Clinical preventive services can reduce death rates

"Prevention is the best medicine," the saying goes. According to a new study, increasing the use of that medicine could prevent a significant number of adult deaths annually.

5 May 2010

High risk pools, medical loss ratios and other health law implementation issues

News outlets report on state high risk pools and other implementation issues for the new health law.

5 May 2010

Health law program may benefit early retirees, big firms

A health law program that will go into effect next month will steer $5 billion to buttress employer-sponsored health plans for retirees who are not yet old enough to qualify for Medicare and have no other options for buying coverage, The Associated Press reports.

5 May 2010

Cerner, Fort HealthCare collaborate to create connected health community

Cerner Corporation announced a strategic partnership with Fort HealthCare, an integrated hospital and health system in Fort Atkinson, Wis., to create a connected health community. Fort HealthCare will work with Cerner to improve the quality of care and make care processes more efficient for more than 120,000 residents in the organization's service area through the use of Cerner Millennium® solutions.

4 May 2010

First Edition: May 4, 2010

Today's headlines include stories about parts of the new health reform law dealing with long-term care, high risk insurance pools and early retiree health insurance.

4 May 2010

Consumer Reports Health lays out next steps for consumers in variety of situations

With health reform now the law of the land, Consumer Reports Health lays out next steps for consumers in a variety of situations - those who are currently insured; Medicare and Medicaid recipients; people with pre-existing conditions; parents of children with pre-existing conditions; parents of uninsured young adults; and people who develop serious illnesses.

4 May 2010

Literacy-related barriers affect retention in Medicaid program for children: Research

Simplifying Medicaid renewal applications may help families keep their children enrolled in the government health insurance program, resulting in better medical care, according to research to be presented Saturday, May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

4 May 2010

Tart cherries reduce osteoarthritis pain

Arthritis affects about one-quarter of Americans and has been called "the coming epidemic" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 67 million adults are expected to be afflicted by 2030. May is National Arthritis Month and experts like registered dietitian Dave Grotto want Americans to take a food-first approach to managing arthritis pain.

4 May 2010

PTSD symptoms more common among childhood cancer survivors

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

Young adult survivors of childhood cancer more likely to develop PTSD: Study

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

Kids' health can suffer when parents must choose between health care and basic necessities

"The health of children is harmed when families are forced to choose between medical care and basic household necessities such as food, rent and utilities, a new study found," HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report writes. "The study included 6,447 low-income caregivers with children ranging in age from newborn to 3 years.

3 May 2010

California community health centers face potentially crippling budget cuts

North Bay (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Business Journal: "While community health centers are widely seen as winners with the passage of a sweeping health bill in late March, such centers in California face potentially crippling state budget cuts, which could offset potential gains that won't take effect until 2014, according to clinic directors throughout the North Bay.

3 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: The end of insurance rescissions, lessons from the health care rollout and the deficit panel's tough decisions

A lot of people laughed when Sue Lowden, the Nevada Republican running for the U.S. Senate, suggested last month that people start paying for their medical care with chickens. I didn't (Jonathan Cohn, 5/3).

3 May 2010

States decide on risk pools as first major health law decision

Politico reports that establishing high-risk insurance pools, the first major decision after the enactment of health care reform, "has come and gone with the decisions so far made mostly along party lines." Many Democratic governors "decided to help the Department of Health and Human Services by creating the pools themselves with federal funding.

3 May 2010

First Edition: May 3, 2010

Today's headlines include analysis of how this year's health reform debate is shaping other national policy initiatives and the upcoming mid-term elections.

3 May 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Social Security benefits play major role in leading older men to work longer: Study

The practice of medicine: Changes are evident -- From med school training and technology to concierge medicine

Deloitte Survey: Consumers still profess to know very little about health care system in the U.S.

Health IT Roundup: Many obstacles, much promise

Most women pay for abortions out of pocket; Okla. and Fla. abortion restrictions in the news

Clinical preventive services can reduce death rates

High risk pools, medical loss ratios and other health law implementation issues

Health law program may benefit early retirees, big firms

Cerner, Fort HealthCare collaborate to create connected health community

First Edition: May 4, 2010

Consumer Reports Health lays out next steps for consumers in variety of situations

Literacy-related barriers affect retention in Medicaid program for children: Research

Tart cherries reduce osteoarthritis pain

PTSD symptoms more common among childhood cancer survivors

Young adult survivors of childhood cancer more likely to develop PTSD: Study

Kids' health can suffer when parents must choose between health care and basic necessities

California community health centers face potentially crippling budget cuts

Today's Opinions and Editorials: The end of insurance rescissions, lessons from the health care rollout and the deficit panel's tough decisions

States decide on risk pools as first major health law decision

First Edition: May 3, 2010

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

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