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Alaska is 20th state to join health reform lawsuit; Okla. and La. consider signing on

Alaska Republican Gov. Sean Parnell has said he will make Alaska the 20th state to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new health reform law, The Anchorage Daily News/McClatchy report.

21 Apr 2010

State Round Up: Colorado's medical marijuana dispensaries; Insurance discounts for wellness; Florida's pain clinic oversight legislation

Hundreds of new medical marijuana dispensaries have cropped up in Denver, Boulder and other Colorado cities, causing the state to stop accepting walk-up applications from people seeking cards that allow them to buy the plant, CNBC/USA Today reports. Would-be medical-marijuana consumers will now have to mail in their applications. "The changes are necessary due to the explosive growth in the number of medical marijuana applications," said a state health official.

21 Apr 2010

Regence takes action to prevent gap in health care coverage

Regence, the largest insurer in the Northwest/Intermountain Region, announced today that it is taking action to prevent a gap in coverage that could leave many young members uninsured.

21 Apr 2010

Feinstein bill would close 'enormous hole' in health reform but must be amended to cut industry influence: Consumer Watchdog

A health reform fix-it bill by Senator Dianne Feinstein that was debated in a Senate committee this morning aims at closing what Feinstein called an "enormous loophole" in the new federal law, allowing insurers to jack up rates on insurance policies that Americans will soon be required to buy.

21 Apr 2010

Some health insurers move to cover kids up to age 26 even earlier than law requires

Insurers will move even more quickly than required to keep young adults on their parents insurance plan, USA Today reports. "UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and WellPoint said they will put into effect some provisions of the new health care law ahead of schedule to let adult children stay on parents' plans until age 26." The reason for moving earlier than the Sept. 23 deadline? "[T]he companies said they are changing rules now to prevent young adults from falling into a coverage gap" (Young, 4/20).

21 Apr 2010

Florida House approves expanding Medicaid managed care; Kansas weighs proposal to raise nursing home fees

Calling the current system 'broken' and warning of long-term financial problems, the state House today approved a proposal that would gradually shift almost all Medicaid recipients into managed-care plans. The votes on two bills set the stage for the House and Senate to try to reach agreement on a Medicaid overhaul before the annual legislative session ends April 30.

21 Apr 2010

UnitedHealth's profits rise while future gains may be impacted by reform

The Associated Press: "Insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. trumped first-quarter earnings expectations and raised its 2010 profit forecast Tuesday, but a meager stock reaction showed investors haven't forgotten about the recently concluded health care reform push. The Minnetonka, Minn., insurer said it trimmed the percentage of premium revenue it spent on medical bills for its commercial insurance to 79 percent, down from 81 percent in last year's first quarter."

21 Apr 2010

Federal health reform implementation stirring up state politics and policies

The Denver Post: In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter is scheduled to sign an executive order Tuesday that "health care advocates say is key to turning the federal government's vague framework for reform into reality." The order "will create a board of health-policy advisers to guide the transition to a new health system — everything from setting up a state insurance exchange to making sure the insurance commissioner has authority to guard against companies rejecting someone for being sick."

21 Apr 2010

E-prescribing to grow as DEA eases regulation

The Wall Street Journal: "Doctors are increasingly prescribing medications electronically, abandoning the traditional paper scripts that can result in drug errors due to hard-to-read writing or coverage denials by a patient's insurer." E-prescribing tripled last year to 191 million according to the online prescribing leader Surescripts.

21 Apr 2010

Scam artists hawk fake insurance policies, prey on seniors

"[S]cam artists are working overtime. They're hawking fake insurance policies by preying on the fears and confusion that surround" the new health overhaul law, according to consumer advocates.

21 Apr 2010

A Selection of Today's Opinions: AIDS endures; Conservatives' changing views of the individual mandate; Concerns for doctors

AIDS endures right here in the U.S.A.: our outpatient clinics are bursting at the seams, and new cases show up daily. A million domestic stories are languishing untold, but they are not the operatic tragedies we have grown used to (Dr. Abigail Zuger, 4/19).

21 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 20, 2010

Today's headlines highlight coverage of the political implications of health reform as well as action taken by the nation's two largest insurers to meet a requirement of the new health law early.

20 Apr 2010

National health care reform package promises to reduce number of uninsured Americans

The national health care reform package signed by President Obama recently promises to significantly reduce the number of uninsured Americans. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 31 million Americans who are currently uninsured will gain health care coverage under the federal legislation.

20 Apr 2010

ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act now introduced in 42 states

Today, Florida House Joint Resolution 37—a constitutional amendment protecting a patient's right to pay directly for medical care, and prohibiting penalties for failing to purchase health insurance—passed the critical Rules & Calendar Council and is now slated for consideration by the full Florida House.

20 Apr 2010

Increased health care costs concerns 99.4% of employers

Results of the 2010 UBA Employer Opinion Survey indicate that nearly all (99.4 percent) top decision makers are concerned with the impact of health care costs are having or are going to have on their overall corporate costs, according to newly released data.

20 Apr 2010

Health law hits consumers, companies in complex ways

News outlets report on the new health law's impact on various segments of the population, including the self-employed, small business owners and seniors.

20 Apr 2010

Two large health insurers extend coverage to young adults

The Wall Street Journal / Dow Jones: Two large U.S. health insurers have announced plans "to keep young adults on their parents' policies before a new law requiring such action goes into effect, and the government is working to get others to do the same. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, citing the insurers' moves, said Monday her department is 'working hard with other insurers on similar proposals' and sent letters offering to assist them in such efforts.

20 Apr 2010

Consumers: How will health reform affect insurance premiums?

Las Vegas Sun: "Like many other Las Vegas Valley residents, Yvette Williams is hoping the new national health insurance law will choke down the siphoning of money from her family's budget." The family spends $12,000 a year on health care. "Because the new national health insurance law is supposed to give consumers more ways to get insurance, it's expected to force industry giants to offer more comprehensive plans at lower prices" (Kanigher, 4/19).

20 Apr 2010

Generex Biotechnology announces plan to obtain cost reimbursement coverage for Generex Oal-lyn

Generex Biotechnology Corporation, the leader in drug delivery for metabolic diseases through the inner lining of the mouth, today announced that it has established an action plan for obtaining cost reimbursement coverage for Generex Oal-lyn™, including the development of an insurance product that covers the costs of Generex Oral-lyn™ and any additional and/or comparable diabetes products.

19 Apr 2010

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy receives health insurance coverage

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) today announced its support of recent policy changes by Aetna Inc. and United Healthcare. The national health insurance giants will now cover laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, a newer method of bariatric surgery that is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment for morbid obesity.

19 Apr 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Alaska is 20th state to join health reform lawsuit; Okla. and La. consider signing on

State Round Up: Colorado's medical marijuana dispensaries; Insurance discounts for wellness; Florida's pain clinic oversight legislation

Regence takes action to prevent gap in health care coverage

Feinstein bill would close 'enormous hole' in health reform but must be amended to cut industry influence: Consumer Watchdog

Some health insurers move to cover kids up to age 26 even earlier than law requires

Florida House approves expanding Medicaid managed care; Kansas weighs proposal to raise nursing home fees

UnitedHealth's profits rise while future gains may be impacted by reform

Federal health reform implementation stirring up state politics and policies

E-prescribing to grow as DEA eases regulation

Scam artists hawk fake insurance policies, prey on seniors

A Selection of Today's Opinions: AIDS endures; Conservatives' changing views of the individual mandate; Concerns for doctors

First Edition: April 20, 2010

National health care reform package promises to reduce number of uninsured Americans

ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act now introduced in 42 states

Increased health care costs concerns 99.4% of employers

Health law hits consumers, companies in complex ways

Two large health insurers extend coverage to young adults

Consumers: How will health reform affect insurance premiums?

Generex Biotechnology announces plan to obtain cost reimbursement coverage for Generex Oal-lyn

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy receives health insurance coverage

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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