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First Edition: April 19, 2010

Today's headlines continue to explore and analyze the implementation and impact of the health reform law.

19 Apr 2010

Study reveals increased risk for cancer among Latino populations

New findings from epidemiology and observational studies show an increased risk for cancer among Latino populations, but unique demographic characteristics suggest the problem may be worse than currently known.

19 Apr 2010

Health Net of Arizona to sponsor 2010 March for Babies event

Health Net of Arizona is proud to sponsor the 2010 Arizona March of Dimes - March for Babies. For over 25 years, Health Net has supported the March of Dimes in its mission.

19 Apr 2010

Health insurance roundup: N.Y.'s high costs, COBRA concerns, high-risk pools

News outlets are covering various aspects of the health insurance industry, especially in light of health reform.

19 Apr 2010

Teenage Brits keen to escape recession by working overseas

A survey conducted on 1,500 young Brits in the age group of 18 to 30 years felt that they could improve their job prospects by emigrating on a temporary basis. The most popular destinations were Australia, US and Canada. Also popular were destinations New Zealand and Spain.

19 Apr 2010

Lack of health insurance to delay emergency treatment during heart attack: Study

Lack of health insurance and financial worries about the cost of care contributed to as much as a six-hour delay in seeking emergency care for a heart attack, according to a first-of-its kind study published April 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

17 Apr 2010

Research roundup: Revamping NCI Clinical Trials, reducing malpractice suits, health disparities persist

A National Cancer Clinical Trials System For The 21st Century: Reinvigorating The NCI Cooperative Group Program - The "system for conducting cancer clinical trials in the United States is approaching a state of crisis," according to this report on inefficiencies and funding issues faced by the NCI's Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program - which comprises 10 groups, more than 3,100 institutions, 14,000 investigators and more than 25,000 patients in clinical trials each year.

17 Apr 2010

HHS and CMS announce grants to improve enrollment of eligible AI/AN uninsured children in Medicaid and CHIP

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced grants to 41 health programs operated by the Indian Health Service; tribes and tribal organizations; and urban Indian organizations. The grants will help improve outreach and enrollment of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) uninsured children eligible for, but not enrolled in, their state's Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

17 Apr 2010

Harvard researchers' beef? Insurance companies owning fast food stock

Health.com/CNN: "The fast-food industry has long been under fire for selling high-fat, high-calorie meals that have been linked to weight gain and diabetes, but the financial health of the industry continues to attract investors -- including some of the leading insurance companies in the U.S. ... According to Harvard Medical School researchers, 11 large companies that offer life, disability, or health insurance owned about $1.9 billion in stock in the five largest fast-food companies as of June 2009. …"

17 Apr 2010

State round-up: Penn. Medicare advantage; N.J. cuts immigrant care; Hospitals face hardships

Independence Blue Cross has lost 30 percent of its Medicare managed-care members in the region this year in the wake of federal government rate cuts as its major competitors saw enrollment gains. The cuts came after the Philadelphia insurer eliminated some product offerings for senior adults and raised rates for others.

17 Apr 2010

Role of race and health insurance status in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment

Researchers at The GW Cancer Institute, with funding from the National Cancer Institute, examined the effect of race and health insurance status on diagnostic and treatment delays over a 5-year period, with initial screenings going back 12 years, and found that race may play a larger role than previously thought when it comes to optimal diagnosis and treatment of black women with breast cancer.

17 Apr 2010

Sen. Rockefeller casts 'a watchful eye' on insurers' accounting practices

Dow Jones Newswires/ NASDAQ: "A report released Thursday by the chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee cautioned against health insurers using 'creative accounting' to meet new requirements for the amount of premium dollars they spend on patient care." The requirement is that insurers spend 80 percent of the premiums they collect on patient care for small group and individual plans, and 85 percent for large group plans (Brin, 4/15).

17 Apr 2010

Health law help for those with preexisting conditions; IRS to enforce individual mandate through refunds

"Starting in July, a special high-risk pool will offer coverage to uninsured people with pre-existing health conditions at a cost similar to what everyone else pays. It's the first test of whether the administration can deliver on Obama's vision within the budget Congress set. But some vulnerable patients are probably going to feel a little cheated."

17 Apr 2010

States gear up for implementation, others continue to fight overhaul

Chillicothe Gazette/Gannett: "The spotlight on health care has shifted from the federal government, which wrote the recently passed overhaul legislation, to states, which will be in charge of much of the implementation. States will oversee the expansion of Medicaid, enforce the new insurance reforms and set up and run the new insurance 'exchanges' for small businesses and people who aren't offered coverage through an employer.

17 Apr 2010

COBRA subsidies continued, Medicare cuts delayed

President Barack Obama signed legislation Thursday night extending extra unemployment benefits through May, including subsidies to help the laid-off buy health insurance under so-called COBRA rules, The New York Times reports. "The measure, which would continue added unemployment benefits and other expired federal programs through May, will restore aid to thousands of Americans who had exhausted their benefits or whose eligibility was expiring. "

17 Apr 2010

Socioeconomic factors linked to rates and outcomes of stem cell transplantation for AML patients

The socioeconomic status of a country has long been considered a potentially significant factor in the availability of high-quality health-care interventions and even a determinant of long-term patient outcomes. A new study from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation reports that in Europe, socioeconomic factors have a direct correlation to the rates and outcomes of stem cell transplantation for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

16 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 16, 2010

Today's headlines highlight the passage of a temporary extension of jobless benefits -- including a COBRA subsidy -- and a directive issued by President Obama to extend medical rights for same-sex partners.

16 Apr 2010

Uninsured patients may delay seeking care for heart attacks

Patients who do not have health care insurance, or those with insurance but financial concerns about accessing health care, are more likely to delay seeking emergency care for a heart attack, according to a study in the April 14 issue of JAMA.

16 Apr 2010

HHS Secretary hosts webcast to discuss benefits of the Affordable Care Act

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office on Health Reform, will host a webcast Thursday, April 15, 2010 to discuss the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

16 Apr 2010

Senate Democrats move closer to passing bill that will delay Medicare pay cut slated for doctors

MedPage Today: Senate Democrats on Wednesday won a "key vote" toward delaying a 21 percent cut in physicians reimbursements from Medicare. Those cuts officially went into effect on April 1. On a 60-40 vote, the Senate agreed to exempt a provision to delay the cuts by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., "from a Senate rule that says all spending legislation must be paid for."

16 Apr 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

First Edition: April 19, 2010

Study reveals increased risk for cancer among Latino populations

Health Net of Arizona to sponsor 2010 March for Babies event

Health insurance roundup: N.Y.'s high costs, COBRA concerns, high-risk pools

Teenage Brits keen to escape recession by working overseas

Lack of health insurance to delay emergency treatment during heart attack: Study

Research roundup: Revamping NCI Clinical Trials, reducing malpractice suits, health disparities persist

HHS and CMS announce grants to improve enrollment of eligible AI/AN uninsured children in Medicaid and CHIP

Harvard researchers' beef? Insurance companies owning fast food stock

State round-up: Penn. Medicare advantage; N.J. cuts immigrant care; Hospitals face hardships

Role of race and health insurance status in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment

Sen. Rockefeller casts 'a watchful eye' on insurers' accounting practices

Health law help for those with preexisting conditions; IRS to enforce individual mandate through refunds

States gear up for implementation, others continue to fight overhaul

COBRA subsidies continued, Medicare cuts delayed

Socioeconomic factors linked to rates and outcomes of stem cell transplantation for AML patients

First Edition: April 16, 2010

Uninsured patients may delay seeking care for heart attacks

HHS Secretary hosts webcast to discuss benefits of the Affordable Care Act

Senate Democrats move closer to passing bill that will delay Medicare pay cut slated for doctors

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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