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Health plan members who participate in health and fitness-related activities have lower healthcare costs

Employers are increasingly looking to workplace wellness programs to motivate employees to play an active role in improving their health, thereby reducing overall healthcare costs. Deepak N. Patel, MD, Mmed, senior clinical specialist for Discovery Vitality, will present new findings indicating that health plan members who participated in health and fitness-related activities within an incentive-based health insurance wellness program had significantly lower healthcare costs.

10 Mar 2010

Idahoans buckling under soaring health care costs: No help from Idaho State Senate

Idahoans buckling under soaring health care costs didn't get any help from the Idaho State Senate tonight. In fact, with the passage of the Idaho Health Freedom Act (House Bill 391), they may have just made matters worse.

10 Mar 2010

Progressive activists picket health industry conference

Barb Zangre, of Pittston, Pa., leads a group of protestors pushing for health care reform. Health Care for America Now organized the rally Tuesday to coincide with an annual conference for health insurance executives in D.C. (Jessica Marcy/KHN)

10 Mar 2010

States struggle with strapped budgets, cuts to health programs

The Dallas Morning News: "Lawmakers have been thinking ahead to a massive shortfall, topping $10 billion, that's probably coming when they write the next budget in 2011. But state officials told them Monday that they'll have to fix a hole in the current budget, too.

10 Mar 2010

Obama attacks insurers, rallies public to press Congress to approve health reform

"The White House is mounting a stinging, sustained broadside against health insurance rate increases," The Washington Post reports, adding that President Obama "and his health secretary staged a two-pronged attack Monday in a stern letter to health insurance chief executives and a speech in which the president castigated insurance companies 22 times.

10 Mar 2010

Governor Kaine urges Hispanics to take part in the final push for health reform

Following President Obama's call on Congress last week to act now to pass health insurance reform, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued this Spanish-language video calling on Latinos to take part in the final push for health reform – reform that would benefit the Latino community.

10 Mar 2010

March of Dimes to receive 2010 Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award

March of Dimes will receive Research!America's 2010 Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award. The award recognizes March of Dimes' decades of successful advocacy for maternal and child health research and services.

10 Mar 2010

Dems discuss plans to advance health reform; Opposition steps up its game

"Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, predicted that the Congress would wrap up its healthcare bills for President Barack Obama's signature before lawmakers leave for a holiday recess." He said he believed "that we will have the bill on the president's desk by the time we leave on March 27th."

9 Mar 2010

Health overhaul policy tidbits

NPR: For those who have forgotten what the Senate's bill would actually do as the debate has turned to politics and procedure, "a short refresher" may come in handy. The legislation's main concepts include the requirement that individuals buy health insurance, a plan that would help eliminate pre-existing condition exclusions and spread risk more widely, and subsidies to help people buy coverage to meet the new requirement (Rovner, 3/9).

9 Mar 2010

Administration, health insurers point fingers at each other in premium hike dust-up

The Obama administration and insurance industry executives are continuing their battle over rate increases.

9 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 9, 2010

Today's headlines reflect the latest news on President Obama's effort to build support -- both among the public and lawmakers-- for his health plan. Meanwhile, the GOP pledges to make the reform face off a key issue in the midterm elections.

9 Mar 2010

PAF launches resource directory to assist underinsured consumers

Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) – a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases – with the Patient Action Council Delegates, unveiled The National Underinsured Resource Directory, which is intended to help underinsured individuals and families locate important resources and seek alternative coverage options or methods to cover their healthcare needs.

9 Mar 2010

Congress battles over broken health care system; Idaho's homegrown health care crisis may grow even worse

As Congress continues to battle over how to fix the broken health care system, Idaho's homegrown health care crisis may take a giant step towards growing even worse today. The controversial Idaho Health Freedom Act (HB 391) is up for a vote before the full state Senate today. AARP opposes the bill as it could wreak havoc on Idaho's health care system -- resulting in even higher premiums, while costing the state both money and jobs.

9 Mar 2010

HHS Secretary calls for health insurance companies to publicly justify proposed premium increases

In a letter to the CEOs of UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., Health Care Service Corporation and CIGNA HealthCare Inc., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called on the executives to publicly justify proposed health insurance premium increases. Sebelius’ letter comes after a meeting last week with these executives at the White House.

9 Mar 2010

Blue Care Networks of Michigan abandons its attempt to purchase PHP of Mid-Michigan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's subsidiary, Blue Care Networks of Michigan, abandoned its attempt to purchase Physicians Health Plan of Mid-Michigan after the Department of Justice informed the companies that it would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the acquisition.

9 Mar 2010

Consumer Watchdog calls for national freeze on health insurance rates and rate regulation

Consumer Watchdog called on President Obama to impose a national freeze on health insurance rates before health reform takes effect to protect consumers from premium hikes like the 39% increase recently announced by Anthem Blue Cross in California. The rate freeze is one of five tools Consumer Watchdog urged the president to include as part of his proposed fixes to the Senate health care bill.

9 Mar 2010

Sebelius reiterates call for insurer transparency

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Monday "called on managed-care companies to publicly justify rate increases." Meanwhile, President Obama "cited a recent Wall Street conference call as evidence that the industry is willing and able to price out some customers." Sebelius' action came on the heels of last week's White House meeting with the executives of a number of major health insurance companies.

9 Mar 2010

Medica Research Institute launched for applying innovation to healthcare delivery

Medica today announced the launch of the Medica Research Institute as a non-profit company that will serve as the research arm within the broader organization. Built on the principals of systematic investigation, some potential areas of study include health services research, comparative effectiveness research and clinical trial studies.

9 Mar 2010

Fact check: Do 15,000 people lose insurance every day?

CNN's Political Ticker blog fact checks a statement made by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. Sebelius said that "15,000 people a day lose their insurance."

8 Mar 2010

State of Pennsylvania awards Medicaid managed care contract to Aetna Better Health

The State of Pennsylvania notified Aetna that it has awarded a Medicaid managed care contract to Aetna Better Health,SM Aetna’s Medicaid business.

8 Mar 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Health plan members who participate in health and fitness-related activities have lower healthcare costs

Idahoans buckling under soaring health care costs: No help from Idaho State Senate

Progressive activists picket health industry conference

States struggle with strapped budgets, cuts to health programs

Obama attacks insurers, rallies public to press Congress to approve health reform

Governor Kaine urges Hispanics to take part in the final push for health reform

March of Dimes to receive 2010 Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award

Dems discuss plans to advance health reform; Opposition steps up its game

Health overhaul policy tidbits

Administration, health insurers point fingers at each other in premium hike dust-up

First Edition: March 9, 2010

PAF launches resource directory to assist underinsured consumers

Congress battles over broken health care system; Idaho's homegrown health care crisis may grow even worse

HHS Secretary calls for health insurance companies to publicly justify proposed premium increases

Blue Care Networks of Michigan abandons its attempt to purchase PHP of Mid-Michigan

Consumer Watchdog calls for national freeze on health insurance rates and rate regulation

Sebelius reiterates call for insurer transparency

Medica Research Institute launched for applying innovation to healthcare delivery

Fact check: Do 15,000 people lose insurance every day?

State of Pennsylvania awards Medicaid managed care contract to Aetna Better Health

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

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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