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About 3 million lose health coverage in California

About 3 million poor Californians lost health benefits or access to health care, and thousands more lost their jobs due to state budget cuts imposed six months ago, according to a report released Thursday.

8 Jan 2010

Centene announces financial guidance for the year 2010

Centene Corporation announced today its 2010 financial guidance. As previously disclosed in our December 10, 2009 press release, the discussions below reflect anticipated start-up costs associated with the new Mississippi contract, announced pharmacy carve-outs in Indiana and Ohio, and the impact of January 2010 rate changes; but do not reflect the potential impact of federal healthcare reform.

8 Jan 2010

New Jersey nonprofit bucks the trend of skyrocketing health insurance costs

One New Jersey nonprofit is bucking the trend of skyrocketing health insurance costs while Congress wrangles with health care reform. Through an entrepreneurial business model, self-insurance and the use of a Voluntary Employee Benefits Association (VEBA), Community Access Unlimited (CAU) has limited increases in health insurance costs to just 3.3 percent in each of the last five years and saved more than $1 million during that time. CAU will have a 0.0 percent increase in 2010 and will expand coverage.

8 Jan 2010

Growth and profitability of health insurers continue to be under pressure

As health insurers struggle with pricing resistance from employers and decreases in enrollment in group health employee benefit plans, health insurer growth and profitability continues to be under pressure, according to a new industry forecast by Conning Research & Consulting.

8 Jan 2010

King Center to host second annual 'Health and Wellness Forum'

The King Center announced that it will officially launch the 2010 MLK Birthday Observance on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 by hosting and co-sponsoring its second annual “Health and Wellness Forum.” It is being co-sponsored by a $50,000 grant from Aetna, which also funded last year’s inaugural program.

8 Jan 2010

Study reveals members who had mental health diagnosis show improved outcomes

A recent study by Aetna Disability and Absence management of disability members who also had a mental health diagnosis showed that members spent an average of seven fewer days on disability when compared to an industry benchmark.

8 Jan 2010

Cinergy Health offers tips to prevent and combat obesity

Cinergy Health, a nationwide agency for guaranteed issue and short term major medical insurance programs, responds to a new statistic that shows obesity outranks smoking as the main concern in healthcare.

8 Jan 2010

Physicians can receive federal incentives for switching to electronic medical records

Chicago Tribune: "Beginning next year, physicians will be eligible for extra payments from federal health insurance programs upon implementing an electronic medical record system.

8 Jan 2010

Chamber of Commerce unleashes new health reform warning ads; other stakeholders emphasize affordability

"Business groups are continuing their air war against the health care overhaul efforts as Congressional Democrats inch closer to crafting the final plan." The coalition is led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which released new TV spots Thursday.

8 Jan 2010

Health care reform bill could penalize married couples

Various news organizations are detailing how specific provisions of the pending health overhaul bills could impact the budgets of states as well as some married individuals while also may be tweaked to make health coverage more affordable for the lowest earners.

8 Jan 2010

Nightingale Informatix and CPA sign license and distribution agreement

Nightingale Informatix Corporation ("Nightingale" or the "Company"), an application service provider (ASP) of electronic medical record (EMR) software and related services, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Canadian Patient Access Incorporated ("CPA") to offer health related services to Canadian patients, through doctors using electronic medical records in their practices.

7 Jan 2010

Uninsured patients struggle to access health care as hospitals end programs

Several news outlets report on uninsured patients and access to health care.

7 Jan 2010

Democrats 'very close' to health bill agreement

Reuters: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "said on Wednesday congressional Democrats were close to agreement on merging their healthcare bills but still faced challenges in blending the two approaches.

7 Jan 2010

Analysis: Medicare Part D has lessons for health reform

The Wall Street Journal: "Four years ago, the U.S. government offered subsidized prescription-drug insurance to 43 million elderly and disabled, the biggest expansion of government-backed health care in decades. Today, the program is working better than many expected."

7 Jan 2010

First Edition: January 7, 2010

Today's health policy news coverage focuses on the continuing efforts to blend together the House- and Senate-passed health reform bills and the key issues in play.

7 Jan 2010

Authors explain why health care reform initiative should include CER

The current health care reform bills approved by the House and the Senate seek to expand health insurance coverage while containing costs; however, the proposed policy changes are not guaranteed to improve health for individuals or society, according to a "Perspective" article by faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College in the Jan. 6 New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jan 2010

Nancy Pelosi holds brief press availability after House Democrats' meeting

Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a brief press availability with Chairman Charles Rangel, Chairman Henry Waxman, Chairman George Miller, and Chairwoman Louise Slaughter following their meeting this afternoon with President Obama at the White House to discuss health care legislation.

7 Jan 2010

NCPA offers lawmakers updated health care reform recommendations

With Senate and House leaders trying to craft a health care reform bill to send to the White House, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today offered lawmakers updated recommendations for the would-be final legislation.

7 Jan 2010

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal reports that House Democrats who favor a government-run public insurance plan on Tuesday signaled "they are willing to agree to a final health overhaul bill without a government-run health insurance option if other parts of the bill would fulfill the same goals."

7 Jan 2010