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U.S. voters in midterm elections spoke out 'resoundingly' about abortion, privacy

The outcome of the U.S. midterm elections "spoke so unambiguously about abortion that even the most intransigent antiabortionists should be able to construe the message: Voters do not want Big Brother opening the doors of private homes -- or the doctor's office -- and coercing people's most personal medical decisions," a Los Angeles Times editorial says.

14 Nov 2006

Bush Administration says it opposes Democrats' plan to allow Government to negotiate Medicare drug prices

The Bush administration will oppose any attempts by congressional Democrats to pass legislation that would authorize the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, the New York Times reports.

13 Nov 2006

FDA should return to 'science-based' agency

Congress this month likely will consider a bill to reform FDA, "but the legislation lacks the vision and depth needed for a real return to a science-based FDA," Susan Wood, a research professor for the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and former assistant commissioner for women's health at FDA, writes in a Boston Globe opinion piece.

13 Nov 2006

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

A new California law set to take effect in January 2007 "provides a glimpse of the type of government price controls the drug industry fears," the Boston Globe reports.

13 Nov 2006

Congress to focus on labor-HHS, other unfinished appropriations Bills during Lame-Duck session

Congress likely will focus on the fiscal year 2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and other unfinished spending bills during a lame-duck session that began on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 Nov 2006

Majority of Medicare beneficiaries satisfied with prescription drug plans

Three-fourths of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the prescription drug benefit are satisfied with their plans, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll, Wall Street Journal Online reports.

8 Nov 2006

WHO to tackle counterfeit medical products

On 15 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners will officially launch the first ever International Medical Products Anti-counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) and unveil the global plan to combat counterfeit medical products.

6 Nov 2006

USA Today examines issues Supreme Court will decide in challenge to federal abortion ban

USA Today on Monday examined how Congress' "power to limit the reach" of Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively barred state abortion bans -- by "restricting medical options for women" will be tested in the Department of Justice's appeal to the high court to uphold a federal law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion.

30 Oct 2006

Spanish patent victory favoring Ranbaxy on Atorvastatin unaffected

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited said today that recently, in two separate rulings, the Spanish courts (the Mercantile Court of Barcelona, No. 2) found Spanish patent ES 2,167,306 (counterpart of Pfizer's EP 409 281) to be invalid for lack of novelty.

30 Oct 2006

Former HHS Secretary Thompson says states will take lead on health care reform

Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, chair of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and a partner at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, on Thursday told reporters that states likely will take the lead on health care reform in the absence of federal action, CQ HealthBeat reports.

30 Oct 2006

Proposal to construct Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in South Carolina might delay Omnibus Bill

A proposal by to build a $70 million medical facility in Charleston, S.C., could stall efforts to pass an omnibus Department of Veterans Affairs bill before the end of the lame-duck session next month, CQ Today reports (Yoest, CQ Today, 10/27).

30 Oct 2006

Health care IT bill could increase costs by $416 million

America's Health Insurance Plans released a new study that found a provision in a health care information technology bill (HR 4157) passed earlier this year by the House could increase U.S. health care costs by as much as $416 million, CQ HealthBeat reports (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 10/27).

30 Oct 2006

Texas Comptroller calls for immediate end to social services contract citing mismanagement

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in a letter to lawmakers on Wednesday said a five-year contract with an Accenture LLP group that administers enrollment for Medicaid, the state's SCHIP program and other social services "must be ended" because of mismanagement, the Houston Chronicle reports.

30 Oct 2006

TennCare expanding efforts to acquire deceased beneficiaries' estates

TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid program, is "stepping up its efforts" to sell deceased beneficiaries' homes to "recoup some of the roughly $1 billion" annually that the state pays for long-term care, the Tennessean reports.

30 Oct 2006

FDA warns about risks of using decorative contact lenses

This Halloween season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again warning consumers about the serious risks of using decorative contact lenses without the appropriate involvement of an eye care professional.

30 Oct 2006

JAMA examines history of HIV testing

"HIV Screening in Health Care Settings: Public Health and Civil Liberties Conflict?" Journal of the American Medical Association: Lawrence Gostin, associate dean at the Georgetown University Law Center, in the Oct. 25 issue of JAMA examines the history of HIV testing and the new CDC recommendations regarding testing.

26 Oct 2006

Big pharma contributes millions to Republican congressional campaigns in close races

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how pharmaceutical companies are "pouring millions of dollars" into congressional campaigns in close races, "giving some Republicans a financial edge."

26 Oct 2006

Massachusetts Attorney General sues low-cost health insurer alleging unfair practices

Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly (D) on Monday filed a lawsuit against Texas-based HealthMarkets, which sells low-cost health insurance to small businesses and students in the state, accusing the company of deceptive marketing practices and improper denials of patient claims, the Boston Globe reports.

26 Oct 2006

Issues like abortion rights highlight ongoing debates over judicial activism, restraint

Although it is necessary to give some thought to what should be decided by judges and what should be determined by legislators, the "current fashion of framing substantive issues," such as abortion rights, "in terms of activism or restraint can only take you so far," Ann Althouse, law professor at the University of Wisconsin, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

24 Oct 2006

Portuguese Parliament approves referendum on loosening abortion restrictions

The Portuguese Parliament on Thursday approved a government proposal to hold a national referendum early next year aimed at loosening abortion restrictions in the country, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 10/19).

23 Oct 2006

Medical Legislation News and Research

U.S. voters in midterm elections spoke out 'resoundingly' about abortion, privacy

Bush Administration says it opposes Democrats' plan to allow Government to negotiate Medicare drug prices

FDA should return to 'science-based' agency

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

Congress to focus on labor-HHS, other unfinished appropriations Bills during Lame-Duck session

Majority of Medicare beneficiaries satisfied with prescription drug plans

WHO to tackle counterfeit medical products

USA Today examines issues Supreme Court will decide in challenge to federal abortion ban

Spanish patent victory favoring Ranbaxy on Atorvastatin unaffected

Former HHS Secretary Thompson says states will take lead on health care reform

Proposal to construct Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in South Carolina might delay Omnibus Bill

Health care IT bill could increase costs by $416 million

Texas Comptroller calls for immediate end to social services contract citing mismanagement

TennCare expanding efforts to acquire deceased beneficiaries' estates

FDA warns about risks of using decorative contact lenses

JAMA examines history of HIV testing

Big pharma contributes millions to Republican congressional campaigns in close races

Massachusetts Attorney General sues low-cost health insurer alleging unfair practices

Issues like abortion rights highlight ongoing debates over judicial activism, restraint

Portuguese Parliament approves referendum on loosening abortion restrictions

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