Medical Legislation News and Research

RSS

Wall Street Journal examines concerns over limits of HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday examined how forms that outline the medical privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act "essentially detai[l] the many ways a doctor can use and disclose medical information -- often without a patient's consent or knowledge" -- and how patients who visit physician offices, hospitals and pharmacies mistakenly "assume signing somehow protects their privacy".

23 Oct 2006

Sen. Grassley seeks funding extension for hospitals to ensure Medicare reimbursements reflect local wages

Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday said that during the lame-duck session of Congress he will seek a six-month extension of a provision -- Section 508 of the 2003 Medicare law -- that allows reclassification of certain hospitals into different geographic regions for the application of the wage index to receive higher reimbursements, CQ HealthBeat reports.

23 Oct 2006

Wyo. Gubernatorial Candidate Hunkins will seek abortion ban if Roe overturned, mandate 25-year sentences for assaults on pregnant woman

Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Ray Hunkins (R) on Wednesday said he anticipates the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn its ruling in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case -- which effectively barred state abortion bans -- adding that if such a ruling is made, he will seek to ban abortions in the state except in cases protecting the health of pregnant women, the AP/Casper Star Tribune reports.

22 Oct 2006

New York State Court of Appeals upholds contraceptive coverage law

The New York State Court of Appeals on Thursday voted 6-0 to uphold rulings by the New York Supreme Court and the Appellate Division to leave intact a state law that requires employers -- including the Roman Catholic Church and other religious organizations -- who offer prescription drug plans to provide coverage for FDA-approved contraceptives for women, the New York Times reports.

22 Oct 2006

Kaiser Permanente ordered to reinstate benefits it illegally canceled

The California Department of Managed Health Care on Wednesday ordered Kaiser Permanente to reinstate coverage for an individual policyholder because the insurer's cancellation of the coverage was illegal, the Los Angeles Times reports.

22 Oct 2006

FFTC and FDA act against internet vendors of fraudulent diabetes treatments

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), working with government agencies in Mexico and Canada, have launched a drive to stop deceptive Internet advertisements and sales of products misrepresented as cures or treatments for diabetes.

19 Oct 2006

African Union adopts reproductive health rights policy

African Union health ministers meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, last week adopted a policy framework to address sexual and reproductive health and rights but did not agree on how to address the issue of unsafe abortions, resolving to allow each member state to handle the issue separately, Lilongwe's Chronicle/AllAfrica.com reports.

19 Oct 2006

Japanese Government considers supporting assisted reproductive technologies

The Japanese government will consider potential legislation to support assisted reproductive technologies, including surrogate pregnancies, for infertile couples, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said during a news conference on Monday, the Kyodo News/Yahoo! News reports.

19 Oct 2006

HHS should ensure abstinence education material used by Federal grantees contains accurate information on condoms, STIs

The Government Accountability Office's general council office on Wednesday released a legal opinion saying that under the Public Health Service Act, HHS should ensure abstinence education material prepared and used by groups receiving federal funding includes accurate information on sexually transmitted infections and the effectiveness of condoms, CQ HealthBeat reports.

19 Oct 2006

Hospitals taking steps to limit ED patient 'boarding'

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how a "growing number of hospitals are taking steps" to limit the practice of "boarding," in which hospitals admit emergency department patients when no rooms are available and leave them in hallways for extended periods of time.

19 Oct 2006

Increased Ryan White CARE Act funding to rural areas should not come at expense of urban areas

Reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides funding for HIV/AIDS programs in the U.S., has stalled in Congress for months because of the "cynical assumption that a Solomon-like choice must be made between two groups of states," a Newark Star-Ledger editorial says.

17 Oct 2006

Los Angeles Times examines Proposition 85

The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday examined Proposition 85, a California ballot measure that would require physicians to notify a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor (Hall, Los Angeles Times, 10/17).

17 Oct 2006

Abortion-rights, women's groups endorse Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Patrick

NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and other abortion-rights and women's groups on Thursday announced that they will support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick (D), the AP/Boston Globe reports.

16 Oct 2006

New Jersey law for postpartum depression screening

A bill (S 213) signed into law in April by New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) that requires health care providers to screen women who recently have given birth for postpartum depression and teach women and their families about the condition took effect Tuesday, the Bergen Record reports.

16 Oct 2006

Violence against women 'severe, pervasive' worldwide

Violence against women is "severe and pervasive" worldwide, with at least one in three women experiencing abuse by an intimate partner at some point in their lives, according to a U.N. report, the SAPA/Independent Online reports.

16 Oct 2006

Michigan Gubernatorial candidate DeVos 'thrilled' if state could enforce abortion ban

Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos (R) on Thursday during a radio interview said he would be "thrilled" if Michigan were to reinstate a state law that banned abortion except to save a pregnant woman's life "[a]s soon as Roe v. Wade" -- the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively barred state abortion bans -- "is overturned, which I think we all pray it will be".

16 Oct 2006

Scalia says Liberal Judges have improperly established abortion rights

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Sunday during a debate with American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen said that liberal judges have inappropriately established rights such as abortion, the AP/ABC News reports.

16 Oct 2006

Groups supporting, opposing South Dakota abortion ban conducting different campaign strategies

Supporters of a law (HB 1215) banning abortion in South Dakota except to save a woman's life recently have been staging "high-profile" activities throughout the state in their campaign to urge voters to uphold the ban in the November election, Reuters reports.

16 Oct 2006

Judge declares mistrial in case against Wyeth's Prempro

A judge in a Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia on Wednesday declared a mistrial in a case in which a jury ruled that the use of Wyeth's combination hormone replacement therapy Prempro in part caused breast cancer to develop in a 66-year-old woman, the Wall Street Journal reports.

16 Oct 2006

New Jersey Senate committee approves measure that would establish needle-exchange program in six cities

The New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted 8-6 to approve a compromise version of a bill (S 494) that would establish a needle-exchange program in six cities and provide $10 million to drug treatment programs in the state, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

16 Oct 2006

Medical Legislation News and Research

Wall Street Journal examines concerns over limits of HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule

Sen. Grassley seeks funding extension for hospitals to ensure Medicare reimbursements reflect local wages

Wyo. Gubernatorial Candidate Hunkins will seek abortion ban if Roe overturned, mandate 25-year sentences for assaults on pregnant woman

New York State Court of Appeals upholds contraceptive coverage law

Kaiser Permanente ordered to reinstate benefits it illegally canceled

FFTC and FDA act against internet vendors of fraudulent diabetes treatments

African Union adopts reproductive health rights policy

Japanese Government considers supporting assisted reproductive technologies

HHS should ensure abstinence education material used by Federal grantees contains accurate information on condoms, STIs

Hospitals taking steps to limit ED patient 'boarding'

Increased Ryan White CARE Act funding to rural areas should not come at expense of urban areas

Los Angeles Times examines Proposition 85

Abortion-rights, women's groups endorse Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Patrick

New Jersey law for postpartum depression screening

Violence against women 'severe, pervasive' worldwide

Michigan Gubernatorial candidate DeVos 'thrilled' if state could enforce abortion ban

Scalia says Liberal Judges have improperly established abortion rights

Groups supporting, opposing South Dakota abortion ban conducting different campaign strategies

Judge declares mistrial in case against Wyeth's Prempro

New Jersey Senate committee approves measure that would establish needle-exchange program in six cities

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News