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Pilot project for Bulgarian electronic health card assigned to ICW and Cisco

Three general practitioners, five pharmacies, and 1,000 patients will be included in the pilot project for a national electronic health card in Bulgaria.

16 Jan 2007

Education, not income or race, is the most important indicator of health during old age

According to James Smith, a health economist for RAND, and other researchers, studies have found a link between a few additional years of education and longer life spans and large improvements in health during old age.

7 Jan 2007

Democrats plan to introduce bills addressing stem cell research, Rx benefit

House Democrats plan to introduce bills that would reduce restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and allow HHS to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies on prices for medications under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Wednesday, CQ Today reports.

7 Jan 2007

Half of consumer-directed health plan enrollees say they would be likely to switch plans if given the opportunity

Half of individuals enrolled in consumer-directed plans said they would switch out of the plans if given the opportunity, while about one-third of enrollees in more traditional employer-sponsored health plans said they would change their coverage if they had the chance, according to a survey released on Thursday.

2 Dec 2006

Government has overpaid private Medicare Advantage plans by billions of dollars

Incoming House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) on Thursday said that the federal government has overpaid private Medicare Advantage plans by billions of dollars, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

2 Dec 2006

Many cancer patients, family members cite positives in experience

Almost two out of three cancer patients and their families believe that "something good has come out of their experience," according to a recent telephone survey jointly conducted by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health (Szabo, USA Today, 11/21).

23 Nov 2006

New York Health Care Commission approves recommendations for financing changes

The New York Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century on Monday approved a list of policy recommendations that would change the way health care is financed in the state, the New York Times reports.

23 Nov 2006

Quality of life for dementia patients improved by occupational therapy

According to researchers in the Netherlands, occupational therapy improves the quality of life for dementia patients and their carers.

20 Nov 2006

Americans say smokers should pay more for health cover

According to a survey in the United States most people believe the health insurance system is in dire need of a fix; it is estimated that as many as 46.6 million Americans are uninsured.

15 Nov 2006

Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip

Osteoarthritis (OA) has a major impact on patients' mobility and quality of life but the anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat it are associated with a number of side effects.

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

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

Black Medicare beneficiaries "fare worse" than white beneficiaries

Black Medicare beneficiaries "fare worse" than white beneficiaries "even when they belong to the same health plan," an indication that health care disparities "cannot be attributed to individual, inferior doctors," according to a study published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Boston Globe reports.

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

Wal-Mart expands generic prescription drug discount program

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday announced plans to expand a generic prescription drug discount program introduced last month to 12 additional states, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 10/26).

26 Oct 2006

Consumer-driven health plans appear to reduce costs, but some plan beneficiaries forgo needed medical care

Consumer-driven health plans can help employers reduce health care costs but might lead some patients to forgo necessary care to save money, according to a study by RAND, the Washington Post reports.

24 Oct 2006

New Hampshire citizens health initiative to promote electronic prescriptions

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) and Citizens Health Initiative -- which includes doctors, pharmacists, insurers and representatives from hospitals -- on Thursday announced a goal for all doctors in the state to be able to use electronic prescription systems by 2008, Foster's Daily Democrat reports.

24 Oct 2006

Special bra designed for women who have heart surgery

A Canadian researcher has designed a special bra for women who have had heart surgery.

23 Oct 2006

Southern African Clinicians Society head calls for HIV testing in country to be required, confidential

Confidential HIV testing should be required for all people in South Africa so those who test positive can begin safeguarding their health immediately, Francois Venter, head of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, said at a news conference on Thursday, the Washington Post reports (Timberg, Washington Post, 10/20).

23 Oct 2006

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