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U.S., Africa HIV/AIDS epidemics deserve equal attention, funding

Over the last few years, the U.S. increasingly has "turned its attention" to the HIV/AIDS "crisis" in Africa even though in "large parts of this country, America is Africa," Patrick Moore, author of "Tweaked: A Crystal Meth Memoir," writes in a Long Island Newsday opinion piece.

7 Sep 2006

Massachusetts Connector sets rates for low-income health plans

The Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector on Friday voted 9-1 to approve health insurance rates for low-income residents under the state's new health insurance law, the Boston Globe reports (Kowalcyzk, Boston Globe, 9/1).

6 Sep 2006

Uninsured Latino children more likely not to get medical care

Writing in the September issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Flores, one of the country's foremost experts on multicultural health care issues, sought to identify the risk factors for and consequences of being uninsured in Latino children.

5 Sep 2006

Some parents have difficulties gaining access to insurance coverage for HPV vaccine Gardasil

Some parents seeking to vaccinate their daughters with Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil have experienced difficulty in obtaining it or getting it covered by health insurance, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Tanner, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/29).

1 Sep 2006

Next Massachusetts Governor will be responsible for implementing law requiring health insurance coverage

While Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has earned "widespread praise" for the state's "first-of-its-kind" law requiring all state residents to have health insurance by July 2007, the next governor will "shoulder much of the responsibility for whether the law succeeds," the Boston Globe reports.

1 Sep 2006

Md. Senatorial Candidate Mfume touts single-payer health care system

Former Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), a candidate for Maryland's Democratic Senate nomination, on Wednesday touted universal health insurance during an event at the University of Maryland Medical Center, at which he gained endorsements from Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Albert Wynn (D-Md.), the Baltimore Sun reports.

1 Sep 2006

Some large employers contract directly with medical groups to reduce health care costs

Investor's Business Daily on Monday examined how some large employers, such as Sprint Nextel and Waste Management, have begun "cutting the middleman in heath insurance" and have "signed direct-contracting deals with medical groups instead of insurers" to help reduce costs.

30 Aug 2006

Officials of the Christian Science Church seek recognition of faith healing under Massachusetts law requiring health care coverage

The Boston-based Christian Science Church is concerned that the Massachusetts law passed earlier this year requiring employers to provide health insurance to workers might not recognize the church's insurance plans that cover faith healing, the Boston Globe reports.

30 Aug 2006

Number of uninsured residents in Massachusetts has dropped 19% over the past two years

The number of uninsured residents in Massachusetts has dropped 19% over the past two years, according to results from a state survey released on Monday, the Boston Globe reports.

30 Aug 2006

Decline in participation in employer-sponsored health plans

Large companies that employ 1,000 or more workers are experiencing a decline in participation in employer-sponsored health plans because of increases in out-of-pocket costs, the Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Aug 2006

New Jersey Gov. Corzine signs bill to track company employees enrolled in public health insurance programs

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) this week signed a bill (S539) that will track how many employees at large companies are enrolled in the state's public health insurance programs, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

24 Aug 2006

Studies examine effects of hospital closures, affordability of coverage

The authors recommend that low-cost, nonhospital-based preventive care be promoted to reduce patient deaths after hospital closures.

24 Aug 2006

Michigan Civil Rights Commission rules that small businesses must include birth control coverage

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission on Monday ruled that businesses that have fewer than 15 employees in the state and offer comprehensive prescription coverage to their employees must cover birth control prescriptions, the Detroit News reports.

24 Aug 2006

Wisconsin Governor proposes tax deduction for employer premium contributions

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) on Wednesday announced a plan that would provide a tax deduction for individuals who with their employers share the responsibility of paying their health insurance premiums, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

20 Aug 2006

Massachusetts Agency proposes health care premium levels for low-income residents

The Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector, which is tasked under the state's new health insurance law with determining what premiums are affordable for low-income state residents, is proposing that the state's lower-income uninsured residents spend up to 6.6% of their income to purchase health coverage, the Boston Globe reports.

20 Aug 2006

Wal-Mart criticized for substandard wages and health care benefits

A number of Democrats this week in Iowa and this month nationwide have criticized Wal-Mart Stores, the largest private employer in the U.S., "for what they say are substandard wages and health care benefits," the New York Times reports.

17 Aug 2006

Implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS

The Kaiser Family Foundation today released a report on the implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS.

3 Aug 2006

Health disparities in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), a group of autoimmune diseases involving chronic inflammation of the joints, can adversely affect health-related quality of life, often into adulthood.

31 May 2006

A review of percutaneous kyphoplasty

A procedure that fills in fractured vertebrae with injected cement has not been shown to improve a person's back pain or quality of life, according to a new analysis of studies.

16 May 2006

Generosity of health insurance plans varies widely by state

Employees in the smallest firms (1-9 workers) pay an average 18% more in health insurance premiums than those in the largest firms (1,000+ workers), when actuarial value - the percentage of total medical expenses paid by a health plan - is taken into account, a new Commonwealth Fund-supported study finds.

10 May 2006

Health Insurance News and Research

U.S., Africa HIV/AIDS epidemics deserve equal attention, funding

Massachusetts Connector sets rates for low-income health plans

Uninsured Latino children more likely not to get medical care

Some parents have difficulties gaining access to insurance coverage for HPV vaccine Gardasil

Next Massachusetts Governor will be responsible for implementing law requiring health insurance coverage

Md. Senatorial Candidate Mfume touts single-payer health care system

Some large employers contract directly with medical groups to reduce health care costs

Officials of the Christian Science Church seek recognition of faith healing under Massachusetts law requiring health care coverage

Number of uninsured residents in Massachusetts has dropped 19% over the past two years

Decline in participation in employer-sponsored health plans

New Jersey Gov. Corzine signs bill to track company employees enrolled in public health insurance programs

Studies examine effects of hospital closures, affordability of coverage

Michigan Civil Rights Commission rules that small businesses must include birth control coverage

Wisconsin Governor proposes tax deduction for employer premium contributions

Massachusetts Agency proposes health care premium levels for low-income residents

Wal-Mart criticized for substandard wages and health care benefits

Implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS

Health disparities in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

A review of percutaneous kyphoplasty

Generosity of health insurance plans varies widely by state

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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