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Health issues create political flashpoints during GOP presidential primary debate

GOP candidates sparred during last night's face-off over a range of issues including the Massachusetts health law that Mitt Romney signed while that state's governor, family planning and contraception, and abortion.

24 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: A missing contraception question, Obama's budget blind spot, NEJM on Medicare Advantage

David Brooks and Gail Collins discuss the surprising role debates over contraception, abortion and unwed mothers have played so far in the campaign.

23 Feb 2012

Protests against NHS reforms results in a disciplinary meeting for a senior medical professional

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23 Feb 2012

Feds launch health insurance co-ops with $639 million in low-interest loans

Seven organizations received the funding, which is designed to advance the formation of health insurance co-operatives -- an alternative to the idea of a government-run public option and an entity to compete against private insurance plans.

23 Feb 2012

State officials debate whether, how to set up health exchanges

Lawmakers in Maryland, Nebraska and Kansas consider bills to advance or block the marketplaces; California officials wrestle with the nitty gritty of implementation.

23 Feb 2012

CMS unveils 2013 Medicare Advantage payment and policy guidelines

Federal officials said Friday that the trend toward relatively low premium charges and stable benefits will likely continue.

22 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 22, 2012

In today's health policy headlines, the Supreme Court added 30 minutes to the time allocation for next month's health law arguments. Also in the news, the federal government announced funding awards yesterday to help launch consumer-governed health plans in eight states.

22 Feb 2012

Essential benefits, health exchanges trigger questions, answers

Today's headlines include a range of stories about the implementation of the health law and related policy developments.

22 Feb 2012

Obama contraceptive rule reverberates through health care marketplace

Before the federal rule was advanced, the policies put in place by various states allowed employers room to manuever, The Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, the insurance industry fears it may be left holding the bag for this requirement, and the New York Times explores the market share of Catholic hospitals.

22 Feb 2012

State roundup: Calif. expands uninsured access, gives adult day care reprieve

Nearly two years before the federal health reform law kicks in, 10 California counties have expanded medical coverage to more than 250,000 people who were previously uninsured, according to new state data.

22 Feb 2012

Nebraska readies for exchange debate

Nebraska's state legislature is set to debate formation of a health insurance exchange as other states introduce measures that would extend exemptions on a controversial contraception rule in health reform to secular insurers and businesses, if they so choose.

22 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Medicare mudslinging, 'pound-foolish' doc fix and unrealistic death attitudes

For all its technological sophistication and hefty price tag, modern medicine may be doing more to complicate the end of life than to prolong or improve it. ... When families talk about letting their loved ones die "naturally," they often mean "in their sleep" - not from a treatable illness such as a stroke, cancer or an infection. ... While it's easy to empathize with these family members' wishes, what they don't appreciate is that very few elderly patients are lucky enough to die in their sleep.

22 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 21, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports about how the Supreme Court's consideration of the health law could prolong the fight over the sweeping measure.

21 Feb 2012

Administration touts health care tax credits for small businesses

White House officials on Thursday highlighted a budget proposal to spend $14 billion over a decade to expand a health care tax credit for small businesses, a move they say would benefit about 4 million workers this year.

18 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Patient satisfaction, community health centers as medical homes, analyzing controversial Medicare coverage

Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni compiles a selection of recently-released health policy studies and briefs.

18 Feb 2012

White House budget director stumbles on question about mandate

The health law's individual mandate is not a tax, the OMB director said under questioning at a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday, even though the administration has claimed the opposite in its defense of the law before the Supreme Court.

17 Feb 2012

Longer looks: GOP contraceptive amendment could have wider effect; The love of caregiving

In their latest move in the battle over contraception coverage, top Republicans in Congress are going for broke: They're now pushing a bill that would allow employers and insurance companies to pick and choose which health benefits to provide based simply on executives' personal moral beliefs. ... Last week, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) offered a "conscience amendment," to the law, pitching it as a way to allay religious employers' qualms about providing birth control to their employees.

17 Feb 2012

Eliminating key part of health care reform would lower number of Americans newly insured

A new RAND Corporation study concludes that eliminating a key part of health care reform that requires all Americans to have health insurance would sharply lower the number of people gaining coverage, but would not dramatically increase the cost of buying policies through new insurance exchanges.

17 Feb 2012

States and the health law: Wyoming exchange, N.H. compact legislation, Texas lawsuit

A Wyoming Senate committee has voted to advance a bill that would give lawmakers until 2013 to decide whether the state should create its own health care exchange. … A committee of state lawmakers, health-care representatives and members of the public has been trying to determine if it would be cost-effective for Wyoming to form its own exchange and how one would be managed (2/15).

17 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 16,2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include the latest reports on congressional efforts to block a cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

16 Feb 2012

Health Reform News and Research

Health issues create political flashpoints during GOP presidential primary debate

Viewpoints: A missing contraception question, Obama's budget blind spot, NEJM on Medicare Advantage

Protests against NHS reforms results in a disciplinary meeting for a senior medical professional

Feds launch health insurance co-ops with $639 million in low-interest loans

State officials debate whether, how to set up health exchanges

CMS unveils 2013 Medicare Advantage payment and policy guidelines

First Edition: February 22, 2012

Essential benefits, health exchanges trigger questions, answers

Obama contraceptive rule reverberates through health care marketplace

State roundup: Calif. expands uninsured access, gives adult day care reprieve

Nebraska readies for exchange debate

Viewpoints: Medicare mudslinging, 'pound-foolish' doc fix and unrealistic death attitudes

First Edition: February 21, 2012

Administration touts health care tax credits for small businesses

Research roundup: Patient satisfaction, community health centers as medical homes, analyzing controversial Medicare coverage

White House budget director stumbles on question about mandate

Longer looks: GOP contraceptive amendment could have wider effect; The love of caregiving

Eliminating key part of health care reform would lower number of Americans newly insured

States and the health law: Wyoming exchange, N.H. compact legislation, Texas lawsuit

First Edition: February 16,2012

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The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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