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Capsules: Single-Payer advocates hit capitol with new sense of reality; Minnesota, Not Florida, not Hawaii, is healthiest state for seniors

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Julie Rovner reports on the single-payer message on Capitol Hill: "Advocates for a single-payer "Medicare for all" health system are fanning out across Capitol Hill this week, lobbying members of Congress.

23 May 2014

State highlights: New abortion restrictions in Louisiana; aging gracefully in the Gopher State

A bill that could result in the shuttering of up to four of Louisiana's five abortion clinics overwhelmingly received full passage from the Louisiana Legislature Wednesday (May 21), and Gov. Bobby Jindal has indicated he will sign it into law. The legislation is, in part, based on a similar measure passed in Texas last year and led to the closing of several abortion clinics in that state. In its last legislative hurdle, the House concurred an amendment on Wednesday (May 21) that was added to the bill on the Senate side (Lane, 5/22).

23 May 2014

First Edition: May 22, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of the Senate Finance Committee vote to recommend Sylvia Mathews Burwell to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

22 May 2014

State highlights: Colo. targets non-compliant plans; San Francisco mental health program; age in place program in D.C.

A selection of health policy stories from Colorado, California, the District of Columbia and New York.

22 May 2014

Lawmakers probe hospital pay for short-stay patients

The House hearing was the first congressional inquiry into the consequences of Medicare's "two-midnight rule," which has drawn criticism from seniors and hospitals.

22 May 2014

Study provides key data on Americans’ understanding of long-term care system

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has released the results of a major survey on long-term care in the United States.

21 May 2014

First Edition: May 21, 2014

Today's headlines include status reports on the health exchanges in Nevada and Oregon.

21 May 2014

NIDA guides target both teens and parents with up-to-date science-based facts on marijuana

Two updated booklets about marijuana for teens and their parents will help families sort out marijuana myths from science-based facts. The revamped tools come from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

21 May 2014

Lung cancer screening guidelines could cost Medicare billions

A study of Medicare beneficiaries with a history of heavy smoking found that new lung cancer screening guidelines would likely double the proportion of lung cancers found at an early stage, but at a steep cost of more than $9 billion over five years.

16 May 2014

Medicare fraud strike force strikes again, arresting 90 people

A federal task force on Tuesday charged 90 people, including 16 doctors, with generating $260 million of false Medicare billings following raids in cities across the country.

15 May 2014

Eyeing presidential run, Rubio outlines Medicare plans

Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), considered a likely presidential candidate in 2016, on Tuesday called for structural changes to Social Security and Medicare as a way to control spending for both programs, which are growing steadily as the U.S. population ages.

15 May 2014

First Edition: May 14, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about consumer frustrations about cost and coverage issues that are emerging with the health law's implementation.

14 May 2014

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

Using inpatient data from an urban teaching hospital, we examined how elements of individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status influenced the likelihood of readmission ... Patients living in high-poverty neighborhoods were 24 percent more likely than others to be readmitted, after demographic characteristics and clinical conditions were adjusted for. Married patients were at significantly reduced risk of readmission, which suggests that they had more social support than unmarried patients. These and previous findings that document socioeconomic disparities in readmission raise the question of whether CMS's readmission measures and associated financial penalties should be adjusted for the effects of factors beyond hospital influence at the individual or neighborhood level, such as poverty and lack of social support (Hu, Gonsahn and Nerenz, May 2014).

12 May 2014

Expanding Medicaid access increases use of subspecialty surgical services in New York State

Researchers in the department of surgery at the University of Michigan have found that expanding access to Medicaid in New York State increased beneficiaries' use of subspecialty surgical services.

8 May 2014

House Democrats offer alternative mental health proposal

Many view the plan as controversial because it could hinder efforts toward bipartisan mental health reforms. Republicans offered their own measure about six months ago.

8 May 2014

First Edition: May 6, 2014

Today's headlines include news from Massachusetts that the state is scrapping efforts to fix its troubled health exchange and will start over -- from scratch.

6 May 2014

College graduation is a time to reassess health insurance

College seniors need to add one item to their "to-do" list as graduation approaches: check out their insurance options, the Los Angeles Times reports. Also, KHN examines California Latinos' interest in getting health care in Mexico--even if they have purchased U.S. insurance.

6 May 2014

Seniors News and Research

Capsules: Single-Payer advocates hit capitol with new sense of reality; Minnesota, Not Florida, not Hawaii, is healthiest state for seniors

State highlights: New abortion restrictions in Louisiana; aging gracefully in the Gopher State

First Edition: May 22, 2014

State highlights: Colo. targets non-compliant plans; San Francisco mental health program; age in place program in D.C.

Lawmakers probe hospital pay for short-stay patients

Study provides key data on Americans’ understanding of long-term care system

First Edition: May 21, 2014

NIDA guides target both teens and parents with up-to-date science-based facts on marijuana

Lung cancer screening guidelines could cost Medicare billions

Medicare fraud strike force strikes again, arresting 90 people

Eyeing presidential run, Rubio outlines Medicare plans

First Edition: May 14, 2014

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

Expanding Medicaid access increases use of subspecialty surgical services in New York State

House Democrats offer alternative mental health proposal

First Edition: May 6, 2014

College graduation is a time to reassess health insurance

Medicare proposes that hospitals provide more transparency on prices

Some Medicare beneficiaries have trouble getting extended nursing and therapy services

MobileHelp launches new medication reminder application

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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