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Exchange dynamics will dictate consumers' experiences, costs

Health law advocates frequently say health insurance will cost less as a result of the health law, but news outlets report that a downside could be less choice.

24 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 23, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "Nearly 50 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled. The 2010 health care law, known as the Affordable Care Act, will make some changes to the program.

23 Sep 2013

Falls are the leading cause of injuries in older populations

One of the top reasons for trauma admission at Vanderbilt University Medical Center may come as a surprise: falls.

23 Sep 2013

New Hampshire seniors favor Medicare home health services, oppose Medicare payment cuts

New Hampshire's home health leaders today released new polling data on New Hampshire seniors' opinions on the value of skilled home healthcare services in the Medicare program and proposed cuts that threaten to reduce Medicare payments by an unprecedented 14 percent. The survey polled 549 New Hampshire registered voters aged 65 and older.

21 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Rove warns GOP that defunding could be 'self-defeating;' Jonathan Cohn says latest Obamacare fight reveals Republicans' will to overlook gains from law

Today, independents look more like Republicans than Democrats, especially when it comes to health care. In a new Crossroads GPS health-care policy survey conducted in 10 states likely to have competitive Senate races and in House districts that lean Republican or are swing seats, 60 percent of independents oppose President Obama's Affordable Care Act. If this holds through 2014, then Republicans should receive another big boost in the midterms. There is, however, one issue on which independents disagree with Republicans: using the threat of a government shutdown to defund ObamaCare (Karl Rove, 9/18).

20 Sep 2013

Reprieve over? Health spending projected to climb 6% next year

The nation's health care spending is slated to rise about 6 percent next year, according to a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report. This follows five years of slower growth expected to end as the nation's economy recovers and the health law expands coverage. The spending increase is likely lower than it would have been, however, if the Supreme Court hadn't allowed states to choose whether to expand Medicaid, researchers wrote.

20 Sep 2013

Uthealth receives funds to establish Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science

The University of Texas School of Public Health has received $20 million in funding from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today as part of an ongoing interagency partnership.

20 Sep 2013

White House takes steps to assure consumers about safety of insurance marketplaces

The announcement of anti-fraud measures, part of a coordinated federal effort to protect consumers, came after a House committee warned of "risks of fraud and misinformation" in efforts to enroll millions of people eligible for subsidized insurance in new online marketplaces.

19 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 19, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about future health spending projections from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Actuaries as well as the latest on the upcoming House vote on a stopgap funding measure that would also defund the health law.

19 Sep 2013

Gentiva, Harden enter into definitive merger agreement

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., the largest provider of home health and hospice services in the United States based on revenue, and Harden Healthcare Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of home health, hospice and community care services, announced today that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Gentiva will acquire Harden.

19 Sep 2013

Seniors' loss of driving independence negatively affects their ability to work

For many senior drivers, it is only a matter of time before they are forced to give up their car keys due to failing eyesight or other health issues. Now, University of Missouri researchers have studied how aging adults' driving cessation influences their work and social lives.

19 Sep 2013

Inhaled corticosteroid increases risk for pneumonia reoccurrence

A University of Alberta researcher says health professionals should be cautious about prescribing inhaled corticosteroids to high-risk patients such as pneumonia survivors, citing a twofold risk for repeat infection.

19 Sep 2013

UAB paper suggests that physical activity, exercise important for healthy aging

A clinical review from geriatricians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests that mobility limitations are a litmus test for healthy aging and urges primary care physicians to take a more aggressive role in ascertaining the mobility of their older patients.

18 Sep 2013

Health insurance exchange news: Investors say 4 million Americans will initially enroll

This number is well below the Congressional Budget Office's prediction of seven million. Meanwhile, USA Today reports that many Americans will pay less than $100 a month in premiums, based on an HHS report to be released today.

18 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 17, 2013

Today's headlines include stories detailing how the health law's new online insurance marketplaces will work.

17 Sep 2013

Extreme binge drinking common among high school seniors

Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

17 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: GOP willing to move to default if they can't cripple health law; it's time to figure out if workplace wellness programs work

This year, as has been the case so often in the past, their target is President Obama's health care reform law. If it is not repealed or defunded or delayed or otherwise left bleeding in the public square, they will not pass a spending bill needed to keep the government open past Sept. 30. And if that doesn't cripple the health law (which it won't), they will resort to the far more serious threat of default, refusing to raise the nation's debt ceiling, no matter the catastrophe that would cause (9/14).

17 Sep 2013

NJIT student team to develop innovative interactive toys for autistic children

NJIT Distinguished Professor Atam P. Dhawan, PhD, recently joined the autism community at the NJ State House to be recognized for improving public and private autism services.

17 Sep 2013

Federal data system for health exchanges passes a test

Reuters reports this system has now been tested and certified as secure. Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly confused by the media blitz surrounding the law's new online insurance marketplaces.

13 Sep 2013

The final push for Obamacare

News outlets report on the ambitious plans of a handful of health insurance co-ops starting from scratch after being funded by the law, how smokers may be charged higher premiums if they don't take cessation classes and the challenge of explaining the law in multiple languages.

13 Sep 2013