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State roundup: Single-payer bill advances in Vt. Legislature

A unit of American International Group, the New York-based insurance giant, agreed to pay restitution and a fine totaling $760,000 for selling faulty health insurance products in Massachusetts, under a settlement reached with state Attorney General Martha Coakley.

27 Apr 2011

In the statehouses: Localities vs. unions in Mass.; supporters to rally for SustiNet in Conn.

Massachusetts House lawmakers kick off a busy week on Beacon Hill Monday with full chamber negotiations over the state budget. ... The biggest point of contention in the budget is the DeLeo-backed provision giving cities and towns the ability to alter employee health plans without union approval. At least 50 Democrats have reportedly signed on to an amendment that would soften that provision.

26 Apr 2011

State roundup: Fla. hospitals divided public/private oversight; generous health benefits for Calif. elected officials

Hundreds of part-time elected officials throughout the Bay Area received full-time health care benefits in 2010 at taxpayer expense, with individual policies sometimes costing tens of thousands of dollars, according to government compensation data acquired by Bay Area News Group and published on its websites Sunday.

26 Apr 2011

Roundup: Idaho Gov.'s exchange/health law decision; Calif. exchange board meets; Iowa mental health plan

Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is no fan of the health care reform -- he was the first governor to sign legislation requiring his state to sue over President Obama's overhaul -- but said the bill state lawmakers passed in the 2011 session would have required Idaho to forego the creation of a state health insurance exchange.

22 Apr 2011

Roundup: Abortion opponents weigh strategy; Supreme Court reinstates case involving deaths at Va. hospitals

Republican legislatures across the country are passing tough new anti-abortion laws — and while abortion rights advocates believe the new laws are unconstitutional, they're not rushing to court to stop them. The reason: There's a decent chance they'd lose (Kliff, 4/20).

21 Apr 2011

State Roundup: Mass. considers new health payment system

The California Public Employees' Retirement System is negotiating a lucrative pharmacy benefits management contract with Caremark Rx Inc., a company being sued for defrauding the pension fund of tens of millions of dollars (Lifsher, 4/16).

18 Apr 2011

State roundup: Texas hospital tax; IBM challenges Vt. single payer

The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that the state can cut off medical assistance to legal noncitizens who have been in the country fewer than five years, clearing the way to implement a 2009 budget cut that had been stalled because of legal action.

12 Apr 2011

Hospital-owned practices winning over physicians

[Many doctors] are giving up ownership of their practices to become part of hospital-owned practices or larger groups with multiple specialties. ... Young doctors in particular are choosing to work for larger organizations rather than starting their own practices, they say.

8 Apr 2011

State News: N.Y. billing for disabled patients questioned

While the nation's attention has been focused on state worker battles in union strongholds such as Ohio and Wisconsin, quiet but consequential labor battles are breaking out in Kansas, Texas and other states where collective bargaining rights for public workers were weak or non-existent to begin with. The outcome of these confrontations will have a big impact.

8 Apr 2011

Mont., Conn. Govs want public option; Texas Gov. Perry opposes health insurance exchange

Three states have very different views on what they should do about the health reform law.

5 Apr 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet Infectious Diseases editorial describes the growing public concerns over a global rise in antimicrobial resistance. "Bearing in mind that our objective is to contain antibiotic resistance rather than eradicate it, several policies could be adopted to help guarantee a future for antibiotics," the editorial states, adding, "We need reliable data to tackle antibiotic resistance.

2 Apr 2011

Roundup: Minn. and Fla. weigh changes in programs for disabled, poor; Iowa lawmakers consider new abortion restrictions

Due to a shockingly large deficit, Gov. Rick Scott is planning to invoke his emergency powers and make deep cuts to the rates charged by group homes and case workers who help the developmentally disabled. Scott could announce a 15 percent rate cut as early as Thursday to close the $170 million budget gap in the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, according to lawmakers who were briefed Wednesday.

1 Apr 2011

Nurse staffing levels, safety net status both factors in patient outcomes

A new study finds that higher nurse staffing levels can lead to better patient outcomes. However, the study also found this to not always be the case at safety net hospitals. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Mirror reports on hospitals' efforts to reduce readmissions. And, in other news, new research has found that patients are less likely to fill prescriptions when doctors specify brand names instead of allowing generic substitutions.

28 Mar 2011

Hospital pricing, mergers grab headlines

In Texas, reports indicate that costs vary widely by hospital. Meanwhile, merger talks begin in Connecticut.

28 Mar 2011

Contention continues a year later

News outlets remark on the continuing ferocity of the health overhaul debate — even a year later — as its advocates and detractors continue efforts to advance or block the measure's implementation.

25 Mar 2011

Roundup: Calif. lawmakers mull bill to tighten hospital security; abortion measures continue to advance in various states

A California legislative committee gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill that would tighten security at hospitals and increase their requirements for reporting violent acts to the state.

24 Mar 2011

MicroRNAs may play a key role in future medicine

Since their discovery in the 1990s, microRNAs have proven to play a complex role in normal and abnormal functioning of many organ systems. In the April issue of Translational Research, entitled "MicroRNAs: A Potential New Frontier for Medicine," an international group of medical experts explores several themes related to our current understanding of microRNAs and the role they may play in the future of medicine.

24 Mar 2011

Roundup: HHS Secretary's ability to waive Medicaid requirements; Kansas seeks more funding for disability programs

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has broad legal authority to waive Medicaid maintenance-of-effort requirements, according to a memo from the Congressional Research Service to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.

23 Mar 2011

Roundup: Kan., Calif. budget cuts; Texas NICU costs; Katrina trial; Medco CalPERS contract 'dumped'

This list of programs cut in the California state budget includes a 10 percent reduction in what the state pays for Medi-Cal patients at all long-term care facilities $172.3 million and a 10 percent reduction in what the state pays to physicians who see people on Medi-Cal.

21 Mar 2011

Roundup: Texas attacks health law as Calif., Ind. hospitals cope with law's effects

At today's meeting of the House Select Committee on State Sovereignty, Republican lawmakers laid out a dozen bills — and a handful of different strategies — to prevent implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in Texas, and allow the state to operate Medicaid its own way.

19 Mar 2011