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Underinsured face daunting medical bills, look for help from Congress

"While much of the American health care discussion has focused on providing coverage to the country's 46 million uninsured, there is growing concern about millions more who are underinsured, or whose policies require them to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket before coverage kicks in," The Sacramento Bee reports.

11 Aug 2009

Number of uninsured California kids may double

A new deal to balance California's budget may have serious repercussions for the health of the state's children, while South Carolina grapples with health cuts of its own. Meanwhile, New Jersey may become one of the first states to publically disclose hospital errors.

3 Aug 2009

Polls find public support for health overhaul losing steam

Over the past five weeks, support has declined "particularly among those who already have insurance, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found, amid prolonged debate over costs and quality of care," The Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Jul 2009

Obama addresses Ghana's parliament, reiterates U.S. global health initiative

During his visit to Ghana over the weekend, President Obama praised the country for its achievements while calling on African leaders to take responsibility for the future of the continent, CNN reports. "Despite the progress that has been made - and there has been considerable progress in parts of Africa - we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled," Obama said during a speech before the Ghanaian parliament (7/11).

13 Jul 2009

Insect venom shots work for severe "local" sting reactions, too

The same bee and other insect venom shots that doctors use to prevent deadly systemic reactions to insect stings can also tone down large local allergic reactions that, while not dangerous, can be painful and inconvenient, a Johns Hopkins study shows. Results of the study are published in the June 2009 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

29 Jun 2009

California Rulings: State can cut Medi-Cal benefits but not home care wages

"A federal judge on Thursday blocked a $2 hourly wage cut for California in-home care workers that was slated to begin July 1, potentially increasing California's budget deficit by another $98 million," The Sacramento Bee reports.

29 Jun 2009

Ex-Senate leaders craft bipartisan health care compromise

"Democrats Tom Daschle and George Mitchell are set to join Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker on Wednesday to release a $1.2 trillion proposal that would be fully paid for with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases," the Associated Press reports.

18 Jun 2009

California official details proposed health care cuts in Schwarzenegger's budget plan

California Department of Finance Chief Deputy Director Ana Matosantos on Tuesday discussed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) plans to address the state budget deficit in part by cutting Medi-Cal spending and eliminating Healthy Families, the Sacramento Bee reports.

27 May 2009

Yolo County, Calif., approves proposal to cut funding for health care services to undocumented immigrants

Yolo County, Calif., Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a proposal to cut county funding for health care services for undocumented immigrants in an effort to save the county more than $1 million, the Sacramento Bee reports (Sangree, Sacramento Bee, 5/20).

22 May 2009

Asthma linked to lack of vitamins A and C in the diet

A review of published scientific studies carried out by British researchers has revealed that people with low levels of the vitamins A and C were more likely to suffer from asthma.

16 Apr 2009

Minorities more likely than others in California to be uninsured, families USA Survey finds

Minorities in California are more likely than others to be uninsured in the last two years, according to a Families USA survey released last week, the Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Apr 2009

Expert says gross over-reaction to peanuts to blame for 'nut hysteria'

A Professor at Harvard Medical School suggests many people today are over-reacting to the threat of peanut allergies in children.

17 Dec 2008

New advances in diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases

Researchers are presenting more than 450 abstracts on investigational findings in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 6-11. Following are highlights of some key studies in allergy-immunology.

11 Nov 2008

The interaction between genes and behavior

Our DNA determines a lot about who we are and how we play with others, but recent studies of social animals (birds and bees, among others) show that the interaction between genes and behavior is more of a two-way street than most of us realize.

7 Nov 2008

Music therapy reduces stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy

Music therapy can reduce psychological stress among pregnant women, according to research just published in a special complementary and alternative therapy medicine issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.

6 Oct 2008

Proposed medical loss ratio requirement in California would not address rising health care costs, insurers say

California health insurers say legislation that would require them to spend at least 85% of premium revenue on health benefit expenses would not address the underlying causes of rising health care costs or improve the quality of care, the Wall Street Journal reports.

4 Sep 2008

Women who give birth at California hospitals serving mostly minority, low-income patients less likely than others to breastfeed

Women who give birth at California hospitals serving mostly non-white, low-income women and children are less likely to breastfeed than women who give birth at other hospitals around the state, according to a report released from the University of California-Davis Human Lactation Center and the California WIC Association, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports (Dean, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 9/2).

4 Sep 2008

Woman dressed as bumble bee gives birth without realising she was pregnant

A British woman 'out on the town' on a friend's hen night in Blackpool, has given birth to a baby without realising she was pregnant.

10 Jun 2008

Eliminating Medicaid dental benefits could lead to more costly treatment for California residents, report finds

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) proposal to eliminate dental benefits for nearly three million state residents as part of a plan to address the state budget deficit would result in a loss of about $115 million in federal matching funds and lead to more costly medical treatment, according to a report released Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

21 May 2008

Two California health insurers agree to reinstate coverage for 1,200 people whose policies were rescinded after incurring high medical bills

California health insurers Kaiser Permanente and Health Net on Thursday agreed to reinstate coverage to about 1,200 individuals whose policies were improperly rescinded, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

19 May 2008