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State highlights: Health plan settles with D.C. over payments; Ga. judge won't stop contract despite UnitedHealthcare concerns; Calif. voters know little on Obamacare

A selection of health policy stories from the District of Columbia, Georgia, California, New York, Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

23 Aug 2013

Research roundup: Use of high-deductible plans limits some E.R. visits; older folks not as sick as they used to be

One-third of US workers now have high-deductible health plans, and those numbers are expected to grow in 2014 as implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues. There is concern that high-deductible health plans might cause enrollees of low socioeconomic status to forgo emergency care as a result of burdensome out-of-pocket costs.

12 Aug 2013

State highlights: D.C. to use cash reserves to pay Medicaid providers off; Texas, Planned Parenthood reach overbilling settlement; Veteran health centers at colleges

How do you spend $48 million in unbudgeted taxpayer money without getting an OK from elected lawmakers? In the District of Columbia, there's pretty much only one way, and that's the way Mayor Vincent C. Gray is proposing to settle a high-stakes dispute with D.C. Chartered Health Plan. Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro confirmed Wednesday that the plan is to pay the District's share of the settlement -- a little over $35 million, with federal Medicaid dollars accounting for the rest -- out of the city's contingency cash reserve (DeBonis, 7/24).

26 Jul 2013

"Hometown Mission," Cedars-Sinai surgical teams perform free surgery for poor children

The "little purple lump" appeared in front of Angela Huerta's left ear about six months ago, surprising the 9-year-old girl and worrying her mother. The freckle-sized cyst ached and interfered with her school work.

19 Jul 2013

Research shows how framing healthcare incentives makes big difference

To keep costs low, companies often incentivize healthy lifestyles. Now, new research suggests that how these incentives are framed - as benefits for healthy-weight people or penalties for overweight people - makes a big difference.

27 Jun 2013

Study shows how cancer cells interact with healthy cells to migrate around the body during metastasis

A mechanism that cells use to group together and move around the body - called 'chase and run' - has been described for the first time by scientists at UCL.

17 Jun 2013

TSRI scientists find emotion-related brain region plays major role in sustaining cocaine addiction

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found evidence that an emotion-related brain region called the central amygdala—whose activity promotes feelings of malaise and unhappiness—plays a major role in sustaining cocaine addiction.

13 Jun 2013

Juice products from Juices Incorporated have potential health risk, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to consume any juice products or other beverages from Juices Incorporated (aka Juices International and Juices Enterprises) of Brooklyn, N.Y.

13 May 2013

Viewpoints: Rove offers strategy to fight Democrats' 'Mediscare' tactics; GOP offers no 'pragmatic alternative' to health law

The midterm election is still 19 months away, but for some it's never too early for demagoguery. And so this week the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a new "Mediscare" ad.

5 Apr 2013

Private insurance twist on Medicaid expansion may make 'Obamacare' palatable to conservatives

Some GOP state lawmakers, especially those who do not favor expanding the health insurance program for the poor, appear to be warming to this notion.

21 Mar 2013

Simple tips can make lunchtime healthier for the body, mind and bank account

Lunch hour spent in a restaurant can be a good break, but it comes with drawbacks. Finance and nutrition sciences experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) say dining out during the work day too often can be an expensive and unhealthy habit, but simple tips can make lunchtime healthier for the body, mind and bank account.

3 Mar 2013

Examining politics of reaching NCD targets

Writing in the PLoS blog "Translational Global Health," Greg Paton, a public health consultant, discusses the history of and current discussions taking place surrounding global targets for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

13 Feb 2013

Employer-insurer coalition asks HHS to pare essential benefits

Employers, insurers and health providers worry that requiring expansive coverage in the policies sold in health insurance markets could make insurance unaffordable.

25 Jan 2013

Contention, hearings dominate state efforts to implement health law's requirements

Lawmakers in Mississippi, Missouri, Wyoming, Kansas, Florida and California are considering the effects of expanding Medicaid and establishing health insurance exchanges -- both major tenets of the health law for states.

24 Jan 2013

Physical activity associated with longevity gains

Adults who include at least 150 minutes of physical activity in their routines each week live longer than those who don't, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

12 Dec 2012

Fiscal cliff: Lame duck budget talks begin

News sources report on the beginnings of negotiations among White House and congressional staff.

22 Nov 2012

Serving size in the eye of the beholder

Canadian study findings suggest that many people overestimate the size of one serving of food and may overeat as a result.

2 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Calif. could take a lesson from Wis. reforms; Republican advocates a 'Nixon to China' embrace of Medicare for all

The state's teachers union, Wisconsinites learned, had used its power to collectively bargain for healthcare benefits to demand that local school districts provide coverage through a nonprofit insurer affiliated with the union. Once the state ended bargaining on healthcare, school boards began competitively bidding out their health insurance. By the opening of the new school year in September, just two months after the budget bill went into effect, 23 districts had rebid their contracts, saving $16 million, or an average of $211 per student.

17 Jul 2012

Scientists develop novel anticancer drug designed to travel through the bloodstream

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, working with Danish researchers, have developed a novel anticancer drug designed to travel -- undetected by normal cells -- through the bloodstream until activated by specific cancer proteins.

10 Jul 2012

McDonald’s introduces “healthy” fruit drink for kids – but experts say it contains too much sugar

McDonald’s is all set to introduce a ‘healthy’ fizzy drink for children that promises one of their five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables. However the drink is packed with sugar and calories.

10 May 2012