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MSMS and MOA call $300M tax on Michigan's health care system 'bad policy'

With reports that Gov. Jennifer Granholm will include a $300 million tax on Michigan's health care system as part of her fiscal year 2010-11 state budget proposal, the 15,000-member Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) and 5,500-member Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) urged lawmakers to reject the new taxing scheme, just as they did less than six months ago.

12 Feb 2010

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

A randomized multicenter study of 190 patients at 13 medical centers shows-- for the first time-- the "superior" benefit of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for maintaining function of dialysis access grafts in kidney failure patients who undergo dialysis. Until now, no other therapy has proven more effective than angioplasty.

12 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

The Los Angeles Times examines China's transition to "Western-style privatized medicine" through the government's "$124-billion overhaul, chiefly to improve service in rural areas." The article details the efforts of a woman from Inner Mongolia to get care in Beijing for her ailing father and looks at climbing health care costs and the growing "black market for medical care" (Pierson, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

MCEG and HTMS report examines potential impact of reform on regional health plans

The Managed Care Executive Group and HTMS, with the help of Health Dialog, have jointly released a new report which examines strategic and operational priorities for 2010, as well as the potential impact of reform on regional health plans which composes the majority of the MCEG membership.

12 Feb 2010

Kaiser Permanente approves 500 grants and donations totaling $90M in fourth-quarter of 2009

Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today it approved 500 grants and donations nationwide totaling $90 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. In total, Kaiser Permanente approved $170 million in grants and donations to support efforts to keep people healthy during these tough economic times.

12 Feb 2010

Proving value a challenge for comparative effectiveness and pharmaceutical technologies

The Wall Street Journal reports that "an examination of one of the best-known examples of a comparative-effectiveness analysis shows how complicated such a seemingly straightforward idea can get" as officials look for savings in the health care system." One study, called Courage, "found that the most common heart surgery -- a $15,000 procedure that unclogs arteries using a small scaffold or stent -- usually yields no additional benefit when used with a cocktail of generic drugs in patients suffering from chronic chest pain."

12 Feb 2010

States push for insurers to increase coverage

States tackle several health care policy issues focused on health insurance coverage mandates and requirements.

12 Feb 2010

New York's detained youth lack coordinated mental health care

The New York Times: "The State of New York does not have a single full-time staff psychiatrist charged with overseeing the treatment of the 800 or so young people who are detained in state facilities at any given time." The Times reports that all 17 psychiatrists at the detention facilities in the state's juvenile justice system are working either on contract and part time.

12 Feb 2010

Mass. Gov. seeks greater authority to attack health costs

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick asked the state legislature to grant his administration broad new authority to "review and reject" excessive rates charged by medical providers in hopes of curbing costs and making health care more affordable, The Boston Globe reports. Under a bill filed Wednesday by Patrick, the rates that "hospitals and other health providers charge insurers would be 'presumptively disapproved as excessive' if they increased faster than the level of medical inflation, and they could be rejected after a public hearing."

12 Feb 2010

Opinions: Rebuilding Haiti

In a Baltimore Sun opinion piece, Richard Santos - president and CEO of IMA World Health, a non-profit that provides health care services and supplies - describes what he sees as the top three priorities for the rebuilding of Haiti, beginning with healthcare, which he describes as " foundational to all else." He continues, "Development groups have experience setting up basic health care systems in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other difficult environments.

12 Feb 2010

Today's opinions and editorials: A litigation explosion, Anthem Blue Cross and starting fresh

What would a fresh start look like? It would begin with a new bill. Amending the 2,000 pages in either the Senate or House bill would prove to be impossible. They were born of an unseemly process and based on a premise already rejected by the American people. Language from the existing bills, in areas of agreement, could obviously be used to expedite drafting (Michael O. Leavitt, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

Payments, pricing info, paperwork may contribute to costs, confusion

The way doctors, hospitals and other health care providers are paid creates a so-called "perverse incentive" to order more and more medical services, even when those services do not contribute to better health, according to researchers for Dartmouth's Atlas of Health, CNN's investigations unit reports. The report explores a lawsuit filed against a physician-owned hospital in McAllen, Texas, by one of the physician-owners.

12 Feb 2010

Biological-based therapies are alternative medicines for women recovering from breast cancer

Biological-based therapies such as diet supplements and vitamins are the most popular complementary and alternative medicines for women recovering from breast cancer, according to a Michigan State University researcher working to create a support intervention for women in treatment for the disease.

12 Feb 2010

Gregg ready for 'dialogue' on health reform, Pelosi ready for reconciliation fight

Politico: "Is [Sen.] Judd Gregg [R- N.H.] a tease or a real potential partner for President Barack Obama in trying to salvage some health care reform in this Congress? ... [T]he New Hampshire conservative brings both a proven ability to swing Republican votes and a background in health care and deficit issues. In a letter to Obama released late Tuesday, Gregg welcomed the [Feb. 25] meeting as a chance for 'constructive dialogue'" and he told Politico he is "open to specific deficit-reduction and cost-containment steps that could be taken to win Republicans' support for health reform," though he has rejected the president's proposals.

12 Feb 2010

COBRA extension included in newly unveiled Senate jobs bill

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D- Mont., and ranking Republican Charles Grassley, R- Iowa, this morning jointly unveiled a draft of the chamber's jobs bill, "vowing to maintain the 'bipartisan character' of their negotiations going forward," The Washington Post 44 reports. "The $85 billion package ... is the first in what Democratic leaders say will be a series of job-creation measures the Senate will address in 2010."

11 Feb 2010

Health companies criticized for deceptive marketing while Anthem rate hikes continue to draw attention

"Minnesota's attorney general on Wednesday sued two Texas companies she said falsely represented their discounted health care plans as medical insurance to thousands of customers," The Associated Press/Washington Post report.

11 Feb 2010

WellPoint defends 39% premium hike in letter to Sebelius

The Associated Press/Washington Post: WellPoint, the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross "is blaming the Great Recession and rising medical costs for its planned 39 percent rate increase for some California customers of its Anthem Blue Cross plan. But Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius isn't buying the explanation proffered in a letter delivered to her" today.

11 Feb 2010

Calif. budget cuts will hit adult day care centers, prison health care; Texas and Kansas weigh Medicaid cuts

Under the most recent cost-saving budget proposals, 327 adult day healthcare centers throughout California would be eliminated. Cuts could save the state $135 million in fiscal 2011, state projections show.

11 Feb 2010

Alcon reports 2009 fourth quarter results

Alcon, Inc. reported that global sales rose 14.5 percent to $1.72 billion for the fourth quarter of 2009, or an 8.5 percent increase excluding the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations. Reported net earnings for the fourth quarter of 2009 grew 8.0 percent to $458 million, or $1.51 per diluted share.

11 Feb 2010

AMA unhappy with Senate plan for Medicare 'doc fix'

The American Medical Association is criticizing "a Senate plan for avoiding a proposed 21 percent cut in government payments to physicians who treat the elderly, calling the proposal a 'Band-Aid' measure," Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reports.

11 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

MSMS and MOA call $300M tax on Michigan's health care system 'bad policy'

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

MCEG and HTMS report examines potential impact of reform on regional health plans

Kaiser Permanente approves 500 grants and donations totaling $90M in fourth-quarter of 2009

Proving value a challenge for comparative effectiveness and pharmaceutical technologies

States push for insurers to increase coverage

New York's detained youth lack coordinated mental health care

Mass. Gov. seeks greater authority to attack health costs

Opinions: Rebuilding Haiti

Today's opinions and editorials: A litigation explosion, Anthem Blue Cross and starting fresh

Payments, pricing info, paperwork may contribute to costs, confusion

Biological-based therapies are alternative medicines for women recovering from breast cancer

Gregg ready for 'dialogue' on health reform, Pelosi ready for reconciliation fight

COBRA extension included in newly unveiled Senate jobs bill

Health companies criticized for deceptive marketing while Anthem rate hikes continue to draw attention

WellPoint defends 39% premium hike in letter to Sebelius

Calif. budget cuts will hit adult day care centers, prison health care; Texas and Kansas weigh Medicaid cuts

Alcon reports 2009 fourth quarter results

AMA unhappy with Senate plan for Medicare 'doc fix'

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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