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MinuteClinic medical clinics in select CVS/pharmacy stores offer H1N1 vaccinations

MinuteClinic medical clinics in select CVS/pharmacy stores throughout Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee are now offering H1N1 vaccinations on demand seven days a week with no appointment necessary.

19 Dec 2009

NPRC urges Senators to work for final passage of the health care reform bill

Saying that "Hispanics have more at stake in the health care reform debate than any other group because we're least likely to be insured," the new President of the National Puerto Rican Coalition today urged Senators to "keep working" on getting the 60 votes necessary for final passage of the health care reform legislative package being assembled by Majority Leader Harry Reid.

19 Dec 2009

Senate Dems face GOP delays -- and snow -- in the next days of the health overhaul debate

The Associated Press: "Republicans threatened to delay Senate business with a health care read-a-thon this weekend, as Democrats kept searching for 60 votes to advance President Barack Obama's signature issue and a forecast of heavy snow added to the list of complications. At a news conference Friday in the Capitol, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., accused Democrats of trying to ram the health care bill through with dozens of changes as yet unseen, and promised to do everything in their power to prevent it."

19 Dec 2009

BARDA awards $400M for developing tests and devices to determine radiation absorption after a nuclear/radiological incident

The HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is awarding nine contracts for the advanced research and development of more effective tests and devices to determine the level of radiation a person has absorbed after a nuclear or radiological incident. The contracts total $35 million for the initial phase and up to $400 million over five years.

19 Dec 2009

UCSF/SFGH project to improve health outcomes among diabetes patients honored

A UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital project that used a novel communication tool to improve health outcomes among diabetes patients was honored recently with a quality leadership award from the California Health Care Safety Net Institute.

18 Dec 2009

Health care bill "compromise" proposal on abortion morally unacceptable, says Galveston-Houston Archbishop

Responding to reports of a new "compromise" proposal on abortion in the U.S. Senate's health care reform bill, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo today reaffirmed the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the legislation will be morally unacceptable "unless and until" it complies with longstanding current laws on abortion funding such as the Hyde amendment. Cardinal DiNardo is Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and Chairman of the Conference's Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

18 Dec 2009

Canada Health Infoway reaches a PSA with Agfa HealthCare for its IMPAX 6 PACS and DI-r systems

Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) and Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging solutions, have reached a Preferred Solution Agreement (PSA) providing preferential conditions and pricing for Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX(TM) 6 Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) and Viewer as well as its IMPAX(TM) Data Center and Diagnostic Imaging Repository (DI-r). This is the second time Infoway and Agfa HealthCare have achieved a Preferred Solution Agreement.

18 Dec 2009

Wisconsin cuts $600 million from Medicaid budget, still faces deficit

The Associated Press reports that the top Wisconsin health official said Thursday that the state is "on track to cut more than $600 million from Medicaid, but even with those reductions, high demand from the poor for insurance benefits could result in up to a $150 million shortfall."

18 Dec 2009

Health overhaul could worsen doctor shortages

BusinessWeek: "Presuming Congress passes some version of a health-care bill and it is signed into law, some 30 million currently uninsured people will suddenly find themselves with access to doctors. But there may not be enough doctors to see them."

18 Dec 2009

STERIPLEX HC kills MRSA and other pathogens in record time

STERIPLEX® Health Care (HC) is a new Sterilant/Sporicide, Tuberculocide, and Bactericide, which has recently received Federal EPA Registration. STERIPLEX® HC sets new standards, killing MRSA, spores and other pathogens in a fraction of the time of competing products while remaining safe to people and the environment.

18 Dec 2009

Roundup of health policy research and analyses

Urban Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: What Would Health Care Reform Mean for Small Employers and Their Workers? - "Small employers and their workers face a broad assortment of barriers to obtaining health insurance coverage today," such as "high administrative costs, limited ability to spread health care risk, and a low-wage workforce."

18 Dec 2009

Health industry revenue up 5.7 percent, some seniors head south for care

The Dallas Morning News reports that the U.S. Census released a report Thursday that showed health care industry's revenues grew 5.7 percent in 2008 to $1.75 trillion. The number represents 30 percent of economic activity in the U.S., according to a Census official. "The Census Bureau cites Texas as one of the most expensive states for health care.

18 Dec 2009

The backstories of politicians scrambling on health legislation

Politico: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has kept his legislative strategy for the health overhaul under wraps, even from his closest lieutenants. "As Reid works furiously to line up the 60 votes he needs for the most sweeping health care bill in generations, the majority leader is playing an insider's insider's game. He's having private, one-on-one conversations with colleagues, and he's not sharing the contents with others.

18 Dec 2009

COBRA extension moves forward - in defense appropriations bill

Modern Healthcare: "The Senate is expected to vote on a fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill by this weekend that would extend a health insurance subsidy for laid-off workers through February 2010. The House has approved the subsidy extension for the COBRA program, which was tucked into the $636.3 billion Defense appropriations bill."

18 Dec 2009

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

No one has guaranteed ways to slow the growth of health-care spending and ... the pending bills include most of the ways experts believe are likely to succeed (Henry J. Aaron, 12/18).

18 Dec 2009

Republicans oppose military spending to delay health bill

Senate Republicans attempted last night to block a $626 billion defense bill in hopes that stalling the military spending legislation would delay Democrats' work on the health overhaul, The Washington Post reports. By a 63-33 vote early Friday morning, the defense measure cleared a key procedural hurdle that should now allow it to gain passage and, as a result, allow the Senate to return to the health bill.

18 Dec 2009

Labor leaders term Senate health bill 'inadequate'

CBS News: "Labor leaders from two influential unions today called the Senate health care bill 'inadequate,' but they stopped short of pulling their support for the bill. Instead, they are pressing the White House and Congress to modify the bill more to make it more like the House health reform package. After a meeting yesterday with leaders of the Service Employees International Union and a meeting today with its members, SEIU President Andy Stern said the union does not think the Senate is willing or able to make any more progress on its bill.

18 Dec 2009

Senate health bill relies on government regulation to expand coverage

The Los Angeles Times: "When Senate Democratic leaders agreed this week to remove a public insurance plan from their massive healthcare bill, they did more than quash a liberal dream of expanding the government safety net. They effectively pinned their hopes of guaranteeing coverage to all Americans on a far more conventional prescription: government regulation.

18 Dec 2009

White House stung by Liberal health bill backlash

The Wall Street Journal reports on the criticism emanating from the left regarding the Senate health bill. "Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is mounting a campaign of sorts against the initiative in its current form.

18 Dec 2009

Senate leaders in hot pursuit of the elusive 60th vote: Ben Nelson

The Associated Press: "With just days remaining to prove that they can meet a self-imposed Christmas deadline and pass President Barack Obama's signature initiative through the Senate, Democrats seeking a rendezvous with history instead detoured to an intraparty brawl. ... All eyes were on the only known Democratic holdout, moderate Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, whose primary concern is that abortion funding restrictions in the bill were too lax.

18 Dec 2009