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Senators vote to advance elective abortion bill

Tonight, in a partisan vote, the U.S. Senate voted to proceed to Senator Reid's version of the government takeover of health care. Among the several objectionable items included in this bill; like the public option, employer and individual mandates, is the government funding for elective abortion, which is the most onerous and morally objectionable.

23 Nov 2009

Senate health reform bill passes first key floor test

Roll Call: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) scored a major victory Saturday night by persuading all 60 members of the Democratic Conference to vote to bring his $848 billion health care reform bill up for debate.

22 Nov 2009

On the health bill, Senate Democratic leaders finally hit number 60

The Washington Post: "Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) declared Saturday she will support a key procedural step to advance President Obama's health-care legislation." During a Senate floor speech earlier this afternoon, Landrieu said she would support the motion to begin debate on the health bill, "ending days of silence on the matter" (Kane, 11/21).

22 Nov 2009

Despite Senate health care victory, Democrats face bumpy road ahead

Sunday news talk programs were full of lawmakers looking ahead to the next few weeks of Senate debate on a sweeping health care bill.

22 Nov 2009

Inaugural recipient of the Pfizer/Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair chosen

Renowned B.C. kinesiologist and heart disease researcher Dr. Scott Lear is the inaugural recipient of the Pfizer/Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Research at St. Paul's Hospital, established in partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU).

21 Nov 2009

2,074 pages of health care reform: call for simpler communication

"How is it we can run the country with a 16-page Constitution yet it takes 2,074 pages and more than 400,000 words of gobbledygook to present the Senate Health Care Bill?" asks Alan Siegel, one of the founders of the Plain English and Simplification movements and Chairman and CEO of brand consultancy Siegel+Gale.

21 Nov 2009

NADP: Americans with family dental coverage can keep their current dental plan

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid's health reform bill fulfills the promise that more than 132 million Americans with family dental coverage can keep their current dental plan without disrupting established dentist-patient relationships, according to the National Association of Dental Plans.

21 Nov 2009

Cosmetic tax unfairly targets women, says New Jersey plastic surgeon

Say hello to Botax, the 5% tax on cosmetic procedures that was a surprise addition to the roughly 2,000 page health care reform bill. The proposed tax, scheduled to take effect January 2010, has been suggested as a way to help fund health care reform.

21 Nov 2009

Senate health care bill an "enormous disappointment": U.S. bishops

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the Senate to make essential changes its health reform bill in order to keep in place federal law on abortion funding and conscience protection on abortion, protect access to health care for immigrants and include strong provisions for adequate affordability.

21 Nov 2009

Three in four Americans need long term health care, says health insurance expert

Long term care insurance may not seem like headline news or talk-show fare, but Denise Gott pursues the topic with passion and flair. "I'm on a mission to wake up America," she says. Her message is now appearing on CNN newscasts in the nation's airports and broadcasts on Delta Air Line flights. Gott is Chairman of the Board of LTC Financial Partners LLC (LTCFP) -- http://www.ltcfp.com -- one of the nation's largest and most experienced long-term care insurance agencies.

21 Nov 2009

Program on patients undergoing individualized treatment for metastatic breast cancer: NCCN

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, has collaborated with the Discovery Health Channel to produce a program profiling three patients with metastatic breast cancer and their healthcare team as they customize each patient's treatment regimen to their individual tumor type and health status.

21 Nov 2009

Compliance directive issued to protect health care workers from 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus

For the protection of frontline health care and emergency medical workers at high risk of infection, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today issued a compliance directive to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to identify and minimize or eliminate high to very high risk occupational exposures to the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus.

21 Nov 2009

Obesity: A major contributor to the development of Type 2 diabetes

"Many Americans have a very limited understanding of the basic facts about diabetes, as well as the serious consequences for health that accompany the disease," commented Sue McLaughlin, RD, CDE, President, Health Care & Education, American Diabetes Association, in a media alert. She blames the problem on a combination of factors including denial of the disease and promotion of inaccurate information or myths surrounding diabetes.

21 Nov 2009

Three health care organizations implement interconnected EHR system

Three of the largest Front Range health care organizations are taking an unprecedented leap forward in health care reform by improving care for more than a million Coloradans with an interconnected electronic patient record exchange system.

21 Nov 2009

Current health care reform proposal will not effect the needed changes: Business Roundtable

“As providers of health care insurance to more than 35 million Americans, the members of Business Roundtable have consistently taken a fact-based approach to advancing and supporting health care reform proposals. Throughout this discussion, we have remained engaged participants, contributing both data and ideas to help reduce health care costs and expand access to coverage for all Americans.

21 Nov 2009

RNAO honored with Minister's Award of Excellence

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) was honoured with the Minister's Award of Excellence for its innovative approaches to long term care at a Toronto health conference this week.

21 Nov 2009

Delaware Physicians Care selected as one of the top 25 Medicaid Plans for the second consecutive year

For the second year in a row, Delaware Physicians Care has been selected as one of the top 25 Medicaid Plans out of hundreds in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and U.S. News & World Report magazine. The ranking is based on clinical quality, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation scores.

21 Nov 2009

Training program to address mental health issues in developing countries

Worldwide, more than 450 million people live with unmet mental health care needs. Wake Forest University Counseling Professor Donna Henderson co-developed a training course with easy-to-follow lessons that helps nonprofessional community volunteers in developing countries respond to mental health issues.

21 Nov 2009

Groundbreaking discovery provides fundamental insights into neurological disorders

Dr. Jeremy Schmahmann, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, on Thursday, November 19, presented his laboratory's research on the new field of study called "Connectivity" at the launch of the MINDlink Foundation.

21 Nov 2009

MCHCP offers Mercy Health Plans options to its members

Missouri state employees in the Southwest and South Central Missouri regions will now have the option to choose Mercy Health Plans thanks to an agreement reached Tuesday between Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP) and Mercy Health Plans.

21 Nov 2009