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Arizona jail could be ‘e-health’ test, but slow to take necessary steps

A troubled county jail, where hundreds of lawsuits have stemmed from mistakes in managing the inmates' health information, would be a perfect testing ground for electronic medical records, the Arizona Republic reports.

2 Jun 2009

Health costs, availability hurt U.S. entrepreneurship innovation

Reuters reports that, due to the difficulties in getting or paying for health insurance, "countless workers in the United States are trapped in jobs they would like to leave ... calcifying innovation and mobility in the world's largest economy."

2 Jun 2009

Sebelius, DeParle ready to tackle health care overhaul

The friendship between "working moms" Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy-Ann DeParle "could pay big dividends for President Obama now," USA Today reports.

2 Jun 2009

Florida: Three years in, Medicaid experiment tough to measure

"Nearly three years into a Medicaid privatization program former [Florida] Gov. Jeb Bush said could be a national model, state officials say they do not have crucial data to measure the program's effectiveness, including how many patients' treatments and prescriptions have been approved or denied," the AP/Miami Herald reports.

2 Jun 2009

Expanding health insurance options for young adults

The Tribune-Review reports on a Pennsylvania legislation passed by the House and the Senate that would "require insurance companies to offer the option of parents keeping their children on insurance policies until age 29."

2 Jun 2009

Major liberal groups will back Obama on health reform

Several of the country's largest liberal groups said they were prepared to spend $82 million to promote President Obama's health care reform agenda, the Boston Globe reports.

2 Jun 2009

White House, Congress, industry taking on health costs

Health care costs soared nearly 50 percent between 2000 and 2006, adding an urgency for reform that may help Democrats pass a major overhaul before the year-end deadline set by the White House, Bloomberg reports.

2 Jun 2009

Dems build reform support as GOP decides strategy

Democrats and Republicans are looking for support in their own parties as health care reform promises to dominate the legislative agenda for the rest of the year, The Hill reports.

2 Jun 2009

Local groups react to proposed changes in Medicare and Medicaid

Local news coverage details concerns about Medicare and Medicaid spending reductions that could affect senior and nursing care.

2 Jun 2009

Congress returns to work, Senators to meet with Obama

A group of Senate Democrats will meet with President Obama today to discuss overhauling health care, The New York Times reports.

2 Jun 2009

Baucus pushes 'some' benefits tax

Sen. Max Baucus said Tuesday morning that he hopes to convince President Obama that taxing some employer-provided benefits will help control health care costs, The Associated Press reports.

2 Jun 2009

Obama says health overhaul necessary

President Barack Obama said this afternoon that the window for overhauling the nation's health systems will close when Congress breaks for its summer vacation.

2 Jun 2009

Daschle gives health reform 50-50 chance of passing

Even as President Barack Obama set August as a "make-or-break" deadline for overhauling the health care system, Tom Daschle, initally tapped by Obama to run the reform effort, predicted a "50-50 chance that something's going to pass."

2 Jun 2009

Report identifies early childhood conditions that lead to adult health disparities

The origins of many adult diseases can be traced to early negative experiences associated with social class and other markers of disadvantage.

2 Jun 2009

Researchers examine 'invading' bacteria in DNA - advanced warfare on the most elemental of levels

Researchers at Texas A&M University's Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering have discovered how certain types of bacteria integrate the DNA that they have captured from invading enemies into their own genetic makeup to increase their chances of survival.

2 Jun 2009

Study finds high underinsurance rates for sicker workers with modest incomes

The 161 million Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance are facing substantial increases in out-of-pocket (OOP) costs, according to a study published today on the Health Affairs Web site.

2 Jun 2009

FDA antidepressant warnings led to unintended changes in depression diagnosis

Government warnings about suicidality among children taking antidepressants appear to be associated with unintended and persistent changes in the diagnosis and treatment of depression in children and adults, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

1 Jun 2009

Taking a break from hormones doesn't improve mammograms

Some women take a short break from using postmenopausal hormone therapy before getting their breasts screened for cancer with mammography. They hope to lower their risk of being called back afterward for unnecessary extra breast imaging. But taking a short break from hormones doesn't actually work for this purpose, according to the first large-scale randomized controlled trial to address the question. The READ (Radiological Evaluation and Breast Density) trial of more than 1,700 Group Health women is in the June 2, 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine.

1 Jun 2009

Pay-for-performance may benefit doctors who care for multiple health problems

Physicians who treat patients with multiple health problems will fare well under pay-for-performance, which bases physician reimbursement on the quality of care provided, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston in a report in the current issue of the journal Circulation.

1 Jun 2009

The effectiveness of Tai Chi for chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions

The results of a new analysis have provided good evidence to suggest that Tai Chi is beneficial for arthritis. Specifically, it was shown to decrease pain with trends towards improving overall physical health, level of tension and satisfaction with health status.

1 Jun 2009