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Republicans to introduce health reform plan that would establish state health insurance exchanges, provide tax credits

Congressional Republicans are releasing two health care reform proposals -- one from conservatives and one from moderates -- as alternatives to plans by Democrats, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/19).

20 May 2009

Atherotech receives patent for ApoB measurement for determining heart disease risk

Atherotech, Inc., developer of the VAP Cholesterol Test, has announced it has received a patent on its method to derive and report apolipoprotein B100 (apoB) using the Vertical Auto Profile (VAP) technology. The patent recognizes the unique ability of the VAP Cholesterol Test to accurately report apoB, the next milestone in heart disease risk assessment.

19 May 2009

Pennsylvania House approves bill allowing young adults to remain on parents' health insurance policies up to age 29

The Pennsylvania House last week voted to approve a bill that allows state residents up to age 29 to be added to or remain on their parents' health insurance plans as long as they live in the state or are full-time students, the Harrisburg Patriot-News reports. They also must be single and not have dependents.

19 May 2009

Waits to see specialists in Boston increased to average of 50 days, study finds

The average time patients in Boston wait for an appointment to see a specialist has increased over the last five years to an average of 50 days and can be up to one year, despite the fact that the city has an "abundance" of specialists, according to a recent study, the Boston Globe reports.

19 May 2009

Los Angeles Times examines increase in Caesarean births, related rise in risk, cost

Caesarean sections -- which are performed in 31% of births, up from 4.5% in 1965 -- often are considered an unnecessary risk and "an example of how the intensive and expensive U.S. brand of medicine has failed to deliver better results and may, in fact, be doing more harm than good," the Los Angeles Times reports.

19 May 2009

Sen. Olympia Snowe holds private meetings to discuss fallback public plan

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) last week held a private meeting to discuss a compromise on health care reform legislation that would include a "fallback public plan," implemented in several years if private insurers do not take steps to make coverage more affordable and accessible, CongressDaily reports.

19 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee releases policy paper describing options to pay for health overhaul

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Monday released a 41-page document outlining policy options for financing health care reform, The Hill reports (Young, The Hill, 5/18).

19 May 2009

Opinion piece examines efficacy of foreign aid

"President Obama signaled recently a major shift in the way the United States tries to help poor countries," Philip Stevens, policy director at the International Policy Network, writes in a Providence Journal opinion piece, adding, "Whereas the Bush presidency pushed to spend enormous sums on individual high-profile diseases such as AIDS, Obama says he will broaden U.S. aid to improve health more generally."

19 May 2009

Study shows decreased risk of death from opportunistic infections with earlier antiretroviral treatment

HIV-positive people with opportunistic infections who receive earlier antiretroviral treatment lower their risk of death compared with people who delay treatment, according to a new study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine and published in PLoS One, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

19 May 2009

Industry groups reiterate commitment to reduce health spending growth

The six industry groups that pledged to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over 10 years on Friday issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to work toward the goal, Roll Call reports (Murray, Roll Call, 5/15).

18 May 2009

Washington Post examines lobbying efforts of health information technology industry

The Washington Post on Saturday examined the role of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in lobbying for the national adoption of health information technology as part of health reform efforts.

18 May 2009

California Governor outlines cuts to address State's budget deficit problems

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) outlined two budget proposals to address the state's budget problems, and both plans would affect health care, the Los Angeles Times reports.

18 May 2009

American Indian tribes to get $500 million in stimulus funds for health projects

Newly appointed IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux on Friday announced that American Indian tribes will receive $500 million as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package to fund health care projects, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

18 May 2009

Denver Post examines efforts to establish needle-exchange programs in Colorado

The Denver Post on Friday examined efforts to establish needle-exchange programs in Colorado to reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis C among injection drug users.

18 May 2009

Patients want full access to all medical records - willing to make privacy concessions

As President Barack Obama calls for streamlining heath care by fully converting to electronic medical records and as Congress prepares to debate issues of patient privacy, one question has largely gone unasked: What do patients want?

18 May 2009

What is the formula for sustainable healthcare reform?

A new report, released today by the Manhattan Institute's Center for Medical Progress and authored Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, makes the fiscal and political case for bipartisan healthcare reform.

18 May 2009

Piecing together the HIV prevention puzzle

"It's an exciting time in HIV prevention research. We will see results from a number of critically important HIV prevention research trials this year, as well as see the start of new trials around the world that will yield important answers in the years to come," said Mitchell Warren, AVAC executive director, at the release of AVAC's 13th annual report of the field.

18 May 2009

Self-treatment lowers overall health care costs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder sufferers

Individuals suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) can experience significant savings in healthcare costs by employing a self-treatment program with the judicious use of medications, according to the results of a new study. The self-treatment program achieves these savings by reducing the duration of flare-ups.

17 May 2009

General Motors, United Auto Workers nearing deal to use company stock for half of VEBA obligation, sources say

General Motors and the United Auto Workers are close to finalizing a deal that would reduce the automaker's cash obligation to a retiree health care trust fund, according to people with knowledge of the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports.

15 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee holds second closed-door meeting on health care reform; details of House Energy and Commerce Committee overhaul plan leaked

The Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday both worked on health care proposals aimed at overhauling the U.S. health care system, CQ Today reports.

15 May 2009

Health Care News and Research

Republicans to introduce health reform plan that would establish state health insurance exchanges, provide tax credits

Atherotech receives patent for ApoB measurement for determining heart disease risk

Pennsylvania House approves bill allowing young adults to remain on parents' health insurance policies up to age 29

Waits to see specialists in Boston increased to average of 50 days, study finds

Los Angeles Times examines increase in Caesarean births, related rise in risk, cost

Sen. Olympia Snowe holds private meetings to discuss fallback public plan

Senate Finance Committee releases policy paper describing options to pay for health overhaul

Opinion piece examines efficacy of foreign aid

Study shows decreased risk of death from opportunistic infections with earlier antiretroviral treatment

Industry groups reiterate commitment to reduce health spending growth

Washington Post examines lobbying efforts of health information technology industry

California Governor outlines cuts to address State's budget deficit problems

American Indian tribes to get $500 million in stimulus funds for health projects

Denver Post examines efforts to establish needle-exchange programs in Colorado

Patients want full access to all medical records - willing to make privacy concessions

What is the formula for sustainable healthcare reform?

Piecing together the HIV prevention puzzle

Self-treatment lowers overall health care costs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder sufferers

General Motors, United Auto Workers nearing deal to use company stock for half of VEBA obligation, sources say

Senate Finance Committee holds second closed-door meeting on health care reform; details of House Energy and Commerce Committee overhaul plan leaked

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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