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Obama campaign contributors being asked to donate to effort supporting health care reform

The Washington Times on Friday examined how President Obama's "former campaign apparatus is cranking up a full-tilt drive for passage of a health care overhaul this year" by "tapping his 13-million-strong e-mail list" for financial contributions to fund advertising efforts, hire staff and open election-style offices.

15 May 2009

Industry groups say White House overstated pledge to reduce health spending growth

Groups representing hospitals and insurers on Thursday said that President Obama considerably overstated their pledge to rein in health care spending, the New York Times reports.

15 May 2009

Obama names New York City Health Commissioner Frieden next CDC Director, New York Times reports

President Obama on Friday named New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden as the next CDC director, the New York Times reports. It has long been expected that Obama would select Frieden, an infectious disease specialist, according to the Times.

15 May 2009

Common gene variation explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School and the University of Bristol, using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Exeter Family Study of Childhood Health, have identified a common genetic variant that explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy.

15 May 2009

Don't punish people for just staying alive!

Among all the mixed messages on retirement flowing from the budget, the biggest policy development is the decision to extend the working age for Australians to 67. Without doubt, this change will be the enduring legacy of this budget, certainly for future retirees, and for the country as a whole.

14 May 2009

Urgent Care Centers: Between the ER and the family doctor

Urgent care centers (UCCs) are providing an alternative to emergency room treatment. A study published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research has shown that UCCs tend to be open well outside of office hours and offer a wider range of services than primary care offices.

14 May 2009

California ballot measures would have negative effect on health care access for children, immigrants, minority advocacy groups say

A coalition of ethnic minority advocacy groups has raised concerns that two of six budget-related propositions on the May 19 special election ballot would negatively affect minorities' health, New America Media reports.

14 May 2009

Editorial says, Obama is “right to push for health care reform”

President Obama is "right to push for [health care] reform now, despite calls to postpone efforts solely on the economic recovery," a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial states.

14 May 2009

Missouri Legislature passes bills that impose levies on health care providers to generate additional Federal Medicaid funding

Missouri lawmakers have approved two bills (HB 740 and SB 307) that extend or create health care provider taxes or certification fees as part of an effort to draw in more federal Medicaid matching dollars, the AP/Ann Arbor News reports.

14 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee to discuss public plan options; House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses state, regional plans

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday will meet to discuss the inclusion of a public insurance plan in its health care reform legislation, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/14). Supporters of the public plan say it would allow middle-income workers a choice between their employer coverage and coverage offered by the government. The insurance industry and Republican lawmakers oppose such a plan.

14 May 2009

Senate Democrats meet with White House adviser to craft response to Republican criticism on health reform

Senate Democrats on Wednesday worked with senior White House adviser David Axelrod to craft a health care message focused on affordability and choice, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Werner, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/13).

14 May 2009

Baylor Research Institute receives multi-million dollar grant to develop flu vaccine

Scientists at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) in Dallas, part of Baylor Research Institute (BRI) and the Baylor Health Care System, announced today that they received a renewal of a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design new vaccines to prevent influenza - including swine flu (H1N1).

13 May 2009

Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic?

A survey of health care workers has revealed that as many as 85% may stay off work if an influenza pandemic did take hold of the country.

13 May 2009

Black women develop breast cancer at earlier ages, have higher mortality rates

Although black women are one-third less likely than women of other races to develop cancer, they are 30% more likely than other women to die if they are diagnosed with the disease, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the Miami Herald reports.

13 May 2009

Two New York State health agencies launch series of projects that seek to reduce racial health disparities

The Perinatal Network of Monroe County and the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency in New York state on Friday will unveil a series of 13 initiatives that aim to reduce racial health disparities, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

13 May 2009

Texas Democrats trying to pass Medicaid enrollment extension before June 1 deadline

Democrats in the Texas House on Monday called on lawmakers to prioritize consideration of a Medicaid bill (HB 1541) that would extend the enrollment period for children's coverage through the program, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports. The legislative session ends June 1.

13 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee weighs proposal to tax employer health benefits, other plans to pay for health reform

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday heard arguments for taxing employer-sponsored health care benefits as a means for funding a comprehensive health care overhaul, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 May 2009

House Democrats say they will introduce reform legislation August recess; Obama Administration to look into wellness programs

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-Calif.) and other House Democrats met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday, promising a health reform bill by the end of July, the AP/Examiner reports.

13 May 2009

Medicare hospital fund will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than expected, trustees say

The trust fund that Medicare uses to pay for beneficiaries' hospital care will be insolvent by 2017, as the program since last year has been paying out more than it collects in taxes and interest, in part due to the worsening economy, according to a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report issued Tuesday, the Washington Times reports.

13 May 2009

International Nurses Day chance to improve conditions for health workers in developing countries, opinion piece says

International Nurses Day, which took place on Tuesday, was "an appropriate day ... to consider the challenges faced by health care personnel in developing countries," including those related to HIV/AIDS, Gary Cohen, board director of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the CDC Foundation, writes in a NorthJersey.com opinion piece.

13 May 2009

Health Care News and Research

Obama campaign contributors being asked to donate to effort supporting health care reform

Industry groups say White House overstated pledge to reduce health spending growth

Obama names New York City Health Commissioner Frieden next CDC Director, New York Times reports

Common gene variation explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy

Don't punish people for just staying alive!

Urgent Care Centers: Between the ER and the family doctor

California ballot measures would have negative effect on health care access for children, immigrants, minority advocacy groups say

Editorial says, Obama is “right to push for health care reform”

Missouri Legislature passes bills that impose levies on health care providers to generate additional Federal Medicaid funding

Senate Finance Committee to discuss public plan options; House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses state, regional plans

Senate Democrats meet with White House adviser to craft response to Republican criticism on health reform

Baylor Research Institute receives multi-million dollar grant to develop flu vaccine

Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic?

Black women develop breast cancer at earlier ages, have higher mortality rates

Two New York State health agencies launch series of projects that seek to reduce racial health disparities

Texas Democrats trying to pass Medicaid enrollment extension before June 1 deadline

Senate Finance Committee weighs proposal to tax employer health benefits, other plans to pay for health reform

House Democrats say they will introduce reform legislation August recess; Obama Administration to look into wellness programs

Medicare hospital fund will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than expected, trustees say

International Nurses Day chance to improve conditions for health workers in developing countries, opinion piece says

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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