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More consumers purchase vitamins, supplements amid economic recession

Sales of vitamins and nutritional supplements have surged in recent months as consumers look to avoid costly physician visits amid the ongoing economic recession, the New York Times reports.

6 Apr 2009

Minorities more likely than others in California to be uninsured, families USA Survey finds

Minorities in California are more likely than others to be uninsured in the last two years, according to a Families USA survey released last week, the Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Apr 2009

Ohio forum addresses racial health disparities among children

More than 200 people met Thursday for a forum sponsored by Children's Defense Fund-Ohio to discuss ways to address racial health disparities among children in the state, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

6 Apr 2009

Having synchronous cancers means better survival outcome

New research published in this month's edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Vol. 113, Issue 4), by a team of investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows better survival outcomes for women who have cancer of the ovaries and endometrial lining of the uterus at the same time (synchronous) than those who only have one tumor in the ovaries.

6 Apr 2009

Senate unlikely to vote on Gov. Sebelius' nomination as HHS Secretary until later this month

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's choice for HHS secretary, "sailed through" a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday, but the Senate likely will not take up the nomination until later this month because of objections for an immediate vote by several Republican members, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/3).

5 Apr 2009

Congressional progressive caucus issues letter stating majority of members will only support health reform that includes public plan option

A majority of members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will not support any health reform legislation that does not include a public plan option, according to a letter sent on Thursday by CPC co-chairs Reps. Lynn Woosley (D-Calif.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, Roll Call reports (Bendery, Roll Call, 4/2).

5 Apr 2009

About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession

About 500,000 working-age Californians have lost their health insurance since the economic recession began in November 2007, according to a report the University of California-Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education released Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

5 Apr 2009

Boston Scientific announces Japanese launch of Taxus Liberte drug-eluting stent system

Boston Scientific Corporation has announced the launch of its TAXUS Liberte Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in Japan.

2 Apr 2009

Financial crisis strikes at health in all parts of the world

WHO last issued a public statement on the financial crisis in the days prior to the Washington meeting of the G20.

1 Apr 2009

HHS report says health reform vital to U.S. economy as costs rise, quality of care worsens

Comprehensive health care reform is necessary this year because of rising costs and the declining quality of care, according to an HHS report released on Monday, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

31 Mar 2009

CQ's Armstrong discusses budget reconciliation, coverage proposal from private insurers, Sebelius confirmation

Drew Armstrong, a Congressional Quarterly staff reporter, discusses efforts to use budget reconciliation to fast-track health reform, a compromise offered by private health insurers and the scheduled confirmation hearing for Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's nominee for HHS secretary, in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

30 Mar 2009

UnitedHealth Group, Ingenix to testify at senate hearing about out-of-network rates

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Tuesday will hold a hearing that follows lawsuits and an investigation by New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) alleging that UnitedHealth Group and subsidiary Ingenix manipulated out-of-network rate data resulting in patients paying more for those services, the AP/USA Today reports.

30 Mar 2009

NIH might use stimulus funds for comparative effectiveness research that includes cost comparisons, acting director says

NIH Acting Director Raynard Kington on Thursday during a House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing said that the agency might use some of the $10.4 billion it received from the economic stimulus package to fund comparative effectiveness research that includes comparisons on the cost of treatments, CQ HealthBeat reports.

30 Mar 2009

New York Times examines Massachusetts health insurance law as model for U.S. health reform

"By tackling cost at the same time as access," the Obama administration and congressional lawmakers "have made their political challenge more difficult," the New York Times reports.

30 Mar 2009

Health Reform Dialogue Coalition releases recommendations for U.S. health care system overhaul

A coalition representing health care firms, patients and medical providers on Friday presented a five-page report to Congress recommending changes to the health care system, CQ HealthBeat reports (Adams, CQ HealthBeat, 3/27).

30 Mar 2009

Hoyer to coordinate committees on health care legislation process

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Thursday announced that he will coordinate the efforts of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee in drafting a comprehensive health reform bill, The Hill reports.

30 Mar 2009

Reps. introduce bill to expand Medicaid coverage to some HIV-positive people

Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have introduced a bill (H.R. 1616) to allow states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income HIV-positive people, CQ HealthBeat reports.

30 Mar 2009

Nearly 11% of Utah residents uninsured

About 10.7% or 298,200 Utah residents did not have health insurance in 2008, compared with 10.6% in 2007, according to the annual Utah Healthcare Access Survey, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

25 Mar 2009

AHIP, BCBS say insurers willing to stop basing premiums on members' health status if all U.S. residents are required to obtain coverage

In a letter to leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees on Tuesday, America's Health Insurance Plans and the BlueCross BlueShield Association said that their memberships would be willing to end the practice of charging different premiums based on individuals' health status if all U.S. residents were required to obtain coverage, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 3/25).

25 Mar 2009

Sebelius, DeParle discuss health care reform with congressional lawmakers

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's nominee for HHS secretary, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, the director of the White House Office for Health Reform, each met with congressional lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss plans for health care overhaul, CQ Today reports. Sebelius said she met with nearly 40 senators who expressed "a lot of interest in health reform."

25 Mar 2009

Health Insurance News and Research

More consumers purchase vitamins, supplements amid economic recession

Minorities more likely than others in California to be uninsured, families USA Survey finds

Ohio forum addresses racial health disparities among children

Having synchronous cancers means better survival outcome

Senate unlikely to vote on Gov. Sebelius' nomination as HHS Secretary until later this month

Congressional progressive caucus issues letter stating majority of members will only support health reform that includes public plan option

About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession

Boston Scientific announces Japanese launch of Taxus Liberte drug-eluting stent system

Financial crisis strikes at health in all parts of the world

HHS report says health reform vital to U.S. economy as costs rise, quality of care worsens

CQ's Armstrong discusses budget reconciliation, coverage proposal from private insurers, Sebelius confirmation

UnitedHealth Group, Ingenix to testify at senate hearing about out-of-network rates

NIH might use stimulus funds for comparative effectiveness research that includes cost comparisons, acting director says

New York Times examines Massachusetts health insurance law as model for U.S. health reform

Health Reform Dialogue Coalition releases recommendations for U.S. health care system overhaul

Hoyer to coordinate committees on health care legislation process

Reps. introduce bill to expand Medicaid coverage to some HIV-positive people

Nearly 11% of Utah residents uninsured

AHIP, BCBS say insurers willing to stop basing premiums on members' health status if all U.S. residents are required to obtain coverage

Sebelius, DeParle discuss health care reform with congressional lawmakers

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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