Health and Human Services News and Research

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Researchers develop new model to guide health care financing, resource allocation decisions in the U.S.

A new model that can be used to guide health care financing and resource allocation decisions in the U.S. has been developed by an international group of researchers led by a team from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

5 Mar 2010

Health care freedom: Virginia first state to pass legislation

Today Virginia became the first state in the nation to enact legislation to protect their citizens from being forced to purchase health insurance or participate in any health care system against their will. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has identified 37 other states that have similar bills pending or have announced that they will introduce this legislation. Already, at least one house of the legislatures in Idaho, Missouri, and Tennessee have also passed such legislation.

5 Mar 2010

UnitedHealth Group statement: Expand access to quality care for all Americans

We sought to make clear our longstanding commitment to expanding access to quality care for all Americans, and also to discuss the many factors that are driving up the cost of care for millions of people across the United States. To achieve true and sustainable reform, it is essential to first bring costs under control.

5 Mar 2010

Sebelius meets with insurance execs, challenges them to be transparent

Reuters: During a meeting today, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pressed the CEOs of some of the nation's largest health insurers about increases in insurance premiums. "The meeting added more uncertainty for an industry that has already become Democrats' top target in their bid to overhaul the nation's healthcare system, and shares of health insurers continued to fall in late-morning trading."

5 Mar 2010

Sebelius takes on health insurers

The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones: When health insurance executives meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the White House Thursday to discuss premiums, they will "face a regulator who is well-versed in the complexities of the industry." Sebelius, whose resume includes a stretch as a state insurance commissioner, "is taking aim at rising premium rates as she joins President Barack Obama's push for an overhaul of the nation's health-coverage laws.

5 Mar 2010

Toxicologists, environmental health scientists to discuss on safeguarding public health at SOT meeting

The government's leading toxicologists and environmental health scientists will share their latest scientific accomplishments, offer continuing education courses, discuss funding and training opportunities, receive input on future research priorities, and more, at the Society of Toxicology annual meeting.

5 Mar 2010

Argos Therapeutics' AGS-004 immunotherapy for HIV demonstrates clinical and commercial potential

Argos Therapeutics today announced the publication of a manuscript in the February edition of Clinical Immunology, detailing positive immune response, safety and manufacturing data for its AGS-004 immunotherapy for HIV. AGS-004 is a product of the Company’s Arcelis™ technology, and is a personalized, RNA-loaded dendritic cell-based immunotherapy that is perfectly matched to each patient’s unique HIV viral burden. The manuscript details a clinical study in which AGS-004 was evaluated in type-1 HIV-infected adults who were being treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART).

5 Mar 2010

Sesame Workshop and AmeriChoice to develop bilingual education outreach program

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and AmeriChoice, the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company that provides health benefits for state and public programs, are partnering to develop a bilingual education outreach program aimed at helping low-income families make food choices that are affordable, nutritional and set the foundation for lifelong healthy habits.

4 Mar 2010

New book on role of CBOs and NGOs in global public health

Igniting the Power of Community: The Role of CBOs and NGOs in Global Public Health is a new book edited by Paul Gaist, PhD, MPH, adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which explores the pursuits and potential of community-based organizations (CBOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to transform global public health.

4 Mar 2010

Kansas lawmakers debate legality of health insurance mandate amendment

Kansas Health Institute: "Republicans and Democrats were sharply divided Tuesday over a proposed constitutional amendment that sponsors said would let federal officials know Kansans don't want to be told by the government that they must buy health insurance. On a 12-9, party-line vote, the House Health and Human Services Committee voted to recommend House Concurrent Resolution 5032 favorable for passage.

4 Mar 2010

Daschle: Incremental health reforms won't work

Kaiser Health News editors and reporters talked Monday with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle about health reform's current dynamics, strategies, key issues and chances of passage.

4 Mar 2010

HHS Secretary asks Olympic athletes to combat the challenge of childhood obesity

Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the first in a series of web videos and public service announcements to promote First Lady Michelle Obama’s national initiative, Let’s Move, to solve childhood obesity within a generation. Childhood obesity and excess weight threatens the healthy future of one third of American children.

3 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 3, 2010

This morning's news is all about President Obama's outreach yesterday to the GOP and his speech today detailing new elements of his health reform plan. Will this step resuscitate the Dem's overhaul efforts?

3 Mar 2010

Obama says he's willing to explore ideas raised by GOP during health summit

ABC News Political Punch: In a letter to Congressional leaders President Obama signaled Tuesday afternoon he is "open to several provisions raised by GOP lawmakers during last week's bipartisan health care reform summit, including medical malpractice reform, combating fraud," and the removal of a provisions that would have allowed the federal government to pay for Nebraska's Medicaid expansion and another that would have protected Florida seniors from cuts to the Medicare Advantage program (3/2).

3 Mar 2010

National Cancer Institute awards PDS Biotechnology $1.28M phase 2 SBIR contract

PDS Biotechnology Corporation today announced that the company has been awarded a $1.28M phase 2 SBIR contract by the National Cancer Institute division of the US National Institutes of Health. The contract provides funding to complete studies required to file an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the FDA for the company's lead human papillomavirus (HPV)-cancer product late in 2010.

2 Mar 2010

Study reveals most consumers are unclear about dietary nutrients

When it comes to dietary nutrients, most consumers don't know the whole story. A recent study by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy revealed that the fact that milk delivers much more than calcium to the diet is new "news" to consumers.

2 Mar 2010

FDA announces membership, meeting information for TPSAC; Committee to provide advice on tobacco-related issues

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced membership and meeting information for the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. The Committee, required through the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act), will provide advice, information, and recommendations to FDA on a wide range of tobacco-related issues.

2 Mar 2010

Intercell AG's revenues for full year 2009 increase 10.6%

Today, the biotech-vaccine company Intercell AG announced its financial results for Q4 and the preliminary results for the full financial year 2009, and presented an update on the Company's development programs.

2 Mar 2010

Pennsylvania to use nearly $10M in federal grant funds to improve quality of health care for children

Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced Pennsylvania will use nearly $10 million in federal grant funds to improve the quality of health care for children while reducing the cost of services through the use of pediatric electronic health records.

2 Mar 2010

$28M grant to examine neural and behavioral profiles of healthy cognitive aging

The Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging, a public-private effort to promote the study of brain function with age, will award up to $28 million over five years to 17 research grants to examine the neural and behavioral profiles of healthy cognitive aging and explore interventions that may prevent, reduce or reverse cognitive decline in older people.

2 Mar 2010