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Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and develop. These skills enable children to engage with other people and learn from their surroundings and in the classroom.

NADP: Americans with family dental coverage can keep their current dental plan

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid's health reform bill fulfills the promise that more than 132 million Americans with family dental coverage can keep their current dental plan without disrupting established dentist-patient relationships, according to the National Association of Dental Plans.

21 Nov 2009

Tax hikes in Reid-Obama healthcare bill can affect families with special needs children

There are 18 separate tax hikes in the Reid-Obama healthcare bill. One of them caps the amount that can be deferred in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) at $2500 per year (a similar provision was included in the Pelosi-Obama health bill and written about by Congressman Cathy McMorris-Rogers, R-Was., for National Review Online).

21 Nov 2009

USGS researchers examine PAHs and PCBs sources in urban environment

Toxic dust: Toxins in coal-tar-based sealcoats in parking lots may be the culprit in contaminated house dust, according to a USGS study. PAHs - or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - are large molecules found in oil, coal and tar deposits, and can have toxic effects.

21 Nov 2009

American Academy of Actuaries urge Senators to strengthen individual mandate in the health reform bill

The American Academy of Actuaries is urging senators to modify health care reform legislation released this week to contain stronger language regarding a health insurance individual coverage mandate. The actuaries said that an effective and enforceable mandate will minimize adverse selection stemming from more restrictive issue and rating rules prescribed by the bill.

21 Nov 2009

New multimedia application from ASM

Want to get the latest microbiology news, podcasts and video content in the palm of your hand? Now there is an app for that. A new application from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) allows users to access and interact with audio and video content on MicrobeWorld, its award winning multimedia website, directly from their iPhones and iPod Touches.

20 Nov 2009

Lawmakers at health reform crossroads

As Senate health bill consideration approaches a critical point, Majority Leader Harry Reid has taken ownership of it, The New York Times reports. "Should Mr. Reid shepherd the measure successfully through the Senate and meld it with the House version into final legislation that President Obama can sign, it would be the biggest accomplishment of his career." If he fails it would be a hard defeat for Democrats and him, especially when he faces a tough re-election campaign at home in Nevada (Hulse, 11/19).

20 Nov 2009

White House and Bishops at odds over abortion

"The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health care overhaul," the Associated Press reports.

20 Nov 2009

Policy flashpoints fuel reform debate

Kaiser Health News: "The health care overhaul debate in Congress now centers on two bills: the House-passed measure and the Senate Democrats' version unveiled Wednesday. They differ in important ways." KHN provides a consumers' guide that discusses mandates, new regulations on health insurers and how the legislation would affect both the insured and uninsured (Appleby, Carey, Galewitz and Rau, 11/19).

20 Nov 2009

CVS/pharmacy kicks off its fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's annual campaign

CVS/pharmacy kicks off its annual in store fundraiser for the sixth year to support the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Thanks and Giving campaign, beginning this Sunday and running through December 12. CVS/pharmacy store colleagues will encourage customers to add $1 to their purchase at the register to support the lifesaving research of St. Jude, one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.

20 Nov 2009

Harry Reid unveils health care bill, which includes pro-abortion language

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last night unveiled a health care bill which includes pro-abortion language. The bill's language mirrors the Capps Amendment from the House debate -- it allows the public option to include abortion coverage and provides federal subsidies for private plans which cover abortion.

20 Nov 2009

PIPC commends CER language inclusion in health care reform bill

The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) today applauded Senator Reid’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for including strong patient-centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) language. The CER language is based on the approach taken by Senators Baucus and Conrad in their CER bill (S. 1213), which is supported by over 100 organizations across the country, representing patients, providers, people with disabilities, and minority health organizations.

20 Nov 2009

New Senate version of health care reform with government funding for elective abortion introduced

Last night, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the Senate Democrats introduced a new Senate version of health care reform that includes government funding for elective abortion. The "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" authorizes the Secretary to include elective abortion in the public option and subsidize health plans in the government run exchange that cover elective abortion.

20 Nov 2009

New algorithm for de-identifying health information

As electronic health records become more widely deployed, increasing amounts of health information are being collected. This data has many beneficial applications, such as research, public health, and health system planning. In a recent study, Dr. Khaled El Emam, the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the CHEO Research Institute argues that there is a need for robust de-identification of patient data to avoid the negative impact that individual consent requirements have on studies using health record data for secondary purposes.

20 Nov 2009

Emphasizing racial disparities increases health news coverage, says new study

Effective communication of health news is needed to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes in populations who experience health disparities, or inequalities in health status, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

20 Nov 2009

Senate health bill's abortion language triggers mixed reactions

The Hill reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "prefers abortion language in the Senate healthcare legislation to the House approach." Pelosi said she was pleased with the Senate bill's treatment of abortion, saying "'I think it's pretty clear no federal funds would be used to pay for abortion.'" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid left out Rep. Bart Stupak's abortion amendment from his merged Senate health care reform bill, opting instead to "maintain current law where that is applicable and extend it to new programs created by the legislation."

19 Nov 2009

Senate health bill released, another step toward Democratic-backed reforms

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a climactic debate in the Senate over health care by unveiling a 10-year, $848 billion bill that would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage," The Wall Street Journal reports.

19 Nov 2009

Senate bill draws immediate reactions from GOP, interest groups

Republicans quickly rebuked Senate Democrats' health overhaul bill after its release last night, Roll Call reports. They said it would result in higher insurance premiums, tax hikes, and Medicare cuts, and complained that it was drafted behind closed doors, and that they have not yet had a chance to read it.

19 Nov 2009

EIN News launches "Mesothelioma News Today"

EIN News, an online leader in industry news monitoring and press syndication, has today added a new publication to its portfolio of health-related international news sites for industry professionals and analysts: Mesothelioma News Today (http://mesothelioma.einnews.com).

19 Nov 2009

Senate urged to cast an unconditional NO vote on the cloture motion to proceed to the health care bill

Last evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled his 2, 074-page health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. Not only is less strict, less-than-Stupak abortion funding language contained in Reid's bill, but there is still nothing in place to remedy the problem that is the underlying mechanism for carrying out single-payer, government-run health care - the rationing of life-saving medical treatments and placing the most intimate health decisions of every American in the hands of Washington bureaucrats.

19 Nov 2009

House vote on abortion amendment causes division among Democrats

The inclusion in the House health reform bill of an anti-abortion amendment sponsored by Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak is causing division and debate among Democrats. Politico reports: "House passage of a sweeping anti-abortion amendment has set off a wave of soul-searching and finger-pointing among abortion rights activists — many of whom thought they'd found a safe harbor when Democrats won the White House and big majorities in Congress last year."

18 Nov 2009