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Health industry groups pledge to reduce spending; some health advocates express skepticism about plan

As President Obama on Monday met with health care industry groups regarding their pledge to reduce $2 trillion in expected health care spending increases over the next 10 years, many health care advocates expressed skepticism about the promise, the Hartford Courant reports (Levick, Hartford Courant, 5/12).

12 May 2009

Many people skipping health care in the past year

As economic conditions remain poor, a majority of the public continues to say that they or a member of their household have delayed or skipped health care in the past year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's April health tracking poll.

23 Apr 2009

Increased awareness and diagnosis of celiac disease would bring health care costs savings

A study published in Journal of Insurance Medicine by members of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center has demonstrated an economic benefit to the diagnosis of celiac disease in a national managed-care population in the United States.

30 Mar 2009

Texas offering loan repayments to pediatric dental, medical physicians who accept Medicaid

The Texas Department of State Health Services is offering as much as $140,000 in student loan repayments disbursed over four years to pediatric dentists and physicians who treat Medicaid beneficiaries, the Houston Chronicle reports.

24 Mar 2009

New York paid $28 million in Medicaid payments for 20,000 people receiving benefits in other states, audit finds

New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Tuesday said that from 2004 to 2008 the state Health Department made about $28 million in Medicaid payments to about 20,000 people who also were enrolled in Medicaid programs in other states, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

5 Mar 2009

Study finds major interruptions in antiretroviral therapy after release from prison

The vast majority of HIV-infected Texas prison inmates who receive antiretroviral therapy while incarcerated experience significant interruptions in HIV treatment after their release into the community.

24 Feb 2009

34 percent of all Medicare Part D enrollees select Medicare Advantage plans for 2009

More than nine million people, or 34 percent of all Medicare Part D enrollees, currently receive their prescription drug benefit through Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans), says new analysis by Avalere Health.

24 Feb 2009

Morbidity rates increased substantially after Hurricane Katrina

In the year following Hurricane Katrina, the health of survivors 65 and over declined nearly 4 times that of a national sample of older adults not affected by the disaster, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

23 Jan 2009

New drugs have longer clinical development times despite faster FDA review

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Drug has quickened review and approval of new medicines, the complex nature of diseases for which new therapeutics are being developed has resulted in longer clinical development times, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

8 Jan 2009

Endo Pharmaceuticals to acquire Indevus Pharmaceuticals

Endo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENDP) and Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEV) announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement under which Endo will commence a tender offer to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Indevus for approximately $370 million, or $4.50 per Indevus share, in cash, and up to an additional approximately $267 million, or $3.00 per Indevus share, in cash payable in the future upon achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones.

5 Jan 2009

Study examines impact of managed care on stroke prevention surgery

Policymakers and economists often promote managed-care plans based on the assumption that they prevent the overuse of unnecessary surgical procedures or help steer patients to high-quality providers, compared to traditional fee-for-service insurance plans.

1 Jan 2009

Study examines impact of managed care on stroke prevention surgery

30 Dec 2008

Children with sickle cell disease have inadequate healthcare

A new study finds that youth populations with sickle cell disease (SCD) are receiving inadequate healthcare, and thus may fail to benefit from scientific advances.

24 Nov 2008

Poor understanding of medicare leads to worse healthcare access

A study appearing in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that Medicare beneficiaries' understanding of their healthcare benefits may affect their ability to access needed care effectively and could lead them to the delay or avoid seeking care.

18 Nov 2008

Study finds rise in rate of diagnostic imaging in managed care

Use of radiology imaging tests has soared in the past decade with a significant increase in newer technologies, according to a new study that is the first to track imaging patterns in a managed care setting over a substantial time period.

11 Nov 2008

Barriers to managing asthma

Barriers to managing asthma include access to appropriate care, patient adherence, distrust of the medical profession, delayed asthma diagnosis, culture, lifestyle choices and genetic discrepancies according to experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Seattle.

10 Nov 2008

Cost of treating colorectal cancer varies widely

The cost of treating colorectal cancer varies widely, with newer, life-extending therapies sometimes costing tens of thousands of dollars more than older agents, according to a study led by a team of researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

8 Nov 2008

35 to 55 - the danger zone for women recovering from alcoholism

According to an Australian researcher women recovering from alcoholism are in danger of relapsing between age 35 and 55 due to the increased pressure from family and work commitments.

4 Nov 2008

States see rising enrollment in Medicaid as economy falters

With states confronting a weakening economy, enrollment in Medicaid began to rise last year with states expecting even larger increases for fiscal year 2009, according to a new 50-state survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU). With the increased enrollment, Medicaid spending is also rising more rapidly than in the recent past, raising the potential for program cutbacks as states confront the combined impact of more enrollees and fewer available resources.

29 Sep 2008

FDA approves expanded uses for Gardasil for vaginal and vulvar cancer caused by HPV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of vaginal and vulvar cancer caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in girls and women ages 9 to 26.

14 Sep 2008