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Viewpoints: Geithner, Bowles, Simpson, Ryan, Vladeck, Wilensky on health spending and the deficit

The agreement sets up a powerful mechanism for agreement on tax reforms to strengthen growth, and entitlement reforms to strengthen programs such as Medicare. A congressional committee with fast-track authority will have a Nov. 23 deadline to recommend a balanced package of long-term reforms to produce $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction.

4 Aug 2011

Bill offered to undo HSA health law provision

Bipartisan legislation was introduced Thursday to remove restrictions on tax-exempt health spending accounts — a revenue-raising provision of the health law that was estimated to garner $5 billion over 10 years.

16 Jul 2011

Brazilian Court denies claims for indemnification for damages attributed to smoking cigarettes

The judge of the 19th Civil Court of Sao Paulo denied the claims for indemnification brought by the Association for the Defence of the Health of Smokers (ADESF) in a class action suit filed against cigarette manufacturers Souza Cruz and Philip Morris Brasil that, according to the plaintiff, was evaluated at more than R$ 30 billion (US$ 18.4 billion).

27 May 2011

Minn. House approves abortion restrictions

After long, wrenching, debates with sometimes-graphic testimony about fetuses, the House approved bills Friday that would ban all abortions in Minnesota after 20 weeks of gestation and prohibit public money from paying for the procedure. The 20-week ban was approved, largely along party lines in the Republican-led chamber, 82-46.

9 May 2011

Testosterone therapy for prostate cancer needs reevaluation: New study

The long-standing prohibition against testosterone therapy in men with untreated or low-risk prostate cancer merits reevaluation, according to a new study published in The Journal of Urology.

20 Apr 2011

Viewpoints abound on impact of Ryan plan, government showdown

If the federal government shuts down at midnight on Friday — which seems likely unless negotiations take a sudden turn toward rationality — it will not be because of disagreements over spending. It will be because Republicans are refusing to budge on these ideological demands: No federal financing for Planned Parenthood. ... No local financing for abortion services in the District of Columbia. ... No funds for health care reform.

8 Apr 2011

Could HIV-infected organs save 'lives?

Johns Hopkins researchers argue for reversing ban on transplanting infected organs and making them available to HIV-infected patients

30 Mar 2011

U.S. statewide bank crises study finds no major impact of depression on mortality

A study published today provides a new perspective on the Great Depression of the 1930s. A widely held view is that there were remarkable improvements in life expectancy of over five years.

25 Mar 2011

WHO concerned about radiation levels in food near damaged Japanese nuclear plant

A WHO spokesperson "said on Monday that the detection of radiation in food after an earthquake damaged a Japanese nuclear plant was a more serious problem than had first expected," Reuters reports.

22 Mar 2011

APHA issues statement recommending improved safety for workers in adult film industry

In a newly posted position paper on its website, the American Public Health Association, the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world representing over 50,000 health professionals and others who work to promote health, prevent disease and ensure conditions in which all can be safe and healthy, has issued a comprehensive policy statement, "Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV among Performers in the Adult Film Industry," that includes a series of recommendations intended to foster improved safety and workplace conditions for workers in the adult film industry.

19 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: WSJ on Medicare Advantage, Texas Gov. Perry on 'Fed inroads,' Med students' health policy ignorance

The White House has apparently decided that it won't enforce the unpopular parts of its health-care plan until after the 2012 election. The latest evidence is its decision not to slash Medicare Advantage, the program that Democrats hate because it lets seniors choose private insurance options. ... Would this be the same Medicare Advantage that candidate Barack Obama vowed to eliminate, saying in 2007 that "We shouldn't be rewarding the insurance industry for deceiving and defrauding our seniors"? (2/25).

25 Feb 2011

Small minority of employers more familiar with Health Care Reform overall: New study

As provisions of the ''Affordable Health Care for America Act'' continue to come into effect, there is a tremendous need for employers across the country to learn about its impact on their businesses and employees, according to the results of "Health Care Reform 360 degree," a new national study by Market Strategies International, the highly-regarded global market research and consulting firm.

28 Jan 2011

Health overhaul mandates spur lobbying push for waivers, Bloomberg reports

The new health law has created an open-season atmosphere for Washington lobbyists seeking waivers and other changes.

21 Jan 2011

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota praises fix of orphan drug discount under 340B program

Families who were facing the prospect of huge increases in the cost of life-saving drugs for their children can breath easier thanks to a new law that will preserve discounts on specialized, so-called "orphan drugs."

17 Dec 2010

Holder, Sebelius convene day-long summit on health care fraud

High-ranking Obama administration officials are convening a day-long meeting in Massachusetts to brainstorm about ways to prevent health care fraud and abuse. In other news, a federal district judge upholds the prohibition on three former executives from the company that made the painkiller OxyContin — they will continue to be barred from involvement with any government-financed health care program.

17 Dec 2010

EMEA calls for Europe-wide ban on blood donation from ME/CFS patients

The European ME Alliance (EMEA) is calling on Europe's health ministers to initiate an immediate Europe-wide prohibition of blood donation from people who have been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS).

13 Dec 2010

Supreme Court considers overcrowding's effect on Cal. prison health care

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering an order requiring California prisons to release 40,000 inmates because overcrowding has limited prisoners' access to health care.

2 Dec 2010

High court's statement about intent a win for life insurance consumers, says Coventry

Coventry, the creator of the secondary market for life insurance in the U.S., applauds the New York Court of Appeals decision in Kramer v. Phoenix Life Insurance Company as a significant victory for life insurance consumers and the secondary market for life insurance.

20 Nov 2010

GOP claims Statehouse victories that could set back health law implementation

"The Democrats' ambitious health care overhaul is facing roadblocks from newly elected state officials who harshly criticized it while campaigning and who are now in a position to make good on their promises," Kaiser Health News reports. The GOP made significant political gains in Tuesday's election, taking "Governors' mansions in several states." Among the newly elected governors were Sam Brownback of Kansas, "who called the reform law 'an abomination,'" and Tennessee's Bill Haslam, who called the law "an 'intolerable expansion' of federal power."

4 Nov 2010

Marijuana legalization initiatives prompt NFIA to launch 'But What About the Children?' campaign

Whether or not Californians approve Proposition 19 on November 2, the proposition is the first of many to legalize marijuana for recreational use and turn it into an unregulated commercial enterprise.

30 Oct 2010