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Laid-off workers must be notified of health exchange options

The Obama administration issued a rule Friday requiring employers to inform laid-off workers that, in addition to paying the full cost of their former work-based coverage under COBRA, former employees also have the option of buying insurance through the health law's online marketplaces.

6 May 2014

Women who experience physical violence by partner are more likely to be smokers

One third of women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of their intimate partners with consequences from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

6 May 2014

Obama uses health law as laugh line

President Barack Obama poked fun at the troubled launch of the health law's online insurance marketplaces during his speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

6 May 2014

Study focuses on health benefits of gardening for younger adults

People throughout the world enjoy gardening. The popular pastime can not only enhance home and community landscapes and provide low-cost food sources, the level of physical activity required also offers a multitude of health benefits.

6 May 2014

NCCN publishes new patient resource for stage 0 breast cancer

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), with the support of the NCCN Foundation®, announces the availability of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Breast Cancer Stages 0 - IV—the latest addition to the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients available online free-of-charge at NCCN.org/patients.

6 May 2014

SCCA launches mobile app to help people adopt healthier habits that can reduce risk of cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, 50 percent of cancer is completely preventable and about 90 percent is curable if detected early.

6 May 2014

Health law will factor into North Carolina primary

GOP leaders are lining up in support of North Carolina's House Speaker Thom Tillis in hopes that he can unseat Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., who has faced heavy criticism for her support of the health law.

6 May 2014

Researchers find links between hospital readmission rates and social factors

Factors like the level of poverty in a neighborhood, living alone, and age affect a patient's chances of being readmitted to a hospital after discharge, even after possible variations in quality of care in the hospital have been taken into account.

6 May 2014

FBI turns attention to Oregon's health exchange troubles

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is one of many federal agencies taking a long look at the difficulties that plagued Oregon's online insurance marketplace and led state officials to decide to scrap it.

6 May 2014

Virtual patient, medical record and questions appear effective in recognizing suicide risk

A virtual patient, the electronic medical record, and questions about how well patients sleep appear effective new tools in recognizing suicide risk, researchers say.

6 May 2014

Study says ambulatory centers perform surgery more efficiently than hospitals

Ambulatory centers perform surgery more efficiently than hospitals and could offer a viable way for the nation keep pace with a growing demand for outpatient procedures.

6 May 2014

Health spending increases hit fastest pace since 1980

USA Today reports on this development, noting some of the factors that will continue to drive up costs. Also, Kaiser Health News explores issues related to who should get costly hepatitis C drugs and The Wall Street Journal reports on the delay in implementing the ICD-10.

6 May 2014

Children most susceptible to cavities least likely to receive early dental care

Less than one per cent of healthy urban children surveyed in Toronto had received dental care by the recommended age of 12 months and less than two per cent had seen a dentist by the age of 24 months.

6 May 2014

Family-based CBT benefits young children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

A new study from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center has found that family-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is beneficial to young children between the ages of five and eight with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

6 May 2014

Mothers who have unintended pregnancies return to work sooner after childbirth

Mothers in the United States who have unintended pregnancies return to work sooner after childbirth than mothers whose pregnancy was intended, according to a study led by Dr. Rada K. Dagher, assistant professor of health services administration in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

6 May 2014

Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart receives highest "two-star" safety rating

The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart at The Mount Sinai Hospital has once again received the highest "two-star" safety rating from the New York State Department of Health for its percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) overall and in non-emergency cases.

6 May 2014

State highlights: Texas company keeps Medicaid contract despite fraud; seattle minimum wage; Conn. housing for those with mental illness

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Washington state, Connecticut and New York. For nearly five years, a state contractor allowed workers with limited expertise to approve dental claims for Texas' Medicaid program, the joint state-federal insurer.

5 May 2014

Alcohol consumption linked with increased risk of advanced liver fibrosis in HIV patients

Consumption of alcohol has long been associated with an increased risk of advanced liver fibrosis, but a new study published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases from researchers at Penn Medicine and other institutions shows that association is drastically heightened in people co-infected with both HIV and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

5 May 2014

First Edition: May 5, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about how President Barack Obama poked fun at the health law during his White House Correspondents' Dinner speech.

5 May 2014

Racial discrimination linked with increased risk of mental health problems in African-American youth

The vast majority of African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth face racial discrimination, and these experiences are associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 3, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

5 May 2014