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HHS releases new insurance exchange rules, includes controversial surcharges

Health insurance companies will have to pay to play in new health insurance markets coming under President Barack Obama's health care law, the administration said in a regulatory notice issued Friday. The Health and Human Services department is proposing a "user fee" amounting to 3.5 percent of premiums for health insurers who want to offer policies in new federal exchanges coming in 2014.

2 Dec 2012

Fiscal cliff: Dems, GOP sparring publicly over entitlement cuts, including Medicare

President Barack Obama is ready to entertain Republican proposals for spending cuts, but GOP lawmakers must first commit to higher tax rates on the rich and specify what additional spending cuts they want in a deal to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said. "The ball really is with them now," Geithner, one of the president's chief negotiators with Capitol Hill, said during appearances on five Sunday talk shows.

2 Dec 2012

New psychiatric manual won't include Asperger's diagnosis, could affect treatment payments

News outlets covered the Saturday meeting of the American Psychiatric Association as changes were approved to its manual of mental disorders.

2 Dec 2012

Bringing malnutrition into the political spotlight

"Most people think malnutrition is all about not having enough food or enough of the right kind of food to eat," but while "this is a big part of the story ... there are many other links in the chain," Lawrence Haddad, director of the Institute of Development Studies, writes in a BBC Magazine opinion piece.

1 Dec 2012

Report finds low infection rate for hip replacement or revision procedures at HSS

For the fourth year in a row, Hospital for Special Surgery has an infection rate that is significantly lower than the New York State average for hip replacement or revision surgeries, according to the 2011 report on hospital infection rates just released by the State Department of Health.

1 Dec 2012

Decoding Part D marketing and other news

Choosing a Medicare Prescription Drug plan is a tricky business. Most beneficiaries go for the cheapest monthly premium, but this can be a big mistake, especially for those with unusual or expensive medications.

1 Dec 2012

Cedars-Sinai surgeons use evidence-based protocols to reduce post-operative infections

Surgical teams at Cedars-Sinai have reduced surgical site infections by more than 60 percent for patients who undergo colorectal procedures by introducing evidence-based protocols that are easy to follow and relatively low in cost.

1 Dec 2012

White House fiscal plan draws cool GOP response

The proposal reflects Democratic priorities, focusing on stimulus spending and unspecified spending cuts this year, and legislation in 2013 that would cut as much as $400 billion from Medicare and other government entitlement programs over the next decade in exchange for $1.6 trillion in tax increases.

1 Dec 2012

The Atlantic features special section for AIDS articles

In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, the Atlantic features a collection of new and previous stories related to HIV/AIDS, titled "AIDS Around the World: Prevention, Treatment and Beyond."

1 Dec 2012

American Epilepsy Society honors University of Wisconsin neuropsychologist with Service Award

Bruce P. Hermann, Ph.D., professor of neurology and director of the Charles Matthews Neuropsychology Lab at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has been named recipient of the American Epilepsy Society's (AES) 2012 Service Award.

1 Dec 2012

US women lose their health insurance after divorce: Study

Each year, almost 115,000 women in the U.S. will lose their health insurance in the months following a divorce, finds a study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

1 Dec 2012

Supreme Court may decide gay health benefits issues

The justices could consider same-sex marriage, which would affect health benefits for federal employees and possibly Medicaid.

1 Dec 2012

Men should see a doctor and be proactive about their health, say UAB experts

Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) say a man's tendency to wait until the onset of sickness to see his doctor is a major detriment to health because key screenings are missed.

1 Dec 2012

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on Friday published Issue 204 of its "Global Fund Observer."

1 Dec 2012

Retail clinics could undermine primary care patient-physician relationships

Using retail walk-in health clinics, often located inside pharmacies or big-box stores, for simple acute care problems can interfere with establishing and maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider, finds a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

1 Dec 2012

Collaborative care significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes

Collaborative care, a model that involves multiple clinicians working with a patient, significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes compared to standard primary care treatment for up to two years, finds a new review by The Cochrane Library.

1 Dec 2012

Mass. Republicans want top state health official to resign

The state's Republicans are challenging the handling of the recent meningitis outbreak and drug test tampering allegations.

1 Dec 2012

Routine moderate physical activity will add years to your life, say researchers

Vigorous exercise is good for health, but only if it's limited to a maximum daily dose of between 30 and 50 minutes, say researchers in an editorial published online in Heart.

1 Dec 2012

Health People comments on PEPFAR Blueprint for an AIDS Free World

The Obama Administration's PEPFAR "Blueprint for an AIDS Free World" released yesterday by U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is an impressive and welcome roadmap forward," said Chris Norwood, Executive Director of Health People, Inc. in the South Bronx, where 2% of the adult population has HIV/AIDS.

1 Dec 2012

Fiscal crisis, thoughts of sequestration cause provider angst

If the "fiscal cliff's" scheduled cuts take effect, physicians will face a 2 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements. Separately, however, they also are confronting a 27 percent pay cut as a result of the failure to fix the Medicare physician payment formula.

1 Dec 2012