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Boehner rejects deal; Fate of 'doc fix' in doubt

A day after the Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to extend a payroll tax cut for two months, House Republicans made clear Sunday that they would not support the measure. Speaker John A. Boehner, who was among the Republican and Democratic leaders who on Friday had worked out a deal on the $33 billion package, did an about-face on Sunday and said he and other House Republicans were opposed to the temporary extension.

19 Dec 2011

LFA praises Congress for vital lupus funding in Fiscal Year 2012 Omnibus Appropriations Bill

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) applauds Congress for including vital lupus funding in the Fiscal Year 2012 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which passed today, Saturday, December 17.

19 Dec 2011

2012 to open up opportunities in booming Australian home care industry

Spending on home care services could grow to up to $11 billion per year if industry deregulation plans are adopted by the Federal Government, according to a forecast from one of the country’s leading home care providers.

18 Dec 2011

A Texas-sized Medicaid deal

KUHF's Carrie Feibel, reporting as part of a partnership with Kaiser Health News, NPR and KUHF, writes: "The deal that federal regulators struck with Texas this week to expand managed care coverage for the poor allows both Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican presidential contender, and a Democratic White House to claim victory for their very different healthcare agendas."

17 Dec 2011

EHB Coalition releases statement on HHS' essential health benefits bulletin

Neil Trautwein, chairman of the Essential Health Benefits Coalition and vice president and employee benefits policy counsel at the National Retail Federation, released the following statement on the release of a bulletin today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the essential health benefits package.

17 Dec 2011

SGR in the spotlight: Examining the 'doc fix' dilemma

News outlets report on how this formula, created to control Medicare spending on physician services, has evolved into a "budget-busting juggernaut."

17 Dec 2011

Experts argue about dementia detection in primary care practice at AFA-ADDF meeting

Many people with dementia don't realize they have the disease until it's at an advanced stage, when everyone can tell something is wrong. Other people might start forgetting dates or names and worry they have dementia, yet their memory problems are just a normal consequence of aging.

17 Dec 2011

Balancing optimism and realism in battle against HIV/AIDS

In his monthly column "Pulling It Together," Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman discusses a recent conversation between The Daily Show host Jon Stewart and U2 lead singer Bono that "captures the tension between the opportunity for new optimism and the continuing need for realism about the AIDS epidemic."

17 Dec 2011

USMCR, Humana Military partner for Toys for Tots program

Humana Inc. announced today that for the seventh consecutive year, its subsidiary, Humana Military Healthcare Services, has partnered with the United States Marine Corps Reserve in a toy drive in support of its annual Toys for Tots campaign.

17 Dec 2011

Gingrich's policies appear to advance gov't role in health care

Many of his public statements indicate he has advanced policies that would give the government a "bigger hand" in the delivery of health care. Meanwhile, a new poll shows support for President Barack Obama is low and that opinions about the health law continue to be mixed.

17 Dec 2011

President Obama honors mentoring program for minority girls in science and health

Teresa Woodruff, the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring at the White House from President Barack Obama Monday, Dec. 12.

17 Dec 2011

Obama administration proposes labor rules for home care aides

President Obama circumvented Congress and moved Thursday to require that home-care aides be paid minimum wage and overtime, giving the fast-growing workforce long-sought assistance. Home-care workers, who now number close to 2 million people, have been exempted from federal labor law since 1974.

17 Dec 2011

A call for continued investment in global health, development

In this Politico opinion piece, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who chairs the non-profit Hope Through Healing Hands, writes, "Continued investment in the fight to end global AIDS is more than an investment in the lives of families and communities in developing nations -- it is an investment in security, diplomacy and our moral image worldwide."

17 Dec 2011

GE Healthcare's MIND campaign goes online for patients with neurodegenerative diseases

GE Healthcare's MIND campaign is going online to give those affected by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia and parkinsonian syndromes a platform to share their stories.

17 Dec 2011

Research roundup: Insurance coverage in the Great Recession; PCIP vs. CHIP

The researchers how physicians examined claims of lower back back pain and note that part of the "rising economic cost of this epidemic is the burgeoning use of indiscriminate imaging," specifically MRIs. Researchers divided patients into two groups and "the treating physician in group 1 patients was blinded to the MRI results, while the physician for group 2 patients decided on treatment after reviewing the MRI findings."

17 Dec 2011

Advice for newly-diagnosed Parkinson's patients

After 12 years with Parkinson's disease (PD), 57-year old Bill Schmalfeldt has this advice for newly-diagnosed Parkinson's patients.

17 Dec 2011

Study: Dentists' role in medical checkups

A study in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that many people who don't have regular contact with a physician still see a dentist at least once a year -- potentially positioning these professionals to spot the early signs of chronic illnesses.

17 Dec 2011