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Medicare could owe billions to state Medicaid programs

Governors are pushing the Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse their states money that was spent on providing health care services to people with disabilities who were mistakenly denied Medicare benefits. The error is attributed to the Social Security Administration and cost state Medicaid programs an estimated $4 billion.

7 Jul 2011

Global research initiative to improve health care for people with MNS disorders

Mental health experts are calling for a greater world focus on improving access to care and treatment for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as increasing discoveries in research that will enable this goal to be met.

7 Jul 2011

Unhealthy lifestyle linked to increased risk of sexual dysfunction in men

A new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals that several unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as weight problems, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and hard drugs are associated with sexual dysfunctions in men. Additionally, an unhealthy lifestyle is more common in persons who are sexually inactive.

7 Jul 2011

State roundup: Health officials in Calif. draw high pay

Abortion-rights supporters worried Tuesday that regulations Kansas is trying to enact would give the state health department unfettered access to patient medical records and suggested it could endanger the privacy of women who have terminated pregnancies.

7 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Preserving Medicaid; drug risks, headlines; health law flaw

The poor and disabled people who rely on Medicaid to pay their medical bills could be in grave jeopardy in this sour I've-got-mine political climate. Older Americans, a potent voting bloc, have made clear that they won't stand for serious changes in Medicare. Medicaid, however, provides health insurance for the most vulnerable, who have far less political clout.

7 Jul 2011

Elsevier makes valuable antiquarian resources accessible to scholars around the world

Elsevier announced today the launch of an online catalogue of the Elsevier Heritage Collection, comprising over 2,000 rare books with more than 1,000 distinct titles published by the original Elzevier publishing house from 1580 to 1712.

6 Jul 2011

Fiscal problems could be mitigated by ART conceived children

In 2009, 1,547 ART children were born in public clinics in Denmark, projecting a net tax revenue of -224 million and -247 million in 25 and 50 years respectively. The authors of the study calculated that reductions of 30-50% in ART cycles following the new policy would lead to cost savings of -67 - -111 million for the Danish government in 2034.

6 Jul 2011

The latest from Capsules, KHN's blog

Kaiser Health News: From Capsules: The Secret Lives Of Docs-In-Training

6 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 6, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about how budget pressures and the deficit reduction negotiations are having an impact on Medicare and Medicaid.

6 Jul 2011

Political cartoon: 'The Bomb'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh perspective on health policy developments with "The Bomb" by John Hambrock.

6 Jul 2011

Managed care enters the exam room as insurers buy doctor groups

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "Even if UnitedHealth Group isn't your insurance company, there's a good chance it touches you in some way.

6 Jul 2011

Specialist RM clinic helps women achieve subsequent live birth

The researchers studied the records of 987 women with a minimum of three consecutive miscarriages, who had been referred to a specialist RM clinic between 1986 and 2008.

6 Jul 2011

Long-range forecasting model makes health predictions for 2060

According to research published Friday in the July 2011 issue of the WHO Bulletin, a new long-range forecasting model suggests global deaths from infectious diseases will decrease by 70 percent by 2060, despite significant growth in population worldwide, CTV.ca reports.

6 Jul 2011

Smoking, social class may lead to POF in women

POF is not only associated with infertility but also with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, as well as a decreased quality of life equivalent to that of people with type 2 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, said Dr. Rumana Islam, from Imperial College, London, UK.

6 Jul 2011

New CRM simulation model for Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

If Canada's smoking rates were cut by half to an average national rate of 11% within five years, it would result in 35,900 fewer cases of lung cancer by 2030 and save $656 million in treatment costs, according to analysis using a new web-enabled platform developed for the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and presented at the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Amsterdam, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

6 Jul 2011

Majority of tonsil surgery in children performed during summer vacation

Scheduling tonsils to be removed figures into many parents' itineraries for their childrens' summer vacation, right up there with summer camp stays and family reunions. An estimated 500,000 children have the procedure each year.

6 Jul 2011

New report suggests only small risk of mobile phones causing cancer

"A committee of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection has concluded after a comprehensive review that there is little cause for concern about the suggested link between mobile phone use and brain tumours," BMJ reports.

6 Jul 2011

Air traffic pollution impacts growth and development of unborn children

A UK academic is calling for a nationwide study into the effects traffic pollution has on asthma sufferers after his own research in Cairo highlighted health problems in children who may even be affected while still in the womb.

6 Jul 2011

Critical access hospitals provide lower quality of care

In an analysis of data from more than 4,500 hospitals that serve Medicare beneficiaries, critical access hospitals had fewer clinical capabilities, worse measured processes of care and higher rates of death for patients with heart attack, congestive heart failure or pneumonia, compared to non-CAHs, according to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA.

6 Jul 2011

New tools can significantly reduce HIV/AIDS worldwide

We are entering a new era in HIV prevention. PEPFAR promoted a 'combination prevention' strategy from the beginning. But the tools were limited. Scientific advances could give individuals the ability to determine the prevention intervention that works best for them.

6 Jul 2011