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New poll reflects views on Palin and abortion; Abortion clinic protests planned

Most American women don't trust Mama Grizzly on abortion, birth control and sex ed, a new poll obtained by POLITICO shows. The survey, conducted for Planned Parenthood by Democratic pollster Hart Research Associates, found that just 24 percent of registered voters choose Sarah Palin as trustworthy on women's health issues, versus 54 percent who consider Planned Parenthood trustworthy (Kliff, 12/6).

7 Dec 2010

In Mass., health insurance program falters; Long term care costs increase

A plan to launch a comprehensive database of all federal workers' health care records is raising concerns, while in Massachusetts, state officials are disappointed that municipalities are not signing up for a new program to help cover workers' insurance needs.

7 Dec 2010

AARP survey shows overwhelming support for long term solution to protect access to medicare doctors

Access to doctors is critical to 39 million older Americans on Medicare – including over 1.5 million Illinoisans. But this access might be gravely compromised if Congress takes no action by January 1st, 2011, to prevent a severe cut in pay for Medicare physicians. Today, AARP released a survey of Illinois members, showing overwhelming support for a long term solution that protects patients' access to their doctors.

7 Dec 2010

Hospitals turn to luxury services to entice patients

Hospitals around the country are seeking to attract more paying customers with high-end services while at the same time find ways to cut down expenses from patients who cannot pay their bills.

7 Dec 2010

State roundup: Wash. state to pay most of state worker premiums; Budget cuts and mental health in N.Y.; Idaho fraud

Gov. Chris Gregoire told state workers for months that they'd have to pay a bigger share of health-care costs — equal to 26 percent of their health-insurance premiums — because of a looming multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. That all changed when Gregoire's office agreed this week to have workers pay 15 percent of health-care premium costs, with the state picking up the other 85 percent in the next two-year budget (Garber, 12/3).

7 Dec 2010

Today's Op-Eds: ObamaCare and FEHBP; California prisons; and workhorse Medicaid

Even Washington's stupidest scandals can be revealing, and so it is with the liberal cri de snore that Republicans ought to renounce health insurance. Democrats have inadvertently drawn up another indictment of ObamaCare (12/4).

6 Dec 2010

PAREXEL International opens two new Clinical Logistics Services facilities

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it has opened two new Clinical Logistics Services facilities in emerging regions for biopharmaceutical development. PAREXEL's new depot in Singapore and ancillary warehouse in Russia will support its clients in more effectively managing their global clinical trial supply requirements.

From Parexel 6 Dec 2010

Nation's top insurance lawyer suggests people to take steps before changing health insurance policy

By now, Americans everywhere are receiving premium increases and new policy choices when it comes to healthcare. Subscribers' rates are increasing and companies are making decisions about what they plan to do with the rising costs heading their way, says Frank N. Darras, the nation's top insurance lawyer.

6 Dec 2010

Elsevier announces title change for Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics journal

Elsevier, the world's leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information, announced today that its highly respected Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics journal is changing its title to Cancer Genetics and has named Dr. Jaclyn A. Biegel as editor-in-chief.

6 Dec 2010

Researchers show link between accepting family attitudes, behaviors towards LGBT children

For the first time, researchers have established a clear link between accepting family attitudes and behaviors towards their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children and significantly decreased risk and better overall health in adulthood.

6 Dec 2010

MBH receives prestigious 2010 Healthcare IT Summit Innovation Award

Autonomy Corporation plc, a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announced that Autonomy Meaning Based Healthcare received the prestigious 2010 Healthcare IT Summit Innovation Award for "Solution With Greatest Market Potential." Autonomy was selected for this award by attendees at the 2010 Healthcare IT Summit, including leading healthcare delivery organizations and insurance providers such as Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Johns Hopkins Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group, and CIGNA.

6 Dec 2010

WebMD Health announces 2010 Year in Health

WebMD Health Corp., the leading source of health information, today announced its 2010 Year in Health, which represents the health stories, searches, questions and trends that WebMD's audience of more than 83 million monthly visitors sought from the company's websites, mobile applications and communities during the year.

6 Dec 2010

ACAAI allergist experts available to comment on new food allergy guidelines

Food allergy experts from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology are available to comment as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases releases the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy on December 6. The ACAAI was one of more than 30 professional organizations, federal agencies and lay organizations who collaborated on the development of these recommendations.

6 Dec 2010

Oral levetiracetam may be effective in stopping neonatal seizures

Seizures that occur in the first few weeks of life are a major predictor of future adverse neurological outcomes. Currently approved antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are effective in stopping seizures in less than 50% of these neonatal cases. The approved therapies can also have undesirable side effects.

6 Dec 2010

Texas gov. Perry backs away from Medicaid dropout threat

Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program are breaking the state's budget, but opting out of the federal programs would have a devastating effect on health care delivery in Texas, according to a state report issued Friday. The report said most of the methods for fixing Medicaid spending in Texas will require acts of Congress, not the Legislature, to give the state greater flexibility in how the programs are run and a greater share of the national Medicaid financing.

6 Dec 2010

Health insurance news: Conn. rejects Anthem BC/BS rate increase, stock prices 'steady' despite reform law

The state Insurance Department refuted charges Friday by a nonprofit health-policy research group that Connecticut insurance regulators are understaffed and approve only minor changes to health-insurance rate hikes. Acting Insurance Commissioner Barbara C. Spear reacted to a report released this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation that said the state Department of Insurance 'has only one full-time actuary on staff' assigned to review rate filings for both the individual and small-group markets. ... 'Staffing levels do not have anything to do with the thoroughness of our rate review process,' Spear said." (Sturdevant, 12/13).

6 Dec 2010

University of Portland's school of engineering named after Bjork-Shiley heart valve inventor

University of Portland's school of engineering will now be known as the Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering in recognition of the late Donald Shiley, a 1951 graduate who was an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist and loving husband and father. Among his many groundbreaking inventions was the Bjork-Shiley heart valve, an innovative medical device that has been credited with saving more than a half million lives.

4 Dec 2010

Symposium to highlight aggression nurses experience in workplaces and lives

Nurses will use the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women to shine a spotlight on the aggression nurses and other health-care professionals experience in their workplaces and lives.

4 Dec 2010

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Hospital for Special Surgery announced the creation of the Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research to translate information collected from an extensive patient population into studies that will guide experts in preventing, diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders.

4 Dec 2010

NCI director ignorant of cancer prevention, says coalition

On October 22, 2010, Senator Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Dr. Harold Varmus, who was appointed director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by President Obama three months previously. The Senator raised questions on the amount of "sponsored travel," sometimes a dozen or more trips a year and almost exclusively to international conferences paid for by outside organizations or companies, taken in recent years by "numerous NCI employees, notably senior leadership."

4 Dec 2010