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States focus on Medicaid budget challenges

Nearly missed in the noise from newly elected politicians vowing to upend the Obama administrations health care reform law was a federal decision allowing California to start implementing it and improve its fiscal situation in the process. On Election Day, California got word it would receive $10 billion in federal Medicaid money to extend coverage to some 500,000 people who are currently uninsured. ...

20 Nov 2010

Senate acts on Medicare doctor pay fix

Although the Senate agreed to postpone for one month cuts in Medicare physician payments, the House must still act, too, in order to delay a scheduled fee reduction that will kick in Dec. 1.This very short-term approach is likely to frustrate the physician community.

20 Nov 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

New This Week In The Kaiser Global Health Policy Tracker: The President's Malaria Initiative announced a new focus country and USAID released a new fact sheet on the agency's reform initiative. Kaiser's Policy Tracker provides a timely single reference point for the latest information on congressional and administration action on global health.

20 Nov 2010

A hospital chiefs tough task in tough times: cut costs, improve quality

Kaiser Health News staff writer Peggy Girshman spoke with Judy Rich, president and CEO of the Tucson Medical Center.

20 Nov 2010

CMS grants Qutenza J-code to NeurogesX

NeurogesX, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel pain management therapies, today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted a unique, Level II Health Care Common Procedural Coding System (Level II HCPCS), commonly referred to as a J-code, for Qutenza (capsaicin) 8% patch.

19 Nov 2010

State roundup: California PPOs 'low marks'; Geriatric nursing; Physician shortages

News outlets covered a range of developments including workforce issues in Minnesota and California, and a Kentucky order for insurers to provide child-only policies.

19 Nov 2010

Political cartoon: Mayberry R.F.D.?

Kaiser Health News provides a political cartoonist's perspective on health policy developments with "Mayberry R.F.D.?" by Eric Allie.

19 Nov 2010

U.S. falling short of its goals to improve access to clean water, sanitation worldwide, report says

The U.S. is falling short on its goal of improving conditions for the 2.6 billion people worldwide without access to clean water and sanitation despite the fact the Water for the Poor Act became law in 2005, according to a report released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), WaterAid, CARE and 11 other organization, Food Safety News reports.

19 Nov 2010

World Bank report examines member banks' response to global economic downturn, highlights effect on global poverty

By the end of this year, an additional 64 million people will fall into extreme poverty as a result of the global economic downturn that started in 2008, the World Bank said in a study on "member banks' response" to the situation, Reuters reports.

19 Nov 2010

Today's OpEds: Opposing views on hospital medical errors; lesson for Andy Harris; Dems and abortion

If a 747 jetliner crashed every day, killing all 500 people aboard, there would be a national uproar over aviation safety and an all-out mobilization to fix the problem. In the nation's hospitals, though, about the same number of people die on average every day from medical "adverse events," many of them preventable errors such as infections or incorrect medications.

19 Nov 2010

AARP urges Idaho to put families, children & elderly ahead of special interests when tackling budget woes

On the heels of grim news from Idaho's Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee regarding a $340 million shortfall that could mean deep cuts to critical programs and services, AARP is urging state lawmakers to refocus the looming debate to protect the education and health needs of Idaho's families, children and elderly. The Association is calling for lawmakers to get creative when it comes to possible sources of needed revenue to stave off possible cuts.

19 Nov 2010

Task Force for National Conference on Diabetes issues Call to Action to improve diabetes care

The Task Force for the National Conference on Diabetes issued a Call to Action today entitled Shaping our future: a call to action to tackle the diabetes epidemic and reduce its economic impact. This Call to Action is a result of the National Conference on Diabetes, held earlier this year in Washington, D.C., which was attended by nearly 100 participants representing the Administration, Congress, government officials, public health organizations and industry.

19 Nov 2010

HHS, AARP to provide tips for seniors to stay healthy during flu season

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Catherine Alicia Georges from AARP will lead an important webcast for seniors to discuss tips on how to stay healthy this flu season.

19 Nov 2010

Substance abuse treatment facilities offering nicotine replacement therapy increased by 6%: Report

The percentage of substance abuse treatment facilities offering nicotine replacement therapy to clients gradually increased by about 6 percentage points from 2006 to 2009, according to a new Spotlight report issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released in conjunction with the "Great American Smokeout."

19 Nov 2010

Report examines how health care reform affects personal costs, coverage, quality of service

Although most people's knowledge of the new health care law is limited, their opinion on how it will affect their health care depends on what type of private health insurance plan they currently have and their political affiliation, according to a recent report issued today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute.

19 Nov 2010

MedStart Summer Enrichment Program helps students better understand medical conditions: Studies

Two new studies have shown that a unique program in East Harlem that helps middle school students learn practical health skills and gain a better understanding of medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, resulted in increased interest in college attendance and medical careers among the students who attended the program.

19 Nov 2010

SAMHSA: 4.8% U.S. adults suffer from serious mental illness

According to new results from a national survey, 19.9 percent of American adults in the United States (45.1 million) have experienced mental illness over the past year. The survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that 11 million adults (4.8 percent) in the U.S. suffered serious mental illness in the past year a diagnosable mental disorder has substantially interfered with, or limited one or more major life activities.

19 Nov 2010

ENERCA network organizes European Symposium on rare anemias

It is estimated that rare diseases -those whose frequency is under 5 cases / 10,000 people- affect about 6% of the European population. In the field of anemia, 1% of couples are at risk of having a newborn with a severe syndrome of hemoglobin. More than 330,000 children are born worldwide each year affected by one of these diseases, being the most common disorders sickle cell anemia and thalassemia syndromes.

19 Nov 2010

New handbooks provide health benefits information to Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is piloting new, personalized Veterans Health Benefits Handbooks. The handbooks are tailored to provide enrolled Veterans with the most relevant health benefits information based on their own specific eligibility. In essence, each handbook will be written for the individual Veteran.

19 Nov 2010

New report highlights need for improved safety measures in organ procurement travel

The transplant community was largely unaware of sub-standard transportation practices for donor organs until a number of fatal air crashes took the lives of transplant personnel, calling attention to procurement aviation safety.

19 Nov 2010

Healthcare News

States focus on Medicaid budget challenges

Senate acts on Medicare doctor pay fix

Recent releases in Global Health

A hospital chiefs tough task in tough times: cut costs, improve quality

CMS grants Qutenza J-code to NeurogesX

State roundup: California PPOs 'low marks'; Geriatric nursing; Physician shortages

Political cartoon: Mayberry R.F.D.?

U.S. falling short of its goals to improve access to clean water, sanitation worldwide, report says

World Bank report examines member banks' response to global economic downturn, highlights effect on global poverty

Today's OpEds: Opposing views on hospital medical errors; lesson for Andy Harris; Dems and abortion

AARP urges Idaho to put families, children & elderly ahead of special interests when tackling budget woes

Task Force for National Conference on Diabetes issues Call to Action to improve diabetes care

HHS, AARP to provide tips for seniors to stay healthy during flu season

Substance abuse treatment facilities offering nicotine replacement therapy increased by 6%: Report

Report examines how health care reform affects personal costs, coverage, quality of service

MedStart Summer Enrichment Program helps students better understand medical conditions: Studies

SAMHSA: 4.8% U.S. adults suffer from serious mental illness

ENERCA network organizes European Symposium on rare anemias

New handbooks provide health benefits information to Veterans

New report highlights need for improved safety measures in organ procurement travel

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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