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Washington personalities: Lobbyist Tauzin shakes it up; More on OMB director's impending departure

Roll Call: Billy Tauzin, the former Louisiana lawmaker, will leave his job as the president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America next Wednesday, and part ways -- for the first time in 18 years -- with his trusty communications director, Ken Johnson. As Roll Call puts it, "The sun is setting on a K Street bromance." Tauzin is likely to start a lobbying firm with his son Tom or practice law in Texas, while Johnson will pursue other work. The two were said to be "attached at the hip" (Murray, 6/23).

24 Jun 2010

CMS proposes new rules for hospitals to protect patients' visitation rights

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today proposed new rules for hospitals that would protect patients' rights to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including visitors who are same-sex domestic partners.

24 Jun 2010

New poll illustrates difficult situations cancer patients face in affording needed health care

A new poll illustrates the difficulty that cancer patients, survivors and their families face in affording needed health care and paying for other basic necessities such as food and heat, underscoring the need to strongly implement the Affordable Care Act so that it works for people with cancer.

24 Jun 2010

Study proposes new way to measure infection prevention efforts

"Data showing how a hospital performs on certain measures [of post-surgical infection prevention] are publicly available. But, a study published in [the Journal of the American Medical Association] says, the publicly reported measures don't actually correlate with postop infection rates. In other words, picking your hospital on the basis of how often it administers antibiotics within an hour before surgery is not going to help you avoid an infection" (Hobson, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

Wellpartner agrees to provide patients access to low-cost medications using 340B Access Solution

Wellpartner, a nationally recognized provider of pharmacy distribution services, today announced an agreement with Community Health Center La Clinica and Custom Prescription Shoppe Pharmacy to provide patients access to low-cost medications using Wellpartner's 340B Access Solution. The agreement will allow patients who qualify to purchase deeply-discounted prescription medications at Community Health Center La Clinica's newly established in-house pharmacy as well as through a network of retail pharmacies in the area.

24 Jun 2010

U.S. ranks low again on health care quality, efficiency and equality, study finds

"Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday. The United States ranked last when compared to six other countries -- Britain, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, the Commonwealth Fund report found. … Previous reports by the nonprofit Fund ... have been heavily used by policymakers and politicians pressing for healthcare reform."

24 Jun 2010

Stolen computers could jeopardize personal records of 1.2 million health plan members

American Medical News: "AvMed Health, a Florida-based health plan, said data about nearly 1.2 million members and former members were breached when two laptops were stolen in December 2009 from an AvMed office in Gainesville, Fla. The insurer notified 360,000 customers of the breach in February. But AvMed said on June 3 that further investigation found that an additional 860,000 people had been affected. Information included names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers and health information.

24 Jun 2010

Minn. Gov. decides to not expand Medicaid early; Ohio wrestles with increased Medicaid costs in overhaul; Kansas officials worry about 25% cut in health policy operating budget

"As expected, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has declined the opportunity for Minnesota to get an early shot at expanding Medicaid eligibility. The federal health plan calls for all states to expand Medicaid eligibility to low-income adults without children in 2014, but Minnesota was among a few states offered a chance to do it earlier." The legislature, however, passed a measure that would allow Pawlenty's successor next year to reverse his ruling (Kimball, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

Mixed progress on MDGs, additional advancement still possible, report says

Poverty rates in 10 African countries have been halved over the last two decades, while child mortality rates have gone up in six sub-Saharan African countries, according to a report (.pdf) from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the U.N. Millennium Campaign, which emphasized that progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is possible, the Associated Press/St. Petersburg Times reports (Straziuso, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

Former solicitor general: Roe v. Wade likely to be overturned

Politico reports that Walter Dellinger, a former acting solicitor general and liberal scholar, "predicted Tuesday night that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark decision that gives women abortion rights." Conservatives on the court have made overturning the decision a "trophy," he said, more likely to be won if a Republican chooses a replacement for Justice Anthony Kennedy.

24 Jun 2010

HHS launching health website for consumers next week

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with USA Today, writes about the soon-to-be launched federal health care site.

24 Jun 2010

White House unveils consumer protections in health law

New health-law-prompted regulations were released Tuesday, Kaiser Health News reports. The regulations could likely affect a small fraction of the country, but address key insurance concerns.

24 Jun 2010

New hospital gown ensures patient privacy, dignity

Patients seeking to conserve privacy and personal dignity - i.e. anyone who's ever been forced to wear a traditional hospital gown that often reveal too much - may soon bid adieu peek-a-book hospital garb. Indeed, researchers from the University of Montreal have designed a revolutionary healthcare garment that preserves modesty.

24 Jun 2010

States face less federal Medicaid money, more demand

The Wall Street Journal reports that state legislatures are grappling "with deficits totalling $127 billion over the next two fiscal years, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. ... Of immediate concern to states is the hit they will take if Congress doesn't approve an additional $24 billion to help defray the cost of Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for the poor. Cost concerns prompted the House to jettison the Medicaid funding this month, and the Senate also is considering stripping out the provision."

24 Jun 2010

Obama to insurers: Health reform no excuse for big rate hikes

President Barack Obama warned a dozen large insurers not to use the new health law as an excuse for boosting premium rates at a White House meeting Tuesday, The Washington Post reports. After acknowledging that insurers weren't solely responsible for rising medical costs, the president said, "we've got to make sure this new law is not being used as an excuse to simply drive up costs.

24 Jun 2010

BCBSM launches new website to help people understand health care reform requirements, impacts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan today launched a new website, www.bcbsm.com/healthreform, designed to help everyone in Michigan understand how national health care reform will affect them. As Michigan's leading health plan, BCBSM is committed to serving as a trusted source for information on reform and all issues related to health across the state.

24 Jun 2010

Today's OpEds: Extending jobless benefits; Medicare payment cuts; NY Times on premium increases

With critics still scare-mongering about the supposed cost of reform, insurers in several states have been seeking double-digit premium increases that look hard to justify as necessary to keep up with medical inflation.

24 Jun 2010

GOP continues attacks on health law, Boehner issues critical report

"Employers could lose their ability to change health plans or negotiate better rates and benefits under new healthcare reform regulations, the top GOP staffer on the Ways and Means Committee's health panel said Wednesday. Dan Elling, the Republican staff director for the health subcommittee, raised the issue during a CQ-Roll Call policy forum."

24 Jun 2010

Americans spend more on health and get poorer care: Report

According to a Commonwealth Fund report released this Wednesday, Americans spend nearly twice as much as people from other developed countries on healthcare but get lower quality of care, less efficiency and have the least equitable health care system. The comparison was drawn with six other countries, Britain, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, and the United States ranked last. The report collected data from nationally representative patient and physician surveys in these seven countries in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

23 Jun 2010

How new health insurance regulations could affect some premiums, coverage

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "As he trumpeted what he called a new 'Patient's Bill of Rights' Tuesday, President Barack Obama tried to calm fears that the new health law would increase insurance costs.

23 Jun 2010

Healthcare News

Washington personalities: Lobbyist Tauzin shakes it up; More on OMB director's impending departure

CMS proposes new rules for hospitals to protect patients' visitation rights

New poll illustrates difficult situations cancer patients face in affording needed health care

Study proposes new way to measure infection prevention efforts

Wellpartner agrees to provide patients access to low-cost medications using 340B Access Solution

U.S. ranks low again on health care quality, efficiency and equality, study finds

Stolen computers could jeopardize personal records of 1.2 million health plan members

Minn. Gov. decides to not expand Medicaid early; Ohio wrestles with increased Medicaid costs in overhaul; Kansas officials worry about 25% cut in health policy operating budget

Mixed progress on MDGs, additional advancement still possible, report says

Former solicitor general: Roe v. Wade likely to be overturned

HHS launching health website for consumers next week

White House unveils consumer protections in health law

New hospital gown ensures patient privacy, dignity

States face less federal Medicaid money, more demand

Obama to insurers: Health reform no excuse for big rate hikes

BCBSM launches new website to help people understand health care reform requirements, impacts

Today's OpEds: Extending jobless benefits; Medicare payment cuts; NY Times on premium increases

GOP continues attacks on health law, Boehner issues critical report

Americans spend more on health and get poorer care: Report

How new health insurance regulations could affect some premiums, coverage

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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