Healthcare News

RSS

eHealth releases updated data on the cost of individually-purchased health insurance plans

eHealth, Inc., parent company of eHealthInsurance, today released updated data on the cost of individually-purchased health insurance plans for individuals and families. The findings appear in The Cost of Individual and Family Health Insurance Plans 2009 Update, an internal evaluation of eHealth, Inc.'s data.

27 Aug 2009

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy -- health care champion -- dies

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy had a hand in nearly every piece of health care legislation that moved through Congress during his eight-term Senate tenure. He died Tuesday night of brain cancer at age 77.

27 Aug 2009

CDC report predicts that forty percent of Americans may be affected by the H1N1 flu

From summer camps to summer travel, the H1N1 influenza has taken a toll worldwide this season, and experts say the new flu strain is expected to be back in force this fall. Forty percent of Americans could end up being affected by the H1N1 flu, the CDC reported last month.

27 Aug 2009

Lawson to provide software suites to Oklahoma State University Medical Center

Oklahoma State University Medical Center, an osteopathic teaching hospital, was recently purchased from Ardent Health Services by a City of Tulsa trust. As part of the transition of management and operations, the trust launched a plan to improve business management and supply chain processes at Oklahoma State University Medical Center.

27 Aug 2009

Standard Reference Material for determining essential nutrient concentration in infant and adult nutritional formula

Chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have issued a new certified reference material-a standardized sample backed by NIST-for determining the concentrations of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in infant and adult nutritional formula and similar products.

27 Aug 2009

Analysis of a pending health reform bill reveals that more 1,800 caregivers in Michigan may lose their jobs

An American Health Care Association (AHCA) analysis of a pending U.S. House health reform bill, HR 3200, finds seniors in Michigan requiring nursing and rehabilitative care will face funding cuts of $1.5 billion over the next 10 years. This equals the 10th highest state cut across the nation.

27 Aug 2009

Aid agencies seek to access displaced Yemenis at 'high risk' of disease outbreaks

Aid agencies on Tuesday "appealed for better access" to "tens of thousands" of people in Yemen who have been displaced by violence and are facing "a high risk of outbreaks of malaria and diarrhoeal diseases among the already malnourished population," Reuters reports.

27 Aug 2009

Briggs introduces a new program to improve quality of healthcare in nursing homes

Briggs, the company known for over 60 years as a trusted provider of documentation solutions to long term care facilities, today announced a unique program to improve the quality of care in the nation's 14,000 Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes.

27 Aug 2009

Myths and facts about food safety explained

Recipes can be handed down from generation to generation and so can myths surrounding food safety -- sometimes with sickening consequences. September is National Food Safety Education Month and the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE), in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is marking the occasion with an outreach to consumers aimed at debunking four common food safety myths.

27 Aug 2009

FDA releases consumer health information updates

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released its latest listing of consumer health information updates. All articles can be accessed from the agency's Web page for consumers. You can sign-up for e-mail notices of new consumer updates on an immediate, weekly, or monthly basis. A Consumer Update RSS feed is also available.

27 Aug 2009

NPR reviews the heated debate over the creation of Medicare and Medicaid

NPR gives a historical perspective on current reform efforts with an interview about the debate during the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.

27 Aug 2009

Iowa hospital pays Feds $4.5 million for overpaying doctors with Medicare money

An Iowa hospital has agreed to pay $4.5 million to the federal government to settle claims that it illegally overpaid physicians in an effort to boost business.

27 Aug 2009

Waxman seeks to save money on Medicare drugs

The New York Times: "Representative Henry A. Waxman is on a crusade to save Medicare billions of dollars — in a way that he says would end up helping the elderly."

27 Aug 2009

Illegal aliens to benefit from health care reform bill: Congressional Research Service

Tuesday, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the "research arm" for the United States Congress, issued a report validating an analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), that illegal aliens would be able to receive benefits under the House health care reform bill, America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200).

27 Aug 2009

Health spending blamed for ballooning deficit projection

The White House's grim new budget projections, released Tuesday, show a decade-worth of deficits tallying $9.05 trillion, $2 trillion deeper than anticipated in February, the New York Times reports. Peter Orszag, the White House budget director, said "the key driver of our long-term deficits" is federal health spending, mainly on the ballooning Medicare and Medicaid programs, making health reform essential. "Over all, it underscores the dire fiscal situation that we inherited and the need for serious steps to put our nation back on a sustainable fiscal path," Orszag said, asserting that this White House was confronting a Bush administration legacy (Calmes, 8/25).

27 Aug 2009

Will Kennedy's death add momentum to the health care push?

News reports examine the speculation, which has already begun, regarding the impact of Sen. Edward Kennedy's passing might have on the current health reform debate.

27 Aug 2009

Lancet series examines health issues in South Africa

The journal Lancet published a series of articles examining health issues in South Africa, suggesting that "South Africa's health system is failing women and children in particular, but that new leadership could solve many of the problems," the Associated Press/msnbc.com reports (8/24).

27 Aug 2009

Asia will experience H1N1 vaccine shortage, WHO says

A spokesperson for the WHO said on Tuesday that Asia will not have enough H1N1 vaccines for swine flu when cold weather hits, Reuters reports.

26 Aug 2009

Stony Brook University Hospital and EPA sign historic green partnership

Stony Brook University Hospital in Stony Brook, N.Y. is not just the only university-based hospital on Long Island, it is the first hospital in the nation to pledge to reduce its environmental impact through a comprehensive agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

26 Aug 2009

Wednesday's round up of state health stories

State health news coverage includes political vandalism in Colorado, health-related bills in Maine, Medicaid cuts in Maryland and a dismissed medical malpractice lawsuit in Florida.

26 Aug 2009