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RetireSafe's supporters outraged at proposed health care reform that adversely affects senior citizens

RetireSafe applauds Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee for outlining some crucial steps for health care to protect senior Americans. "We look at The Seniors' Health Care Bill of Rights, unveiled today, as an "emergency medical intervention" that will help ensure that seniors will receive access to quality health care," stated Thair Phillips, RetireSafe President.

25 Aug 2009

Senators debate cost of insurance subsidies for low-income families

The Wall Street Journal reports that the six Senate Finance Committee negotiators aren't in agreement about subsidies for low-income people to buy insurance.

25 Aug 2009

VHA's Non-Salary Cost Reduction program helps hospitals save supply costs

Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services in New Albany, Ind., turned to VHA Inc., the national health care network, to help it reduce supply expenses, and saved $3 million annually.

25 Aug 2009

State of Arizona offers BCBSAZ network option to its employees and their families

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) is pleased to announce the State of Arizona is offering a BCBSAZ network option to approximately 65,000 state employees and their families during the upcoming health insurance open enrollment period.

25 Aug 2009

Senate Democrats plot new strategy, consider reconciliation to pass health bill

Senate Democrats are increasingly considering using budget reconciliation — which would need a simple majority of 51 votes — to pass health care reform without Republican support, The New York Times reports.

25 Aug 2009

Insurers seek savings by offering coverage for care in other countries

More insurers are offering networks of doctors overseas and in other countries for their policyholders as a way to save money as lawmakers struggle with how to drive down costs, The Associated Press/USA Today reports.

25 Aug 2009

Insurance industry may benefit from reform, employees attend town halls to counter criticism

Lashed by liberals and threatened with more government regulation, the insurance industry nevertheless rallied its lobbying and grass-roots resources so successfully in the early stages of the healthcare overhaul deliberations that it is poised to reap a financial windfall," The Los Angeles Times reports.

25 Aug 2009

Rising costs and patient loads push some primary care MDs to concierge practices

Some primary care doctors are changing their practices, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: "Faced with rising costs and patient loads, a small but growing number of primary-care doctors are sharply reducing their practice sizes and charging each patient annual fees of about $2,000 in exchange for personalized care.

25 Aug 2009

Report assessing school-based policies that address the health of students released by AAFA

For over 8 million children with asthma, food allergies and related conditions, the school-house is a focal point for managing their diseases. Now for the second year in a row, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has released a report assessing school-based policies that address student health for elementary, middle and high schools in all 50 states.

25 Aug 2009

Comparative effectiveness: Back surgery remains popular despite poor study results

Studies have recently found that vertebroplasty - a type of back surgery in which cement is injected into the spine - isn't effective, but many patients and their doctors insist it works.

25 Aug 2009

Survey reveals that many Americans believe controversial statements about health care reform

Findings from a national survey of Americans by researchers from Indiana University Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research (CHPPR) and the Indiana University Center for Bioethics says that Americans do believe the "myths" about health care reform, confirming that the White House may indeed be losing this battle.

25 Aug 2009

GOP plan centers on seniors' bill of rights

"In their latest assault on President Obama's health care plans, Republicans are aiming for a vulnerable spot -- the fears of seniors that their care will get worse or more costly," the Boston Globe reports on its Political Intelligence blog.

25 Aug 2009

FRC urges Obama to support the exclusion of abortion coverage from healthcare plans

Over the weekend, the White House released President Obama's weekly video address in which the President falsely stated that abortion coverage is not mandated under his health care reform plan. Last week the President accused FRC and other opponents to his plan of breaking the 9th Commandment.

25 Aug 2009

Aetna renews contract with WellStar Health System for three years

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and WellStar Health System in Marietta, Ga., announced today they have reached an agreement on a three-year contract renewal.

25 Aug 2009

USDA donates funds for teaching food safety awareness to AIDS patients

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health have received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to educate AIDS patients on food safety.

25 Aug 2009

National dialysis treatment program under fire; criticized as too costly, risky

Kidney dialysis treatment in the U.S. is costly and has high death rates, but it doesn't have to be that way, USA Today reports: "The vast majority of the more than 350,000 Americans on dialysis are treated in centers, where three treatments a week, three or four hours each, is the norm — not because it's optimal but because that's the way it has been done for nearly four decades.

25 Aug 2009

Health Fair 11 to offer free or low-cost health screenings

Visitors attending the Minnesota State Fair will find some great health deals when they stop by Health Fair 11 at the Fair. More than a dozen organizations will offer free or low-cost health screenings. Among the screenings are: cholesterol testing (non-fasting), diabetes screening (glucose -- non-fasting), blood pressure checks, blood typing, hearing and vision assessments, bone density and body fat measurements, and weight readings.

24 Aug 2009

Health reform fact checks fall short on dispelling angry myths

A fact check of a dozen often-repeated claims by politicos and interest groups finds that the truth appears "to be taking a vacation," CQ Politics reports. Of the 12 claims, CQ concludes that only one is true, six are misleading and five are downright false.

24 Aug 2009

The Center for Health Value Innovation to support the National Diabetes Goal

The Center for Health Value Innovation, the nation’s premier information exchange for value-based design, today joined with other non-profits, healthcare provider groups, universities, government officials, and corporations to fully support the National Diabetes Goal (NDG) which aims to increase awareness and improve the management of type 2 Diabetes to the 45 percent of Americans at risk.

24 Aug 2009

Health care profiles: Kennedy, Daschle and Kratovil

News reports this weekend explored some prominent personalities in health reform, as well as a new one. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., continues to battle brain cancer at home, but his illness has taken on symbolic proportions in the debate.

24 Aug 2009

Healthcare News

RetireSafe's supporters outraged at proposed health care reform that adversely affects senior citizens

Senators debate cost of insurance subsidies for low-income families

VHA's Non-Salary Cost Reduction program helps hospitals save supply costs

State of Arizona offers BCBSAZ network option to its employees and their families

Senate Democrats plot new strategy, consider reconciliation to pass health bill

Insurers seek savings by offering coverage for care in other countries

Insurance industry may benefit from reform, employees attend town halls to counter criticism

Rising costs and patient loads push some primary care MDs to concierge practices

Report assessing school-based policies that address the health of students released by AAFA

Comparative effectiveness: Back surgery remains popular despite poor study results

Survey reveals that many Americans believe controversial statements about health care reform

GOP plan centers on seniors' bill of rights

FRC urges Obama to support the exclusion of abortion coverage from healthcare plans

Aetna renews contract with WellStar Health System for three years

USDA donates funds for teaching food safety awareness to AIDS patients

National dialysis treatment program under fire; criticized as too costly, risky

Health Fair 11 to offer free or low-cost health screenings

Health reform fact checks fall short on dispelling angry myths

The Center for Health Value Innovation to support the National Diabetes Goal

Health care profiles: Kennedy, Daschle and Kratovil

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

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