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Wall Street Journal examines group health insurance policies as option for uninsured

People who no longer have health insurance because of a job loss, voluntary retirement or other reasons have begun obtaining health coverage through the "little-known" option of group coverage, the Wall Street Journal reports.

27 May 2009

Study finds no link between cost, quality of care

Quality of care is not linked to the cost of care, according to a study published last week on the Web site of the journal Health Affairs, CQ HealthBeat reports.

27 May 2009

Pledges to reduce health care costs, spending growth could violate antitrust laws, lawyers say

U.S. antitrust laws could affect health care industry groups' efforts to work together to rein in health care costs, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/27).

27 May 2009

Financial contracts to care for sick or aging relatives adding legal twist to family health care

Financial contracts to care for sick or aging relatives - nearly unthinkable just a decade ago - are drawing new interest as everyday Americans wrestle with the time and expense of providing long-term health care, a University of Illinois legal expert says.

27 May 2009

Preoperative team briefings improves communication, reduce medical errors

A short, preoperative team briefing prior to cardiac surgery - where each person on the team speaks - improves communication and reduces errors and costs, according to a pilot study conducted at Mayo Clinic.

27 May 2009

Effect of the quality and outcomes framework on diabetes care in the UK

The care of patients with diabetes has improved over the last decade, but this does not seem to be a direct result of the quality and outcomes framework - the scheme that rewards UK general practices for delivering quality care.

26 May 2009

U.S. bill would establish survey to collect health data from native Hawaiians, Pacific islanders

Madeleine Bordallo, the U.S. delegate from Guam, has introduced legislation that would fund a survey to collect health data from Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the Pacific Daily News reports.

26 May 2009

Rep. Wolf says entitlement programs could affect U.S. bond rating

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) on Friday in a letter to President Obama said that the U.S. could lose its triple-A bond rating if Congress does not act quickly to overhaul U.S. entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and reduce federal debt, the AP/Detroit News reports.

26 May 2009

Lawmakers prepare for health care reform action during Memorial Day recess; advocacy groups promote reform agendas

Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been given "talking points" on health care reform to discuss with constituents during the Memorial Day recess as House and Senate committees work to develop comprehensive reform bills by mid-June, Politico reports (Budoff Brown, Politico, 5/26).

26 May 2009

Some small businesses must cut employee health benefits or lay off workers amid global downturn

Small businesses increasingly are eliminating their employee health coverage plans because of rising health care premiums and declining revenue attributed to the current economic recession, the Wall Street Journal reports.

26 May 2009

Few retail health clinics located in low-income areas, study finds

Most retail health clinics are located in more affluent areas of the U.S., rather than in low-income, medically underserved neighborhoods, according to a study published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the AP/Washington Times reports.

26 May 2009

'Homework assignment' could mean success, failure for health reform legislation

How well health care industry groups follow through on their "homework assignment" from President Obama to submit specific plans by early June on how they intend to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over the next decade could determine whether current attempts to develop health care overhaul legislation are successful, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/25).

26 May 2009

Obama says he is 'absolutely committed' to health reform

During a C-SPAN interview on Saturday, President Obama said he remains "absolutely committed" to overhauling the U.S. health care system despite obstacles that might surface during reform efforts, the Los Angeles Times reports (Dorning, Los Angeles Times, 5/24).

26 May 2009

Future cancer care, can we afford it?

When a cancer patient and his or her doctor discuss the value of a treatment option, the conversation usually centers on a consideration of the treatment's medical benefits versus its possible side effects for the patient. Increasingly, however, as the already high costs of cancer care continue to rise, a full view of the patient's welfare must also take into account the economic impact of the treatment on the patient and his or her family.

26 May 2009

Hospice care under-used by many terminally ill patients

Hospice, a well-established approach to palliative care, has enabled countless people worldwide to die with dignity. Through focusing on the patient rather than the disease, individuals can spend the last weeks of their lives in an environment where hospice caregivers minimize their pain, maximize their comfort, and provide bereavement services for loved ones and family members.

25 May 2009

Penn study shows ‘in-store’ clinics more apt to be based in higher-income neighborhoods

Since 2000, nearly 1,000 "retail clinics" -- offering routine care like sports physicals and immunizations and treatment for minor illnesses like strep throat -- have opened their doors inside pharmacies and grocery stores across the United States. Retail chain operators proposed that the new clinics would improve access to medical care among uninsured or underserved populations.

25 May 2009

Australian Government shies away from election promise to takeover control of hospitals

Kevin Rudd's Government appears to be backing out of another of its election promises - the financial takeover of public hospitals if they fail to come up to scratch.

24 May 2009

Indian Health Service releases $500 million in stimulus funding to improve health care for American Indian, Alaska native communities

The Indian Health Service on Wednesday announced it will release $500 million in federal economic stimulus funding to improve health care for American Indian and Alaska Native communities, Health Data Management reports.

22 May 2009

New Maryland law requires insurers to provide incentives for EHR adoption

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Tuesday signed a bill making the state the first to require private insurance companies to offer physicians financial incentives for adopting electronic health records, the Baltimore Sun reports.

22 May 2009

Connecticut House approves two health insurance pooling bills

The Connecticut House on Wednesday approved two separate measures to expand health insurance pooling in the state, the Hartford Courant reports. The first measure would create a public health insurance pool open to all residents.

22 May 2009

Healthcare News

Wall Street Journal examines group health insurance policies as option for uninsured

Study finds no link between cost, quality of care

Pledges to reduce health care costs, spending growth could violate antitrust laws, lawyers say

Financial contracts to care for sick or aging relatives adding legal twist to family health care

Preoperative team briefings improves communication, reduce medical errors

Effect of the quality and outcomes framework on diabetes care in the UK

U.S. bill would establish survey to collect health data from native Hawaiians, Pacific islanders

Rep. Wolf says entitlement programs could affect U.S. bond rating

Lawmakers prepare for health care reform action during Memorial Day recess; advocacy groups promote reform agendas

Some small businesses must cut employee health benefits or lay off workers amid global downturn

Few retail health clinics located in low-income areas, study finds

'Homework assignment' could mean success, failure for health reform legislation

Obama says he is 'absolutely committed' to health reform

Future cancer care, can we afford it?

Hospice care under-used by many terminally ill patients

Penn study shows ‘in-store’ clinics more apt to be based in higher-income neighborhoods

Australian Government shies away from election promise to takeover control of hospitals

Indian Health Service releases $500 million in stimulus funding to improve health care for American Indian, Alaska native communities

New Maryland law requires insurers to provide incentives for EHR adoption

Connecticut House approves two health insurance pooling bills

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