Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

New survey shows women trying to get pregnant worry about fertility

For many women, the decision to get pregnant can take on a life of its own. In fact, according to a survey conducted for SpermCheck- Fertility, 42% of those who conceived say they became obsessed with getting pregnant once they started trying. Yet just 10% say their partner shared this obsession.

12 Mar 2012

FDA may allow many chronic ailment drugs to be available over-the-counter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is deciding on a proposal to waive prescription requirements for commonly used drugs that treat conditions like diabetes, asthma, and migraines.

11 Mar 2012

Farzad Mostashari: Focusing on moving doctors into the digital age

New York hookers spreading HIV. Killer mosquitos. An anthrax-toting terrorist. An urban-scape rife with the sick and poor. These are just some of the challenges tackled by Farzad Mostashari, a Yale-educated physician, epidemiologist and self-confessed computer nerd. His current mission: moving doctors from the Age of Gutenberg into the 21st century. For starters, he'd like them to use e-mail at the office.

11 Mar 2012

The soon-to-be-released GOP budget plan: What will become of traditional Medicare?

How this question is answered could have big implications for the GOP's presidential and congressional candidates. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports the plan being prepared by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R- Wis., is likely to include a reserve fund to deal with Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula.

11 Mar 2012

White House views Supreme Court health law arguments as teachable moments

The New York Times reports that the Obama administration has begun an effort to use these arguments as an opportunity to educate the public and build support for the overhaul. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that one of the lead plaintiffs in a challenge to the law has gone bankrupt with outstanding medical bills, leading some to question whether this transforms her from a "symbol of proud independence into an example of exactly the problem the healthcare law was intended to address."

10 Mar 2012

State legislatures split on forming health insurance exchanges

Oregon and California are moving forward with creating health insurance exchanges called for in the health reform law while lawmakers in New Hampshire pass legislation barring the state from creating an exchange.

10 Mar 2012

IPAB repeal progresses in the House

On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that would eliminate the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board. The bill could be considered by the full House as early as the week of March 19, and it could attract some Democratic support.

10 Mar 2012

Health care politics: Contraception issues shift women to Dems, GOP contenders on Medicare's future

News outlets covered a poll on the health law and also analyzed Republican positions on abortion, contraception and Medicare.

10 Mar 2012

Calif. audit finds hospital did business with firms tied to CEO; Michigan hospital to become private

Reports on the business of healthcare also look at an Illinois ACO that is showing some progress and at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's call for greater transparency in how insurers and providers bill consumers for out-of-network medical costs.

10 Mar 2012

Empowering women, promoting women's health strengthens international community

"As we honor the enormous impact women have on their families and communities worldwide, we also call on lawmakers to do more for global maternal and newborn health," Former White House Press Secretaries Mike McCurry and Dana Perino write in a post in The Hill's "Congress Blog," marking International Women's Day, which was celebrated on Thursday.

10 Mar 2012

Exchanges, high risk pools grab headlines

News outlets also continue to explore issues related to the development of state-based health exchanges as well as the costs and enrollment numbers associated with high-risk insurance.

10 Mar 2012

Report: Alzheimer's care to cost $200 billion this year

The report issued by the Alzheimer's Association also estimates that as many as 800,000 Americans have this illness and live alone. As many as half of these people don't have specific arrangements to help them get care.

9 Mar 2012

Obama administration: Mandate is respectful of individual rights

The Department of Justice argues that the individual mandate is more protective of individual choices than programs such as Medicare. In other news related to the health law, the clashes between consumer and business groups over the measure's required benefit summaries don't appear to be over.

9 Mar 2012

New study finds significant variation in head CT use

Imaging has been identified as one of the key drivers of increased healthcare costs. A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School has found significant variation in the use of head computed tomography (CT), even within a single emergency department.

9 Mar 2012

CDC: Medical bills present hardship to many families

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on the financial stress caused by high medical costs.

9 Mar 2012

Contraception, abortion issues crop up in state legislatures, political races

The debate over the birth control mandate is seeping into West Virginia's governor race as reproductive-rights supporters assess their place amid losses in state legislatures.

9 Mar 2012

Maxygen reports net loss of $2.2 million for fourth quarter 2011

Maxygen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, today announced financial and business results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2011.

9 Mar 2012

Some House GOP lawmakers threatening to walk away from last year's budget pact

Conservative Republicans are seeking deeper cuts in both discretionary and mandatory spending. The White House and Democratic lawmakers are "crying foul" and some GOP veterans caution it could produce gridlock. In the background, three key departures from the Senate Finance Committee could make that panel, which oversees Medicare and much of the health law, less centrist.

9 Mar 2012

AMN consolidated revenue increases 32% to $887M for full year 2011

AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., the nation's innovator in healthcare workforce solutions, today announced financial results for the full year and fourth quarter 2011. The results were at the upper end of management's expectations, the Company said.

9 Mar 2012

Big hospital groups will get bigger and unlikely partnerships could emerge, according to Moody's

A new report by Moody's outlines how not-for-profit hospitals are being driven by reimbursement pressures and healthcare reform to join forces with health insurers and for-profit companies, among others.

9 Mar 2012