Archive for February, 2008
Rep. Obey Says Congress Will Wait For Next Administration If Bush Officials Refuse To Compromise On HHS Funding
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Congress will wait until next year to pass the fiscal year 2009 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill in the event that the Bush administration does not agree to negotiate on the legislation, House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.
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Employers Should Contribute More Under Massachusetts’ Health Insurance Law If Beneficiary Costs Increase, Editorial States
Friday, February 29th, 2008
The Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Authority "is about to raise its rates on people who are living on limited incomes," but costs for coverage "should not be so high ... that they are a burden for people with chronic conditions or discourage them from getting necessary care," according to a Boston Globe editorial.
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Study Looks At Relationship Between Mortality Disparities And Overall Population Health
Friday, February 29th, 2008
"The Fall and Rise of U.S. Inequities in Premature Mortality: 1960-2002": The study examines whether relative and absolute differences in mortality between socioeconomic groups and between whites and nonwhites widen or narrow when overall population health improves. Researchers examined annual U.S.
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Bacteria Make Snow And Rain
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Scientists in the US have discovered that living organisms like bacteria play an important role in making rain and snow in the atmosphere. The discovery could help researchers understand the role of living organisms in the water cycle and lead to better climate forecasting, and solve problems of water shortage, said the researchers.
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Dow Jones Examines Individual Health Insurance Mandate Debate Among Democratic Presidential Candidates
Friday, February 29th, 2008
The "only major disagreement" between the health care proposals of Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) "appears to be whether to require uninsured people to buy coverage," Dow Jones reports. The Clinton proposal would require all U.S. residents to obtain health insurance, and the Obama plan would require coverage only for children.
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Beliefs, Stigma, Lack Of Culturally Appropriate Providers Prevent Many Hispanics From Seeking Mental Health Care
Friday, February 29th, 2008
The Stockton Record on Thursday looked at mental health among Hispanics. According to a study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, fewer than one in 11 Hispanic immigrants seek care from mental health specialists, and fewer than one in five use services from general health care providers.
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Humana Offers Members Gift Cards For Participating In Health Practices
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Humana last month launched a program, called "Healthy Returns," that provides its Medicare plan beneficiaries with gift cards to Macy's, CVS, Lowe's and Borders as an incentive to adopt healthier lifestyles, Florida Health News reports. The program involves three pilot projects.
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Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Health Developments In State Budgets
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Summaries of recent news about health care and the budgets of Maryland and New Jersey appear below.Maryland: Lawmakers are looking to cut at least $200 million from Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D) proposed fiscal year 2009 budget to compensate for an economic downturn, the Baltimore Sun reports.
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Few Sickle Cell Patients Using Generic Treatment To Relieve Pain, NIH Panel Says
Friday, February 29th, 2008
While there is an inexpensive, generic medication that can stop severe pain and the need for blood transfusions associated with sickle cell disease, few patients receive the treatment, Reuters reports. An NIH consensus panel discussed the issue on Wednesday. Members of consensus panels discuss "controversial medical subjects to give unbiased, impartial guidance," Reuters reports.
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Costs Under Private Medicare Advantage Plans Higher Than Traditional Medicare For Some Beneficiaries, GAO Report Finds
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Private Medicare Advantage plans can cost beneficiaries more than traditional Medicare for home health care, nursing homes and certain hospital stays, according to a report released on Thursday by the Government Accountability Office, the New York Times reports.
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