Healthcare Law Roundup: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

With deadline nearing, health care enrollment remains in question

Today's Paper, also known as the e-Edition, is an online replica of the printed newspaper.

http://ift.tt/1kikosb

Sen. Ron Johnson talks defense cuts, Obamacare on Capitol City Sunday

Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel introduced a new military budget that includes lower pay raises for service members, cuts to their housing benefits and an increase in their health insurance co-pays.

http://ift.tt/1jGHyFR

E-cig sellers say no to warning labels

The General Assembly is poised to force electronic cigarette manufacturers to reveal what's in their products in a legislative effort that mirrors national concern over an increasingly popular smoking substitute.

http://ift.tt/1kikobv

Obama frames populist theme for Dems in 2014

Striking a decidedly partisan tone, President Barack Obama sought Friday to define this year's elections as a stark choice between Republicans pushing failed policies from a bygone era and Democrats advocating freedom and opportunity for all Americans.

http://ift.tt/NEgOKP

Indicted Doctor Makes First Court Appearance

A pain management specialist who operates a Las Vegas practice but was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on charges of health care fraud, conspiracy and illegal distribution of controlled substances in that state made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas Friday afternoon.

http://ift.tt/1jGHxS9

Dyax Corp. Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Financial Results

Dyax Corp. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013.

http://ift.tt/1jGHxBP

NC Medicaid overhaul steers from privatization

Gov. Pat McCrory's health agency is backing away from initial proposals to fix Medicaid costs by hiring a handful of big managed care organizations to run North Carolina's $13 billion health care system for the poor and disabled.

http://ift.tt/1d3Qt2k

NC House speaker officially files for US Senate

State House Speaker Thom Tillis embraced the Republican agenda he helped push through North Carolina state government as he filed officially for the U.S. Senate.

http://ift.tt/1eIokKy

FL Chain Charging Customers ACA "Fee"; yet STILL Not Providing Workers Healthcare

Several locations of Gator's Dockside, a restaurant chain here in Central FLorida, have posted notices on the doors, every table, and even in the bathrooms that they are charging customers an extra "fee" for the Affordable Healthcare Act.

http://ift.tt/1fx7Vi7

FDA's New Food Labels Would Focus on Calories, Sugar Content

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally proposed Thursday updating the "nutrition facts" labels on food products to better reflect Americans' current eating habits and health concerns.

http://ift.tt/1eIojWZ

No headline - IRS_HEALTH

The Internal Revenue Service said it is offering educational Health Care Tax Tips to help individuals understand how the Affordable Care Act may affect their taxes.

http://ift.tt/1d3QpQi

Dyax reports total revenues of $16.9 million for fourth quarter 2013

Dyax Corp. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013.

http://ift.tt/1cfaNQm

States: N.C.'s Medicaid managed care proposal; narrow provider...

The Associated Press : NC Health Agency Mapping Medicaid Overhaul Plan Gov. Pat McCrory's health agency is backing away from initial proposals to fix Medicaid costs by hiring a handful of big managed care organizations to run North Carolina's $13 billion health care system.

http://ift.tt/1pDathx

Obama frames populist theme for Dems in 2014

President Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014.

http://ift.tt/1cgQ0ff

ObamaCare Week 23: A Longer Work Week?

President Obama announced Tuesday at an Organizing for Action event that four million Americans have now selected plans on both state and federal exchanges, a slight increase from the 3.3 million enrollees announced Feb. DAY.

http://ift.tt/1eIkUYu

Sen. Ron Johnson talks defense cuts, Obamacare on Capitol City Sunday

Key Dems break with White House on Medicare change

A number of powerful Senate Democrats broke with the Obama administration Friday by opposing proposed changes to Medicare's prescription drug program.

http://ift.tt/1cgPZYO

Five weeks from the enrollment deadline, is Obamacare holding up?

There are just 5 weeks left for Americans to enroll in Obamacare health plans for 2014.

http://ift.tt/1dKyvPi

Focus of food labels shifts

New nutrition labels proposed Thursday for many popular foods, including ice cream, aim to more accurately reflect what people actually eat.

http://ift.tt/1kicMG1

Home health cuts to hit harder in rural Oregon

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, calling upon authority afforded by the Affordable Care Act, issued the final rule in November that carries 3.5 percent cuts in payments from 2014 to 2017 to providers who support patients in their homes, ensuring they take their medications and providing certain therapies.

http://ift.tt/1jGCOjr

Deadline for buying insurance under the Affordable Care Act is less than five weeks away

With the deadline for signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act less than five weeks away, the pace at which people are enrolling has been increasing, Pamela Roshell, regional director for the eight state Region IV of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in an interview Wednesday.

http://ift.tt/1jGCQrK

For Rick Scott, it's about tax cuts and budget in 2014

Gov. Rick Scott, weighed down by lackluster poll numbers and a Republican Legislature intent on pursuing its own contentious reforms, appears content to keep it simple as he heads into the 2014 session.

http://ift.tt/1jGCQrx

The Buzz: Time for the Senatea s health (care) checkup

A lengthy debate is expected to begin next week in the state Senate on Beaufort Republican Tom Davis long-awaited amendment to a bill that would curb the federal Affordable Care Act in South Carolina.

http://ift.tt/1ey8l6o

Affordable Care Act - Small Business Seminar

... re Act and its impact on small employers and their employees. Hear from the HHS and SBA experts about the new healthcare law. Register a 972.291.7323 ext. 1311 or email dan.watkins@cedarhilltx.com

http://ift.tt/1ey8kPS

New details emerge about presidents' visit to Austin

It's a historic announcement for Austin celebrating a historic milestone, and now more details are emerging about the LBJ Civil Rights Summit in April that will feature speeches by four U.S. presidents.

http://ift.tt/1ocrYlx

Monica Wehby fuels GOP hopes of replacing Jeff Merkley, chalking up statewide victory

So it wasn't surprising that pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby was greeted with awe at a recent GOP campaign event in King City.

http://ift.tt/1fx1Nq8

McAuliffe wants "conservative" budget with Medicaid

Gov. Terry McAuliffe cautions against planning state spending on overly optimistic revenue assumptions and reiterates that Medicaid expansion is "the most important decision" facing this General Assembly in a Friday letter to budget negotiators.

http://ift.tt/1fx36Wi

Cantor joins GOP talks on Obamacare alternative

House Republican leaders took a small step on Friday toward pulling together a viable alternative to President Barack Obama's four-year-old health care law but faced deep divisions over whether the GOP caucus can coalesce around a comprehensive proposal.

http://ift.tt/1jGzgxG

Medical marijuana making inroads in Kentucky legislature

Two Kentucky legislative committees approved versions of medical marijuana bills last week -- believed to be the first such votes in the commonwealth since the criminalization of marijuana decades ago and possibly ever.

http://ift.tt/1eIaO9W

U.S. HHS secretary in San Antonio to discuss Affordable Care Act

On Friday morning, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius visited the Bexar Bibliotech library on the city's South Side to promote the Affordable Care Act and talk about the status of enrollment.

http://ift.tt/NE5A98

Biden stepping up role in promoting health law

Vice President Joe Biden is stepping up his role in promoting enrollment in new health care exchanges as the end of the open-enrollment period nears.

http://ift.tt/1dKuk63

Obama: Health insurance enrollment at 4 million

Pressing for a final rush of health care enrollees, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that about 4 million people have signed up for health insurance through federal or state marketplaces set up under his health care law.

http://ift.tt/1pG7LIj

AP Exclusive: Health law cybersecurity challenges

As the Obama administration raced to meet its self-imposed deadline for online health insurance markets, security experts working for the government worried that state computer systems could become a back door for hackers.

http://ift.tt/1pG7NzT

The Corporate Law Professors' Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood brief crops up at SCOTUSblog

Allowing the religious values of the individual owners of a company to be passed through to the corporation itself would not only run counter to well-established constitutional law, but it would also run counter to fundamental principles of corporate law.

http://ift.tt/NE5zly

HHS Changes the Rules for States With Malfunctioning Online Exchanges

In this Jan. 16, 2014 file photo, Teresa Fryer, Medicare's top cybersecurity official, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington.

http://ift.tt/1pG7KE0

Levin: Obama Has No - Constitutional Authority To Do Half of What He's Doing'CNS

At a meeting of Tea Party conservatives in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, conservative talk radio host Mark Levin said President Barack Obama "doesn't have the constitutional authority to do half of what he's doing," and added that the "Republican leadership" has not taken any steps to stop Obama's unconstitutional actions.

http://ift.tt/1eGu3Ax

Mo. House Panel Rejects Money for Medicaid Waivers

The Missouri House health and social services funding panel has rejected Gov. Jay Nixon's request for money that would take people with developmental disabilities off a Medicaid waiver wait list.

http://ift.tt/1dKqRV5

The Josh Miller in the Spotlight Edition

Republican Rep. Josh Miller of Heber Springs was interviewed by MSNBC's Chris Hayes last night.

http://ift.tt/1exP9pn

UPDATE 1-U.S. House Republican unity tested on Obamacare alternative

A month after Republicans rallied around offering an alternative to President Barack Obama's healthcare law in an election-year move to broaden their appeal to voters, divisions are surfacing over the issue in the U.S. House of Representatives.

http://ift.tt/1khYwNB

Backer of religious rights bill in the spotlight

A group known as the Center for Arizona Policy usually gets its way in the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature, pushing through anti-abortion bills and social policy embraced by conservative Christians.

http://ift.tt/1khYyoM

permalink

You know how experiencing personal tragedy can make some Republicans very nearly human? Like when Sen. Mark Kirk had a stroke and the epiphany that low-income residents on Medicaid wouldn't get the same chance at rehabilitation that he got? And that that was bad? Well, that doesn't work with every Republican.

http://ift.tt/1exjyV4?

Today's illegal ObamaCare change: subsidies for everyone

In a properly functioning republic, Congress would have repealed ObamaCare a long time ago - it's an absolute failure by Barack Obama's standards, since he can't get through a week without making illegal modifications to the idiotic law his party stuffed down our throats.

http://ift.tt/1fwNWdw

Reuters wrote a new blog post: Chronically ill facing high drugs costs under U.S. health law

President Barack Obama's ban on discriminatory health insurance practices against the sick has not stopped insurers from increasing up-front charges for the expensive drugs needed to control chronic illnesses from leukemia to multiple sclerosis.

http://ift.tt/1bT3c9D

Missouri insurers must consider new forms of cancer treatment

Health insurance providers in Missouri have been ducking their obligations to pay for new forms of cancer treatment, those that involve pills and liquid ingestion instead of intravenous drugs.

http://ift.tt/1bT3ayI

New GOP bill would delay key Obamacare mandate

Rep. Lynn Jenkins , Kansas Republican, said the Simple Fairness Act would make it clear that anyone who failed to acquire health insurance this year would not have to pay a cent for failing to meet the "individual mandate," a part of the Affordable Care Act that requires almost all Americans to hold coverage.

http://ift.tt/1eHVqu7

Researchers identify brain differences linked to insomnia

Johns Hopkins researchers report that people with chronic insomnia show more plasticity and activity than good sleepers in the part of the brain that controls movement.

http://ift.tt/1hrkryN

Revised nutrition data labels update serving sizes

New nutrition labels proposed Thursday for many popular foods, including ice cream, aim to more accurately reflect what people actually eat.

http://ift.tt/1eHVo5B

Thank God for Arkansas State Rep. Josh Miller

Arkansas state Rep. Josh Miller broke his neck in a drunk driving accident when he was about 22, he is now a quadriplegic.

http://ift.tt/1bT37Tw

Affordable care act in York County: Premiums generally low, but residents won't always pay less

Compared with the rest of the U.S., Affordable Care Act premiums in York County are among the least expensive, according to an analysis by Digital First Media.

http://ift.tt/1bT34XT

Former Fulton doctor, office manager charged with defrauding Medicare after he moved to Vegas

A former Fulton doctor and his office manager were charged today with defrauding Medicare by billing for medical services he never performed.

http://ift.tt/1eHVb2b

Thursday, February 27, 2014

New food labels aim to make healthy shopping easy

New nutrition labels proposed Thursday for many popular foods, including ice cream, aim to more accurately reflect what people actually eat.

http://ift.tt/1erRySD

Cornyn: Lawsuit Could Be 'Body Blow' to Obamacare

Texas Sen. John Cornyn is filing a friend of the court brief in a doctor's lawsuit seeking to overturn Obamacare.

http://ift.tt/1dGdcOZ

Insurance Site Poses Cybersecurity Challenges

More than two-thirds of state systems that were supposed to tap into federal computers to verify sensitive personal information for coverage were initially rated as "high risk" for security problems, a new investigation has revealed.

http://ift.tt/1cWa18I

Police investigating incident at York elementary

CSX Corp. says it has determined what caused a train carrying crude oil to derail on a bridge over a river in Philadelphia.

http://ift.tt/1cY3n1O

Sue Paterno hospitalized after fall on campus

CSX Corp. says it has determined what caused a train carrying crude oil to derail on a bridge over a river in Philadelphia.

http://ift.tt/1cY3pqD

A guide to the proposed changes for nutrition labels

Those 'Nutrition Facts' labels you find on nearly every food package found in grocery stores are getting a new look.

http://ift.tt/1cY3mLd

Utah GOP governor rejects full Medicaid expansion

Utah's Republican governor announced Thursday he wants to reject a full Medicaid expansion that would enroll more people in the government program, and instead, seek federal dollars to cover the poor in private plans.

http://ift.tt/1cY3muM

Do NYS counties have a better property tax cut plan than Cuomo?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is starting a new push for the property tax freeze plan he outlined in his state budget address this January.

http://ift.tt/N8RIDU

Can Pharmacyclics, Inc.'s Imbruvica Stay Ahead of Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s Idelalisib?

Analysts are predicting some impressive sales, and the market has noticed. The company's stock price has risen over 40% this year, while the broad market remained somewhat flat.

http://ift.tt/1mJjtj0

Oracle pulls 100 workers from Cover Oregon project

Technology giant Oracle Corp. is pulling nearly two-thirds of its software developers from Oregon's troubled health insurance exchange project, even though the public still doesn't have access to the promised seamless, swift sign-ups for coverage, and key features are unfinished.

http://ift.tt/1dGkzFY

Two Oklahoma convicted killers await judge's ruling on execution drugs

The two convicted murderers filed a civil lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Corrections earlier this week.

http://ift.tt/1cXZAS5

Listeria Death in California Leads to Cheese Recall

Roos Foods has recalled 16 varieties of cheese after some of its brands were linked to food poisoning cases including one death in California.

http://ift.tt/1dGkBhg

Jury begins deliberations in Kerry Kennedy drugged-driving trial with ...

The bedroom spies: Smartphone app linked to child's computer and talking teddy bear tells parents if they are using Internet at night accused of knowingly driving while impaired by the prescription sleeping pill Ambien, which she claims she mistook for her thyroid pill To find Kennedy guilty, the jury must agree that Kennedy realized she was ... (more)

http://ift.tt/N8VgWD

Oracle pulls 100 workers from Cover Oregon project

One hundred Oracle developers will leave by the end of this week, with 65 remaining to continue working on the site, Cover Oregon spokesman Michael Cox said Thursday.

http://ift.tt/1dGky4O

Obamacare-Hating Restaurant Now Charging Obummer TaxNow the people...

Today's exciting new development in the anti-Obamacare resistance is that Gator's Dockside, a Florida restaurant chain, is warning its customers of the terrible things that are happening to it, and them, as a result of the new health-care law.

http://ift.tt/1eBviRM

Biden to Democrats: Don't apologize in 2014

Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday told Democrats to stop apologizing for their policies and go on offense as party leaders try to overcome pessimism about prospects for the November election.

http://ift.tt/1dGdcOT

New food, nutrition labels would highlight calories and sugar

Calories would be in larger, bolder type, and consumers would know whether foods have added sugars under label changes proposed by the Obama administration Thursday.

http://ift.tt/1dGfayO

Oracle pulls 100 workers from Cover Oregon project

One hundred Oracle developers will leave by the end of this week, with 65 remaining to continue working on the site, Cover Oregon spokesman Michael Cox said Thursday.

http://ift.tt/1cXWsFR

Jury Deliberates In Trial Of Bedford's Kerry Kennedy

A six-person jury began deliberations in the drugged-driving trial of Bedford resident Kerry Kennedy late Thursday afternoon in White Plains after the prosecution and defense offered their closing statements.

http://ift.tt/1cXWspk

Newport Beach Consumer Law Firm Files Class Action Lawsuit against E Cigarette Maker

CHASE has filed a class action lawsuit against the makers of certain e-cigarette brands alleging unfair competition and false advertising.

http://ift.tt/1dGf7Tw

Ark. lawmakers weigh limits on Medicaid sign-up

Arkansas House leaders say a proposal to limit the time frame in which people can sign up for Arkansas' compromise Medicaid expansion may be key to breaking a legislative deadlock over the nationally-watched program's future.

http://ift.tt/1dGf7Dd

Utah GOP Governor Rejects Full Medicaid Expansion

Utah's Republican governor announced Thursday he wants to reject a full Medicaid expansion, and instead, seek federal dollars to cover the poor.

http://ift.tt/1cXWpd3

Cornyn: Lawsuit Could Be 'Body Blow' to Obamacare

Texas Sen. John Cornyn is filing a friend of the court brief in a doctor's lawsuit seeking to overturn Obamacare.

http://ift.tt/1dGdcOZ

New FDA Labels Spark Healthy Tweets

Today, the Food and Drug Administration put forth proposed official serving size changes.

http://ift.tt/1fuxX5L

Kerry Kennedy's NY jury begins deliberations

Jurors began deliberating Thursday whether Kerry Kennedy broke the law when she drove wildly and sideswiped a tractor-trailer on a New York interstate after accidentally taking a sleeping pill.

http://ift.tt/1eC8cKF

Corbett's Medicaid plan takes next step with feds

Gov. Tom Corbett says the U.S. Department of Human Services is beginning consideration of his administration's proposal to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars to potentially cover another 500,000 working poor in Pennsylvania.

http://ift.tt/1fuxX5F

States line up to retake control of healthcare

The states cannot rely on Washington to correct the travesty that is Obamacare. After forty-seven votes to repeal or reform the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , Congress has not been able to even hold Health and Human Services accountable for the website folly, including over $1 billion spent for federal exchange and data services ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1hEB9ZT

United We Win: How Progressives Defeated the Chained CPI

Last week, progressive groups won a huge victory when the White House announced the chained CPI Social Security cut will be not be in President Obama's budget for the upcoming year.

http://ift.tt/1fuxWPd

How 'Reaganomics' led to income inequality breaking the American middle class

Across the country, nearly fifteen million Americans live under the poverty line as men, women and children are going to bed hungry every night.

http://ift.tt/1eC8am9

By Catholic News Service DENVER -- The Little Sisters of the Poor religious order has asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to extend an injunction A brief filed Feb. 24 with the appeals court in Denver said the injunction is necessary "to prevent the impermissible government pressure" on the order to offer an employee health benefits plan ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1kqA89t

Healthcare Lessons from the Data Sages at Strata

Also, during my own research for Big Data in Healthcare: Hype and Hope , the resounding request from all the participants I interviewed was to "find more data streams to analyze."

http://ift.tt/1cXlRPW

Utah GOP governor rejects full Medicaid expansion

Utah's Republican governor announced Thursday he wants to reject a full Medicaid expansion, and instead, seek federal dollars to cover the poor.

http://ift.tt/1eC4YXF

White House, FDA Propose Updates to Nutrition Facts Label

First Lady Michelle Obama joined Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and food personality Rachael Ray at the White House to announce proposed revisions to the Nutrition Facts label .

http://ift.tt/1eC4S28

Serving Up Some Change On Nutrition Labels

For the first time in 20 years, the FDA is proposing changes to nutrition labels on the packaging of food you buy at the grocery store.

http://ift.tt/1eC4TDp

New Food Labels Aim to Make Healthy Shopping Easy

New nutrition labels proposed Thursday for many popular foods, including ice cream, aim to more accurately reflect what people actually eat.

http://ift.tt/1hmNrYp

UPDATED: Appeals court denies University of Notre Dame injunction on HHS mandate

The University of Notre Dame must provide free coverage of contraceptives as required by the federal health care law despite its moral objections to doing so, said a panel of the 7th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals in a late Feb. 21 ruling that denied the university an injunction against enforcement of the mandate.

http://ift.tt/1cXOz3c

Hissey Kientz, LLP Now Offering Biomet Lawsuit Consultations

According to court documents, hundreds of hip replacement patients are filing lawsuits after allegedly suffering severe complications from the Biomet M2a Magnum hip system.

http://ift.tt/1eC4PmS

FDA raises concerns about three-parent embryo procedure

In two days of hearings ending Wednesday, a federal committee proved quite skeptical about research that might help some patients birth healthy children - but might also open the door to human gene manipulation.

http://ift.tt/1eC4Mrs

New food labels would highlight calories and sugar

Those "Nutrition Facts" labels on nearly every food package in grocery stores are getting a new look.

http://ift.tt/1eC4O2j

Really, Mr. Reid?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared yesterday that all of the "horror stories" being told in relation to the federal health care law are false .

http://ift.tt/1eC4fFQ

Data shows 'cobiotic' modulates glucose response in diabetic and pre diabetic subjects

Microbiome Therapeutics, a startup based in Broomfield, CO, has developed a technology that it says can significantly shift the makeup of the gut microflora in prediabetic patients and those with type 2 diabetes.

http://ift.tt/1hmNp2Z?

Open line: Curbing violence among young black men. Election filings....

The Thursday night line is open. Final words: * STOP THE VIOLENCE: The city of Little Rock announced that Mayor Mark Stodola and City Director Kenneth Richardson were in New Orleans for a program aimed at developing strategies to reduce violent deaths among young black men.

http://ift.tt/1eC4IYw

EditorialsEditorial: Keep e-cigarettes away from minors

Electronic cigarettes do not belong in the hands of minors and Florida lawmakers should ban the sale, barter or gifting of electronic smoking devices to children under 18. A bill that would do just that appears to be on the fast track in Tallahassee, a smart move that could prevent nicotine addiction in children and another generation of smokers ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1dG5MeB

Mass. chipping away at health insurance backlog

Massachusetts officials say they're continuing to sign up people for health insurance even as they concede they may not have a fully functioning insurance website by the end of June.

http://ift.tt/1dG5Meo

Hillary Clinton defends Obamacare but would consider fixes

Hillary Clinton backed efforts to alter Obamacare on Wednesday, but also used her remarks to a health care group in Florida to offer a full defense of the sweeping and controversial law.

http://ift.tt/1erA0Gj

GOP tax plan: Lower rates, tax rich, going nowhere

House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp's tax reform proposal calls for lowering income tax rates for most Americans and businesses, but also reducing the value of or eliminating entirely key tax breaks, too.

http://ift.tt/1erzXKt

Medical marijuana bill clears House panel

Stephanie Shown knows it was a small victory in a war she and others calling for legalization of medical marijuana are likely to lose this year.

http://ift.tt/1erA09a

Reps from both sides of the aisle try out campaign lines during Zogby's House budget hearing

Budget Secretary Charles Zogby had been at the table before Adolph's House Appropriation's Committee for nearly an hour, and the representatives had almost all gone on like this.

http://ift.tt/1fuyMFF

Obama: The stimulus bill workedObama: The stimulus bill...

While he and aides defend the health care law, President Obama also found time Wednesday to defend another piece of his legacy: The 2009 stimulus bill.

http://ift.tt/1hkIwaz

Finding consensus on 5 ways to improve ACA

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, left, and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder participate in the morning session of the National Governor's Association winter meeting in Washington on Feb. 22. WASHINGTON - As President Obama hosted governors from both parties at the White House Sunday night, talk turned from how to repeal the Affordable Care Act to how best to ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1pz5nTH

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Kansas' Dennis Moore returns to Congress for personal testimony

The former Kansas congressman returned to Capitol Hill to urge his old colleagues on both sides of the aisle to invest in finding a cure for Alzheimer's, a degenerative brain disease from which he suffers.

http://ift.tt/1hqaMIn

After first-term caution, Obama dives deeper on race

The sad fact of the matter is, most of us won't make it to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras.

http://ift.tt/1exqD3g

Scientists Question Safety Of Genetically Altering Human Eggs

A panel of government advisers has expressed serious concerns about a controversial proposal to allow scientists to try to make babies using eggs that have been genetically altered to include DNA from another woman.

http://ift.tt/1hi7lE6

Biden stepping up role in promoting health law

Vice President Joe Biden is stepping up his role in promoting enrollment in new health care exchanges as the end of the open-enrollment period nears.

http://ift.tt/1puZkiV

Top Senate Dem: Koch brothers are un-American

The Senate's top Democrat is using unusually harsh terms to criticize two billionaire brothers who are financing TV ads attacking Democratic congressional candidates, calling them un-American and saying they have no conscience.

http://ift.tt/MvjKIK

Harry Reid: Koch Brothers Are 'About As Un-American As Anyone I Can Imagine'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hurled criticism at the Koch brothers on Wednesday, saying the billionaires are "about as un-American as anyone I can imagine."

http://ift.tt/1puZk2q

Lawmakers clash on roads money, insurance tax hole

Lawmakers are heading toward a mid-year budget showdown over paying for more road projects and filling a hole in Michigan's collection of a tax that funds medical care for low-income residents.

http://ift.tt/1fIRLRr

Lessons on salt for dietitians ... by a chip maker

Frito-Lay, Kellogg, Coca-Cola and others are essentially teaching the teachers. Their workshops and online classes for the nation's dietitians are part of a behind-the-scenes effort to burnish the images of their snacks and drinks.

http://ift.tt/1fIRLRi

Food companies teach US dietitians about nutrition

Snack and soda makers that often are blamed for fueling U.S. obesity rates play a surprising role in how Americans learn about healthy eating: they teach dietitians as part of their behind-the-scenes efforts to burnish the image of their snacks and drinks.

http://ift.tt/1fIRNsl

AAFP Letter Highlights Burden of Long Medicare Payment Appeals Process

Physicians who decide to appeal a Medicare overpayment ruling face a long waiting period before they are granted a hearing.

http://ift.tt/1fIRLAK

Senators look for e-cigarette marketing limits

The bill is co-sponsored by California Sen. Barbara Boxer, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, both Democrats, and others.

http://ift.tt/1kjwazm

AP top news in Iowa at 3:58 p.m. CST

A judge has recessed a sentencing hearing until March in the case of a Manchester teenager convicted last year of killing his grandparents.

http://ift.tt/1o74oGB

Interim Charges for House Committees

This week I will discuss the interim charges recently issued to the House Committee on Appropriations.

http://ift.tt/1cqFXC6

Deadline for buying insurance under the Affordable Care Act is less than five weeks away

GOP tax plan lowers rates, repeals popular breaks

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., the House tax writer, speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, to outline a major plan to rewrite the nation's tax code.

http://ift.tt/N4nEcq

Joe Biden Steps Up His Role In Promoting Obamacare

Joe Biden, the 47th Vice President of the United States, was the special guest, live, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 .

http://ift.tt/1o74nm8

GOP tax plan lowers rates, repeals popular breaks

House Republicans have put together a tax overhaul plan that would wipe out some popular tax breaks to help pay for lower overall tax rates.

http://ift.tt/1jBjOTp

House Republican who lost insurance to Obamacare to run for Senate in Colorado

Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., a lawmaker who lost his health insurance because of Obamacare , will challenge Sen. Mark Udall , D-Colo., in this year's election .

http://ift.tt/1kacXTG

GOP tax plan lowers rates, repeals popular breaks

SANFORD, Fla. - The mother of a Sanford child whose body was discovered buried earlier this month has been arrested on murder charges.

http://ift.tt/1hi1Bdw

FDA raises concerns about three-parent embryo procedure

A federal committee seemed quite skeptical about research that might help some patients birth healthy children - but might also open the door to human gene manipulation.

http://ift.tt/1hi1yhT

Hawaii Health Connector won't be sustainable after 2014

Hawaii's health insurance exchange won't be sustainable beyond this year and will seek to change the existing Affordable Care Act rules for the state, Tom Matsuda, interim executive director of the Hawaii Health Connector, told lawmakers Wednesday.

http://ift.tt/1hi1zCk

CIC Announces First Crop of CMP-HC Certificants

The wait is over: After a long period of development and refinement of the course materials and exam questions that culminated in an exam held last November and December, the Convention Industry Council has announced the names of those who have passed the test to become the first to hold the subspecialty certification for healthcare meeting ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1hi1zCe

Latest enrollment figures from DHS: 127,000 have gained coverage under the private option

MELISSA FARRELL: This mother of two will be one of more than 120,000 Arkansans who will lose their health insurance if 27 of 100 representatives succeed in ending the private option.

http://ift.tt/1cRC7SA

A Medicaid benficiary explains his legislative opposition to Medicaid expansion

Republican Rep. Josh Miller of Heber Springs caught my attention last week with an impassioned speech against Medicaid expansion for Arkansas's working poor.

http://ift.tt/1cRC89g

Frito-Lay, Coke, other food companies teach dietitians about nutrition

Snack and soda makers that often are blamed for fueling the nation's obesity rates also play a role in educating the dietitians who advise Americans on healthy eating.

http://ift.tt/1jBjNyO

Colorado: New Front in Fight for Control of the Senate

The fight for control of the Senate just got more interesting. Rep. Cory Gardner, a rising Colorado Republican who had once decided against running for Senate, has suddenly changed his mind and is poised to challenge Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat.

http://ift.tt/1fIN2yY

Republicans blast FDA monitoring of whistleblowers

WASHINGTON: Republican lawmakers blasted the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday for secretly monitoring the emails of agency scientists who went public with allegations that they were pressured to approve certain medical devices.

http://ift.tt/1kjo6i4

FDA on Defensive for Snooping on Employees' Computers

A once-secret move by the Food and Drug Administration to monitor the computer screens and keystrokes of five scientists suspected of press leaks in 2010 was blasted on Wednesday as a "Big Brother" tactic out of George Orwell's 1984 and a damaging disservice to agency whistleblowers.

http://ift.tt/1kjlDUN

House Republicans floundering over Obamacare replacement plan

It's back to the drawing board for Republicans after the Congressional Budget Office determined their latest bright idea, for an Obamacare replacement bill would cause one million workers to lose their insurance and increase the deficit by $74 billion over 10 years.

http://ift.tt/1k9uMSU?

Discuss

Democrats are stupid because they desperately keep trying to do the GOP's dirty work for them, thinking someone is going to reward them for doing the unpopular stupid thing.

http://ift.tt/1hhXsX5

Republican tax reform plan unveiled

Once you're logged in, at the top of each article, video or slideshow you will see a list of your Facebook friends who recently visited Choose to share stories you'e read with your friends or turn sharing OFF to keep your reading experience anonymous .

http://ift.tt/1hhXttW

Lawmakers clash on roads money, insurance tax hole

LANSING, Mich. -- Lawmakers are heading toward a mid-year budget showdown over paying for more road projects and filling a hole in Michigan's collection of a tax that funds medical care for low-income residents.

http://ift.tt/1hhXspP

Biden stepping up role in promoting health law

Vice President Joe Biden leads a session with members of the Cabinet and college presidents as part of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, in the Old Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington.

http://ift.tt/1kjlLDU

Lessons on salt for dietitians ... by a chip maker

In this Oct. 21, 2013 photo, attendees at a conference for dietitians pass by a booth sponsored by Coca Cola, in Houston.

http://ift.tt/1hhXrSP

Lawmaker seeks access to experimental medicines

A Missouri lawmaker with a seriously ill daughter is encouraging colleagues to pass legislation that could make it easier for patients to gain access to experimental medications.

http://ift.tt/1kjlKQo?

Doc Pleads Guilty in Referrals for Cash Scheme

An internist with a practice in Montclair admitted Wednesday to accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running scheme, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

http://ift.tt/1kjlKzE

2 U.S. death row inmates file lawsuit for details on execution drugs, supplier

Two Oklahoma death row inmates scheduled to be executed next month sued state corrections officials Wednesday for details about the drugs that will be used to execute them, including their source.

http://ift.tt/1hhXrlJ

FDA under pressure to review sunscreen ingredients

The Administration is feeling the heat from the Coalition, who is urging it to allow Americans to have access to the latest safe and effective sunscreen products available.

http://ift.tt/1hhXnTg?

Bill Passes Senate Judiciary Committee To Give Top State Officials Say-So Over Filing Of Lawsuits

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to pass SB 2085 which changes the method used by the attorney general to determine whether it is in the state's best interests to commence a civil lawsuit.

http://ift.tt/1o70jSS

Biden stepping up role in promoting health law

Vice President Joe Biden is stepping up his role in promoting enrollment in new health care exchanges as the end of the open-enrollment period nears.

http://ift.tt/1o70j5c

Republican tax reform plan unveiled

Ark. House speaker: Talks continuing on Medicaid

House Speaker Davy Carter says he's meeting with opponents of Arkansas' compromise Medicaid expansion to try and break a legislative stalemate over the program's future.

http://ift.tt/1hUQf1N

Review backs top Iowa insurer's $1.3B reserve fund

The $1.3 billion held in cash reserves by Iowa's dominant health insurer is reasonable, a consultant concluded Wednesday, rejecting claims from Democrats that the amount is excessive and should be returned to customers.

http://ift.tt/1co415t

XOMA's Gevokizumab Wins FDA Orphan Drug Designation

XOMA Corporation announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to its IL-1 beta modulating antibody labeled gevokizumab for the treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum.

http://ift.tt/1hUQeLd

EMA Grants Orphan Drug Status To ImmunoCellular's ICT-107

The European Medicines Agency has granted orphan drug designation for ImmunoCellular Therapeutics' ICT-107 for the treatment of glioblastoma.

http://ift.tt/1co40OU

Rep. Hultgren: White House ACA Numbers Meant to 'Change Subject'

... since 2011, also says Obama will feel the heat from Democratic senators who are starting to challenge the healthcare law. "The president isn't running again. He's a lame duck and doesn't have another election ahead of him, but certainly the Senate ...

http://ift.tt/1co40OL

Medicaid contracts, a close friend, big money and Gov. Scott's re-election campaign

Before the Legislature convenes in Tallahassee next Tuesday, Coral Gables healthcare tycoon Miguel B. "Mike" Fernandez will host a Sunday afternoon BBQ with Gov. Rick Scott, his wife Ann, and key members of the governor's campaign finance team.

http://ift.tt/1hhiKUu

NC Medicaid overhaul veers away from privatization

Biden: Obamacare 'Gives Women A Great Deal More Freedom'

Vice President Joe Biden attends the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton on Feb. 6, 2014 in Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden appeared on ABC's "The View" Wednesday in an effort to promote Obamacare, saying that the controversial health care law gives a "peace of mind" to people.

http://ift.tt/1cRrCP7

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Ct. Insurance Exchange Takes a Page from Apple

It's no secret that Steve Jobs' sleek and simplistic approach to marketing Apple products in the U.S. was a slam dunk.

http://ift.tt/1fE8RQk

CBO Report: 1M May Lose Insurance Under New Bill

Bad news for workers relying on their employer-sponsored health insurance-if Republicans get their way, you may be losing your coverage.

http://ift.tt/1dwsIg0

Dingell retires

When John Dingell was first elected to the U.S. House in a special election on Dec. 13, 1955 at the age of 29, President Barack Obama had not been born, man had not reached the Moon, and the Internet had not been invented.

http://ift.tt/1ehsayX

New Medicaid Expansion Bill Heads to the Legislature

The Health and Human Services committee has advanced the, Wellness in Nebraska Act, a new version of a Medicaid expansion proposal.

http://ift.tt/1dwuVbt

President Clinton rallies support for Grimes in Louisville

Grimes and Clinton walked onto the Galt House stage together, posing for photos.

http://ift.tt/1fE8Rjj

Whata s more valuable, a doctora s visit or a pizza?

An effort is under way to restore funding cuts to the California Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal.

http://ift.tt/1dwrwcD

Obama: Health insurance enrollment at 4 million

Jesus Rodriguez runs KidoZen, which helps large companies build mobile applications more easily.

http://ift.tt/1mG6FNx

Obama: Health insurance enrollment at 4 million

President Barack Obama says about 4 million people have signed up for health insurance through federal or state marketplaces set up under his health care law.

http://ift.tt/1mG6CS7

Barack Obama: 'We've got close to 7 million Americans who have...

After the troubled launch of President Barack Obama's health care law last fall, the numbers of health insurance sign-ups has increased -- and so has the spin.

http://ift.tt/N061up

Are these practices by doctors, insurers acceptable?

Ashley Hentze, left, of Lakeland, Fla., gets help signing up for the Affordable Care Act from Kristen Nash, a volunteer with Enroll America, a private, non-profit organization.

http://ift.tt/1mG6FgD

FDA Looking for More Providers to Subsidize

Dr. Jerry Osband, Chief Medical Officer at EXL, a business process consultancy and analytics firm, identifies the top data challenges that providers face in the coming year.

http://ift.tt/1mG4TfA

Obama: Health insurance enrollment reaches 4 million as March 31 sign-up deadline looms

President Barack Obama says about 4 million people have signed up for health insurance through federal or state marketplaces set up under his health care law.

http://ift.tt/1mG4Tfs

Top Story-Colorado Nuns vs. Obamacare

Simply confirm your registered email address below and click "Reset Password." We will immediately email you a link back to the site where you can enter a new password for this account.

http://ift.tt/1mG4SZ3

Specialty Hospitals in the US Industry Market Research Report from...

The Specialty Hospitals industry has benefited from reforms in healthcare; going forward, it will continue to do well due to the aging population.

http://ift.tt/1hvUa0x

HIV patients get temporary reprieve with lawsuit

A federal judge received assurances Tuesday that three insurance companies won't immediately stop accepting premium payments from a program that helps HIV and AIDS patients cover health care costs.

http://ift.tt/OAapS3

City Council extends Eugene camping 'rest stops' to October

The Eugene City Council voted unanimously to extend the sunset date on the temporary camping sites known as "rest stops."

http://ift.tt/1c5WX2T

Holder: State AGs not obligated to defend same-sex marriage bans

State attorneys general are not obligated to defend laws in their states banning same-sex marriage if the laws discriminate in a way forbidden by the Constitution, Attorney General Eric Holder told his state counterparts Tuesday.

http://ift.tt/1o4hx3j

Proposal to bump speed limit to 80 mph OK'd in Idaho senate

A bid to increase speed limits on Idaho roads raced to a victory on the Senate floor, as lawmakers voted 30-4 to send it on to the House.

http://ift.tt/1o4hzrY

Governors spar over economic and energy policies

Discussions between President Barack Obama and the nation's governors began on a hopeful bipartisan note Monday, but quickly devolved into a nasty dispute between Republicans and Democrats once the politicians got in front of the microphones.

http://ift.tt/1lhfSdK

Manufacturers warn of ObamaCare fallout

... those benefits. "Ninety-seven percent of manufacturers offer health coverage to their employees, but the healthcare law threatens their ability to provide these benefits by forcing them into a one-size-fits-all system," Timmons said during his ...

http://ift.tt/1o4hwMH

GOP lawmakers strip expanded family planning services from controversial abortion bill

Lawmakers are struggling with a contentious abortion bill to limit state funding to those deemed "medically necessary," and on Tuesday a House panel stripped out a provision for expanded family planning services over objections from Democrats who say it would prevent hundreds of abortions and unwanted pregnancies.

http://ift.tt/1o4hzbs

Scott hopes Medicare Advantage cuts win seniors over to his side

In a testimonial-style video geared toward seniors , Scott highlights the cuts in Medicare Advantage spending under the Affordable Care Act.

http://ift.tt/1dwheJx

North Carolina editorial roundup

Students can't learn from thin air. If we expect our students to lead us into the future, they need valuable resources such as good teachers and up-to-date textbooks.

http://ift.tt/1kcbCsG

95 percent of Congressional GOP voted three times to cut Medicare Advantage

A funny thing happened on the way to the demise of Medicare Advantage . The program under which 16 million seniors purchase federally subsidized coverage through private health insurers, the carriers and Republicans warned, would be jeopardized by the $150 billion in cuts to providers over 10 years used to help fund the Affordable Care Act .

http://ift.tt/1cNbG0c

Fla. Gov. Scott: Obama Raiding Medicare to Fund Obamacare

... directly to not pay for Obamacare by raiding Medicare. He has stopped and delayed other broken parts of the healthcare law. He should do the same with this," the release said. Appearing Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "Your World With Neil Cavuto," ...

http://ift.tt/1lk1UaV

At least Rick Scott has a lot experience with federal investigators

The problems with Florida's new unemployment website may be more than just annoying.

http://ift.tt/1fotZFG

Happy Hour Roundup

He heaped praise on Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, for aggressively trying to implement the "health care thing."

http://ift.tt/1hQf9zD

Threat of steep penalties stymies capitol protests

Organizers of the Truthful Tuesday protests at the South Carolina Statehouse say a state law specifically targeting demonstrations inside the capitol is stifling their movement.

http://ift.tt/1mFZaX1

Can A Doctor Really Demand An Extra $75 Upfront?

This week, I answer readers' questions about what doctors can ask for in advance and the nuances of switching insurance plans, both on and off the health exchanges.

http://ift.tt/1pqrjAl

Journey Of A Drug: The Long, Hard, Expensive Process Of A New Treatment

From Seattle's South Lake Union to larger areas like Bothell, biotechnology is a ubiquitous part of the local economy.

http://ift.tt/1fot5sS

Haslam Asks Feds for Medicaid Counterproposal

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday he has asked U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make a counterproposal to Tennessee's efforts to carve out a special deal for Medicaid expansion.

http://ift.tt/1pqriwg

Wells Joins Evans Petree as Associate

Julie Wells has joined Evans Petree PC as an associate in the East Memphis office, focusing her practice in health care law and general business matters.

http://ift.tt/1hcD2ia

Framework for I.T. Regulation Slated to Reach Congress in March

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, working with the Federal Communications Commission and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, is close to completing its mandated report to Congress on a risk-based regulatory framework for health I.T. Officials from the three agencies provided an update on the status of the report at a HIMSS14 ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1hcD49E

Investor Alert: Investigation of The Medicines Company Announced by Law Offices of Howard G. Smith

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that it is investigating potential claims on behalf of investors of The Medicines Company concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.

http://ift.tt/1hcD49u

Illinois computer system posed high risk initially

Government security experts working on the rollout of President Barack Obama's health care law are worried that state computer systems - including the one in Illinois - could become a back door for hackers.

http://ift.tt/1hcD1dZ

Giving and getting: Mom turns son's death into new rare-disease drug voucher program

Nancy Goodman with her son, Jacob Froman, who died five years ago from a rare brain cancer.

http://ift.tt/1hcD21n

House delays vote on Medicaid expansion

House leaders on Tuesday scuttled plans for another vote that afternoon on whether to reauthorize the "private option" that was approved last year as an alternative to expanding Medicaid under the federal health care law.

http://ift.tt/1jybALY

Will Ferrell's pitch for Obamacare draws fire on Facebook

Comedian Will Ferrell is getting pushback on Facebook about his pitch for President Obama's health care law.

http://ift.tt/1eh4ElA

ND seeks to link to federal health care computers

The connection to federal computers requires a security review and approval. But North Dakota is one of three states that isn't approved to connect to the federal data hub that verifies personal details about people applying for government-subsidized insurance.

http://ift.tt/1hcD0H0

AP Interview: Sen. Paxton hoping to emulate Cruz

File- In this Jan. 11, 2011 file photo, Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, addresses the opening session of the 82nd Texas Legislature, in Austin, Texas.

http://ift.tt/1cN3Y6l

PASS Supports FDA's OTC Monograph Review

The Public Access to SunScreens Coalition supports the Food and Drug Administration's newly scheduled March public meeting to obtain input on the Over-The-Counter, Monograph Drug Review.

http://ift.tt/1hcCYyO

The open line: Election filings continue; private option enrollment tops 105,000

The Tuesday line is open. Final notes: * ELECTION FILINGS CONTINUE : You can go here to find the latest list of state candidates.

http://ift.tt/1fRDYUY

Merck Abandons Once-Promising Experimental Cancer Drug to Ariad

Merck & Co. Inc. has officially washed its hands of a once-lauded experimental cancer drug it invested in along with Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. Merck informed Ariad last week that it was terminating its license agreement and handing back the drug to Ariad, FierceBiotech reports.

http://ift.tt/1eh8Q4M

First ladya s junk food plan redux

Earlier today, I wrote about regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would ban, for the first time, advertising in public schools that pushes foods high in fat, sugar, salt - otherwise known as junk food.

http://ift.tt/OzYnYF

AP Exclusive: Health law cybersecurity challenges

ND seeks to link to federal health care computers

North Dakota officials are working to link the state's system to federal computers that help enroll people for coverage under the new health care law.

http://ift.tt/1fRIDWO?

Report: More Than Two-Thirds Of State Obamacare Systems Were...

This Dec. 2, 2013 photo shows a woman reading the HealthCare.gov insurance marketplace internet site in Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON - As the Obama administration raced to meet its self-imposed deadline for online health insurance markets, security experts working for the government worried that state computer systems could become a back door for ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1fRIDGx

Are these practices by doctors, insurers acceptable?

Ashley Hentze, left, of Lakeland, Fla., gets help signing up for the Affordable Care Act from Kristen Nash, a volunteer with Enroll America, a private, non-profit organization.

http://ift.tt/OzYmE8

Research Updates Focus on Care for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions

Recent updates provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Multiple Chronic Conditions Research Network aim to improve understanding about how best to care for the growing number of individuals living with multiple chronic conditions .

http://ift.tt/OzYmnG

Monday, February 24, 2014

The Lessons Of John Dingell's Departure

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., whose House career stretches nearly 60 years, will retire at the end of his term as the longest-serving member of Congress in history.

http://ift.tt/OvaBC4

Republican Jolly features mom, aunt in new ad

... why I'm fighting ObamaCare," he adds, citing reports that the law cuts $716 billion from Medicare. The healthcare law does reduce Medicare spending by that amount over 10 years, though that primarily comes from reductions in payments to insurers and ...

http://ift.tt/1gxRH4O

Medicaid Bill Advances To Full Legislature

A bill to expand Medicaid in Nebraska as part of the federal health care law has been sent to the full Legislature for debate.

http://ift.tt/1h7CeuM

Moral Monday Preview

Thousands of people are expected to march on the state capitol on the eve of the legislative session next week, unhappy because they believe key issues are being ignored.

http://ift.tt/1jv7Rif

HIMSS14: Harris Corp. Unveils Integration Platform

Dr. Jerry Osband, Chief Medical Officer at EXL, a business process consultancy and analytics firm, identifies the top data challenges that providers face in the coming year.

http://ift.tt/1jv7R1x

Balkema criticizes Foster's support for cutting Medicare Advantage

"Billions of Medicare Advantage dollars are being siphoned away from seniors to pay for Obamacare.

http://ift.tt/1eqPzcE

Hawaii health exchange targets young adults

Hawaii's online health insurance exchange hopes to boost enrollment by targeting younger adults.

http://ift.tt/OvbVop

After website woes decrease, Obamacare enrollment surges in Florida, nation

Willem Muller and Kettely Mesidor consider their health plan options with the help of Sunshine Life and Health Advisors agent Jose Hernandez.

http://ift.tt/1lFw46g

CCAGW Opposes Rep. Gravesa Medicare Oversight Bill, Urges Members Not to Co-Sponsor

RACs have recovered $7.6 billion in improper overpayments since fiscal year 2010 and extended the life of the troubled Medicare Trust Fund.

http://ift.tt/1chDXbZ

Premiums may rise for 11 million workers: report

That's an estimate from a report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

http://ift.tt/OvbUAR

Colorado nuns filing challenge on birth control

The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, said the full appeal would be filed Monday before the 10th Circuit.

http://ift.tt/1fjRlMA

Haslam asks feds for Medicaid counterproposal

Haslam told reporters Monday that he had met with Sebelius twice during a Washington visit and that she was aware of the state's requests to use the federal money to subsidize private insurance and promote healthier lifestyles through a series of incentives.

http://ift.tt/OvbRFc

Democratic lawmakers renew call for cancellation of Alexander Group contract

AUGUSTA Democratic leaders on the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee on Monday were again calling on Gov. Paul LePage's administration to cancel its nearly $1 million contract with a Rhode Island-based consultant.

http://ift.tt/OvbOJA

The President's Budget: Political Expediency Threatens Fiscal Reforms

As we await the full release of the President's Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, some important specifics have been slowly made public.

http://ift.tt/1h7v7CD

Haslam asks feds for Medicaid counterproposal

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he has asked U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make a counterproposal to Tennessee's efforts to carve out a special deal for Medicaid expansion.

http://ift.tt/1jv48kE

Health care law may send insurance premiums up for 11 million workers, government report says

The new health care law may raise insurance premiums for 11 million small business employees and lower rates for 6 million others.

http://ift.tt/1h7v4qr

NY says it met deadline on welfare reform, EBT cards

The state Office of Temporary Disability Assistance said today it met a Saturday federal deadline to submit policy changes to ban the use of welfare money at strip clubs, liquor stores or casinos.

http://ift.tt/1jv484i

CCAGW Opposes Rep. Graves' Medicare Oversight Bill, Urges Members Not to Co-Sponsor

Today, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives strongly urging members to neither co-sponsor nor vote for Rep. Sam Graves' legislation H.R. 1250, the Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013 , which would gravely undermine the most effective oversight tool at taxpayers' ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1ecr8nD

The Dean is Done: 59 Years Will Be Enough for the Cunning and Complex John Dingell

John D. Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history, and easily the most overpoweringly influential House chairman of this generation, is calling an end to his own era.

http://ift.tt/1dqLqG3

Health premiums may rise for 11 million workers, report says

A computer is ready to be used to help people at the Sunshine Life and Health Advisors purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act at a kiosk setup at the Mall of Americas on December 11, 2013 in Miami, Florida.

http://ift.tt/1jv49VT

Happy Hour Roundup

Reminder : Even as many Obamacare victimology stories in the group's ads are hyped, distorted or feature GOP operatives or actors, AFP is running campaigns in at least two states designed to block the Medicaid expansion from benefitting untold numbers of real people.

http://ift.tt/1jv4840

LePage Reneges On $100M Statewide Maine Jobs Bond Contracts, Day 3: MaineDOT Projects In Peril?

We are giving Governor LePage a pass on the "Day Count" for Saturday and Sunday, as he was down in DC for the NGA winter meeting ... well, until yesterday morning at least.

http://ift.tt/1jv49VC

Pressure mounts over Arizona bill opposed by gays

Imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff's longtime secretary defended herself from the witness stand Monday, telling a Manhattan jury about a 40-year career working unwittingly alongside a historic Ponzi scheme... Imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff's longtime secretary defended herself from the witness stand Monday, telling a Manhattan jury about a ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1jv47xg

Ex-Fla. State Rep. Kreegel: As a Doctor, I See Obamacare's Failures

... backs," Kreegel said. Story continues below video. He also expects to see additional harmful effects of the healthcare law in the near term, pointing to the recent Congressional Budget Office report showing that Obamacare could cost the economy more ...

http://ift.tt/1chAD0s

Republican civil war over Medicaid expansion spills over into Nebraska

Republicans aren't fighting over Medicaid expansion in Arkansas now, it's also happening in Nebraska , where Republican state Sen. Kathy Campbell introduced a proposal that looks a bit like Arkansas's privatized plan last month.

http://ift.tt/1h7qUip

Supreme Court kills Arizona law defunding Planned Parenthood

The law would have deemed abortionists not "qualified"

http://ift.tt/1h7qUi9

Haslam asks feds for Medicaid counterproposal

Colorado nuns filing challenge on birth control

The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, said the full appeal would be filed Monday before the 10th Circuit.

http://ift.tt/1h7qSHe

Premiums may rise for 11 million workers: report

The new health care law may raise insurance premiums for 11 million small business employees and lower rates for 6 million others.

http://ift.tt/1h7qQPG

Supreme Court won't consider Arizona abortion law

The high court declined to hear Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's appeal of a lower court ruling that blocked the 2012 law.

http://ift.tt/1h7qSqA

Senate to consider GERS refund for retirees who received retro pay

A petition to call the Senate into session Tuesday has been submitted to Senate President Shawn-Michael Malone.

http://ift.tt/1h7qQ26

Obamacare Not Helping These Floridians

Roughly 1 million uninsured Floridians who repeatedly heard affordable health insurance was just around the corner for them thanks to President Barack Obama's new law are finding a harsh reality - they're too poor to qualify.

http://ift.tt/1h7qQ1V

Committee Advances Bill to Expand Medicaid in Nebraska

A bill to expand Medicaid as part of the federal health care law has been sent to the full Legislature for debate after committee members voted 5 to 1 Monday to advance the bill.

http://ift.tt/1eqLKnL

Planned Parenthood gets clean audit from Louisiana

Planned Parenthood in Louisiana has complied with laws that ban public funds from being used to pay for abortions or to encourage abortions, according to an audit released Monday.

http://ift.tt/1eqLKnE

Asa Hutchinson announces; continues to duck private option preference; emphasizes minorities

Asa Hutchinson announced as a Republican candidate for governor today and he continued to dodge stating a preference on the private option expansion of Medicaid, perhaps due for a climactic vote tomorrow.

http://ift.tt/1hLN8Jr

Open line: Election filings begin; Cotton scores well with Club for...

Republican Bruce Westerman also filed today for the seat, with Tommy Moll also anticipated.

http://ift.tt/1hLNbF7

Study shows weak gun laws spur 16 percent increase in deaths

What if weaker background check laws on gun purchases result in more gun deaths? Mr. Webster's new study indicates that is precisely what happened in Missouri.

http://ift.tt/1h7qOXZ

Poor Floridians fall into Medical expansion gap

The Florida House voted last year not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act because of fears that it could eventually cost the state hundreds of millions annually, meaning those earning below the poverty line, $11,490 for an individual or $23,550 for a family of four, aren't eligible for tax credits through the online marketplace.

http://ift.tt/1fjFaPV

Water, ethics bills play big roles in 2014 session

The legislation reflects a sense of urgency among lawmakers after three dry winters have forced farmers to fallow fields and some communities to declare mandatory water reductions.

http://ift.tt/1fjF8I0

Planned Parenthood review released

A legislative auditor's review of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast operations - requested by some legislators - found no indication that the group has recommended abortions nor billed Medicaid for anything other than allowed family planning services.

http://ift.tt/1fjF8b1

Soda Taxes: Leveling the Playing Field

I have always preferred Pepsi over Coke. For some reason, I had a strong emotional attachment to Pepsi as a child.

http://ift.tt/OuYGEm

Congressman John Dingell, D: Health Care Is a Right

When John Dingell was a child, he met Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who dreamed 80 years ago that a groundbreaking Social Security proposal might feature a publicly-funded national health care program.

http://ift.tt/1fjF6jf

Trial Begins For Iowa Pharmacist Accused of Fraud

Michael Stein, the owner of Pharmacy Matters in Iowa City, has pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of health care fraud.

http://ift.tt/OuYJjf

Arkansas Governor Again Prods Legislature to Fund Medicaid Program

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is interviewed in a hallway at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Feb. 18, 2014.

http://ift.tt/1fjF5vO

Tenet Reports Results for Quarter Ended December 31, 2013

Tenet Healthcare Corporation today reported adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2013 of $444 million, an increase of $108 million, or 32.1 percent, as compared to $336 million in the fourth quarter of 2012.

http://ift.tt/OuYIvN

Aerie Pharmaceuticals Names Marvin J. Garrett as Vice President,...

BEDMINSTER, N.J. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. & NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.-- --Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class glaucoma therapies, today announced that Marvin J. Garrett has been named Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Quality ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1fjF3nE

Medicaid expansion sent to full legislature for debate

The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee voted on Monday to advance the ``Wellness in Nebraska Act,'' a new version of a Medicaid-expansion proposal.

http://ift.tt/1fjF373

Pension tension: Florida House lawmakers call out Gov. Rick Scott's administration for study delay

Despite outward signs of support, Gov. Rick Scott's administration quietly endangered a top priority of fellow Republicans in the Legislature by delaying a financial analysis needed to help justify a public-worker pension-reform plan.

http://ift.tt/OuYBQS

Dredged up emails and recriminations - but not who you might think

Today's Paper, also known as the e-Edition, is an online replica of the printed newspaper.

http://ift.tt/1gxDK74

Fate of Arizona anti-gay measure rests with Jan Brewer

Anthony Musa, left, and Brianna Pantillione join nearly 250 gay rights supporters protesting SB1062 at the Arizona Capitol, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Phoenix.

http://ift.tt/1fjEVVd

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Could Medicaid expansion debate turn into an immigration issue?

Jesus Rodriguez runs KidoZen, which helps large companies build mobile applications more easily.

http://ift.tt/1ldkzVV

Governors: a Obamacarea here to stay

The explosive politics of health care have divided the nation, but America's governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, suggest that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is here to stay.

http://ift.tt/1h3s7as

MOB Advocacy Puts Client's Interests in Front of Nation's Governors

MOB Advocacy, a state and local government relations firm based in Fairfax, Virginia will represent the firm's clients at the National Governors Association's Annual Winter Meeting.

http://ift.tt/1e2P9gQ

Governors: Obamacare Is Here To Stay

Farewell Policymaking: The Season Of Congressional Show Votes Is Upon Us

As members of Congress return Monday from their week-long President's Day recess, their work is done.

http://ift.tt/OrFUxA

'Pickle School' focuses on food safety

When we think of pickles, it's unlikely that we picture the series of legal and bureaucratic hoops necessary to bring them to market.

http://ift.tt/1dmvS6b

Governors: Obamacare is here to stay

W.Va. false claims bill advances

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A House of Delegates committee advanced legislation Thursday that will allow whistleblowers to sue companies that defraud state government.

http://ift.tt/1d8D3yy

Obamacare medical device tax led to loss of 33,000 jobs, report says

A new survey says Obamacare's tax on medical device manufacturers forced companies to lay off or avoid hiring 33,000 workers last year - adding another arrow to the GOP 's quiver as Republicans aim to portray the health care law as a job-killing program.

http://ift.tt/1dmlMlN?

Governors: a Obamacarea here to stay

While governors from Connecticut to Louisiana sparred on Sunday over how best to improve the nation's economy, governors of both parties shared a far more pragmatic outlook on the controversial program known as "Obamacare" as millions of their constituents begin to be covered.

http://ift.tt/1dmlLyc

Study Evaluates Role of Infliximab in Treating Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki Disease is a severe childhood disease that many parents, even some doctors, mistake for an inconsequential viral infection.

http://ift.tt/1dmqlMQ

Biden: Health care sign-ups may fall short of goal

Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that it would be a good start for the federal health care law if 5 million to 6 million people sign up by the end of March, an acknowledgement that enrollments might fall significantly short of the Obama administration's unofficial target of 7 million.

http://ift.tt/1gREg1T

Older Americans are early winners under health law

For many older Americans who lost jobs during the recession, the quest for health care has been one obstacle after another.

http://ift.tt/OrGFqd

Farewell Policymaking: The Season Of Congressional Show Votes Is Upon Us

In this Nov. 21, 2013, file photo, the Capitol in Washington, is seen after sunrise.

http://ift.tt/1bZR3QC

Obama to host governors at White House

President Obama makes a toast before the 2014 Governors' Dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Feb. 23, 2014.

http://ift.tt/1dmbEJJ

Surge in tax identity thefts leaves victims' refunds in limbo

Today's Paper, also known as the e-Edition, is an online replica of the printed newspaper.

http://ift.tt/1h3hTqw

Governors: 'Obamacare' here to stay

AP analysis: Votes on pay raises for state employees fodder for 2015 elections

The campaign is nearly underway for the 2015 Mississippi legislative elections, a time when lawmakers often find that past decisions come back to haunt them in nasty attacks by their opponents.

http://ift.tt/1h33zhL

Floridians too poor for affordable care

Governors: Affordable Care Act here to stay

Govs. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Mary Fallin, R-Okla., participated in a special session on jobs in America during the National Governor's Association Winter Meeting.

http://ift.tt/1enSGC2

Analysis: Legislative votes become campaign fodder

Voters can expect flailing against incumbents who spoke in support of the Affordable Care Act, the health reform law pushed by President Barack Obama.

http://ift.tt/1h2Zmup

Governors: 'Obamacare' here to stay

Advice to the GOP: Narrow it Down and Draw Some Emotion

... in United States history won re-election after doubling our national debt, giving us a highly unpopular healthcare law, and leaving us with the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression. Help End FReepathons by Donating Monthly! Generous ...

http://ift.tt/OrvfTC

Governors: Obamacare Is Here To Stay

Editorial: Save day care

In today's economy, when both parents work, good day care is essential to keep families and society functioning.

http://ift.tt/1h2YvKa

South Dakota lawmakers look to regulate e-cigarettes

Monday morning, a committee of lawmakers in South Dakota will vote on a piece of legislation aimed to keep e-cigarettes away from minors.

http://ift.tt/1enS27r

Governors: Obamacare Here to Stay

... weekend. "We're trying to make it work as best we can for the people of Iowa," said Barnstad, who calls the healthcare law "unaffordable and unsustainable," yet something he has to implement by law. Governors from both parties report that a full ...

http://ift.tt/1nZ6Xug

Some Republican Governors Say Obamacare Is 'The Law' and Here To Stay Despite Problems

Some Republican governors suggest that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is here to stay - despite their opposition to it and problems with Obamacare.

http://ift.tt/1cFldqj

Federal court rules against Notre Dame in contraception case

In a 2-1 decision, the federal court affirmed a lower court's ruling that denied Notre Dame's request for a temporary injunction from the federal health law's contraception requirement.

http://ift.tt/1cFrnqt

Utah bill allowing hemp use for kids clears hurdle

A bill to give children with epilepsy access to a cannabis extract has cleared its first major hurdle at the Utah Legislature, despite opposition from the Utah Medical Association .

http://ift.tt/1bZEG7l

AccelOps Cloud Security Survey: Network Security Trails Behind Cloud Usage

AccelOps on Thursday announced its global survey of 140 IT security professionals found that while cloud usage continues to rise, cloud security remains stagnant.

http://ift.tt/1guBGwr

Analysis: Legislative votes become campaign fodder

3 Under-the-Radar Biotech Stocks You Need to Watch in 2014

No industry embraces the boom-or-bust potential of the stock market like the biotech industry.

http://ift.tt/1pfkeCB

Andrews woman gets four years for defrauding Medicare

United States Attorney Bill Nettles said Queen Edwards Nesmith, 53, was sentenced in federal court in Charleston for Health Care Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.

http://ift.tt/1feI7RN

Poor Floridians fall into Medical expansion gap

Analysis: Lawmakers returning to familiar issues

When lawmakers return to Baton Rouge in two weeks for the opening of the legislative session, they'll spend much of their time revisiting proposals they rejected last year.

http://ift.tt/1e7YBjj?

Guest Column: Right and left must fight food stamp fraud

First, Americans are among the most compassionate people in the world. If you lose your job, you get unemployment benefits.

http://ift.tt/1pfcX5D

Governors: 'Obamacare' here to stay

Governors' solutions tend to mirror partisan lines

Doctors, insurers face off over reimbursement rates

Lowering costs by forcing doctors and insurers to compete for millions of new patients is a primary goal of the nation's new health care law, but a group of gastroenterologists in the East Bay and internists near Chico are exposing a fissure in that plan.

http://ift.tt/1fuzwyY

Tax revisions mostly affect high-income filers

Welcome to the 2013 tax code. Congress modified the 74,000-page document this year in ways that will result in upper-income Americans and Americans in state-recognized same-sex marriages seeing significant changes in how their federal tax returns are calculated, while many other taxpayers - middle- and low-income included - may have a more ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1fuzyH6

Governors report 'Obamacare' repeal complicated, if not impossible as millions gain coverage

Governors: 'Obamacare' here to stay

'Are they going to have to start over?' CBS' Bob...

... his state stands on implementing Obamacare. But Schieffer seemed more interested in complaining about the healthcare law itself. "One of the things that does not appear to work, or has had a hard time even getting off the - off the floor, getting ...

http://ift.tt/1e7L6Qz

Poor Floridians fall into Medical expansion gap

... Maryland.The US Supreme Court is expected to announce their decision on the US President Barack Obama's healthcare law on June 28. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages) MIAMI (AP) -- Roughly 1 ...

http://ift.tt/1cF9jwy

Governors: 'Obamacare' Here to Stay

Bitter Harvest

Organic farmers run afoul of Federal regulations: In 2010, after a years-long campaign, food-safety activists persuaded Congress to give the FDA authority to regulate farm practices.

http://ift.tt/1enyT5G

Governors battle over same issues as Washington: ObamaCare, jobs, wage hikes

The political divide over ObamaCare and other key issues appears just as wide among states as it does in Washington, as Republican and Democratic governors aired their differences this weekend in Washington.

http://ift.tt/1dkxqNV

Why Arizona matters

Will Arizona become the first state to actively allow discrimination by businesses on religious grounds? Why are so few people interested in what's happening there? Why have so few of you who got angry when the rest of us didn't change our social media profile pictures to the red equality square speaking out on their legislature's passage of a bill ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1enySPe

ron calderon 1

Ronald Calderon, a member of the California State Senate, has agreed to surrendered to federal authorities on Monday after being named in a federal grand jury indictment that accuses him of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in a FBI sting operation.

http://ift.tt/1gsFsXj

Capital News: Debate over Medicaid expansion continues at the Ohio Statehouse

It wasn't too long ago that Gov. John Kasich turned to the state Controlling Board to finalize an expansion of Medicaid eligibility, a move that drew heavy cheers and jeers from the two sides of that debate.

http://ift.tt/MPsCdc

Xtalks Life Sciences Webinar examines The Sunshine Act: CMS Mandatory...

Xtalks presents an exciting live webinar on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 2:00 pm EDT.

http://ift.tt/1d9CVyV

Granuflo Lawsuits Mount, as Claims Filed in Federal GranuFlo Recall...

The Firm is representing numerous individuals in GranuFlo lawsuits who allegedly suffered serious and potentially deadly heart events related to the 2012 GranuFlo and NaturaLyte recall.

http://ift.tt/1fbqbrg

Possible cuts to Medicare Advantage plans draw fire - ObamaCare...

The Obama administration announced Friday cuts were on the table next year for Medicare Advantage, giving new ammunition to critics of the president's health care law and disappointing some Democrats.

http://ift.tt/1jSLBhL

Injunction on N.C. vouchers is good move

Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood on Friday stopped the N.C. legislature from moving forward with a voucher program that diverts public funds to private schools.

http://ift.tt/1hcrVFk

Bloxom in the 100th

Voters in Accomack and Northampton counties and part of Norfolk will choose a delegate in a special election Tuesday to replace Lynwood Lewis in the 100th House District.

http://ift.tt/1paSBKK

Flood Law Group Now Available to Investigate GranuFlo Lawsuits

Flood Law Group today announced that they are now available to investigate lawsuits centered on claims of cardiac arrest and other heart complications suffered by dialysis patients due to GranuFlo, an acid concentrate used in hemodialysis.

http://ift.tt/OlZprc

Mother of abandoned child with Down syndrome had accepted, rejected help

Help was available to a Louisville mother accused of abandoning her 6-year-old daughter with Down syndrome.

http://ift.tt/1e5vZqV

Catching clots: Saving A-Fib patients

HEAD TO KSAT.COM TO READ THAT BLOG. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN APRIL. IN 2014 HALF A MILLION PEOPLE WILL BE TOLD THEY HAVE ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, IN SIMPLE TERMS, IT'S AN IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT.

http://ift.tt/1dhNLmG

In Brief: Infant toys recalled over choking risk

Toy maker Infantino is recalling 191,000 teething toys sold exclusively at Target because a child could potentially choke on one of its parts.

http://ift.tt/1dhNLms

Elder Law: Reviewing the costs of long-term care

Now that the average daily cost in Pennsylvania for nursing home care is at $288.21 a day and with the release by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the new spousal impoverishment amounts, this is a good time to review some of the basics as they relate to the medical assistance program for long-term care services in Pennsylvania.

http://ift.tt/1fbf0Pe

Hearing set to consider expanding Medicaid in N.H.

Paula Hancock isn't sure how the Affordable Care Act and a proposed expansion of the Medicaid health coverage program will work in New Hampshire.

http://ift.tt/1fbf0yJ

REVEALED: Obama's 'attack' on Medicare Part D

The Obama administration is launching an "attack" on the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs as part of Obamacare that will result in higher costs and less health care options for seniors, according to a U.S. House subcommittee.

http://ift.tt/1paGXQ0

Saturday, February 22, 2014

With skeptical voters, Democrats inch away from Obamacare

Mark Kentley is the kind of voter who will help decide the short-term political verdict on the new health care law known as Obamacare.

http://ift.tt/1hcd9y6

GOP highlights Affordable Care Act in weekly address

... left that running against the Affordable Care Act is the GOP's strategy in 2014, the president's signature healthcare law was again the message of the GOP's weekly address. In a message released Saturday, Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, slammed the ...

http://ift.tt/OocVuv

T for you?

A randomised trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010 raised concerns about giving testosterone to frail, elderly men.

http://ift.tt/1dhBAGo

Miss. NAACP presents its legislative priorities

Mississippi's NAACP President Derrick Johnson said, "We're following a pattern of the past and the past has created an opportunity for us to continue to rank at the bottom."

http://ift.tt/1frVi6z

Telehealth visits bring convenience, some worries

Dr. Emily H. Cooper is part of Sentara Family Medicine Physicians and participates in a service called MDLIVE.

http://ift.tt/1ehZ0ef

Even A River Of Lies Cannot Flow Uphill

Look: Progress is dead. The final piece of FDR's Second Bill of Rights arrived, and it was a river of lies, with headwaters in hell.

http://ift.tt/1dhkUPi

Uninsured trauma patients may get better hospital care

Lacking health insurance usually means getting worse health care, but that may not be true when it comes to a traumatic injury, a new study suggests.

http://ift.tt/1pa9JjS

Former office manager indicted for health care fraud

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Carter Stewart announced that the former office manager for the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky office of Compass Healthcare, Inc., has been charged with four counts of Health Care Fraud.

http://ift.tt/1ehROyE

Medicare Advantage plans may face cuts

The announcement gave new ammunition to Republican critics of President Barack Obama's health care law, while disappointing some Democratic senators who had called on the administration to hold rates steady.

http://ift.tt/1bXpyY7

Groups target youths for Obamacare enrollment

Hundreds of young adults are getting a lesson in health insurance from some unusual places: an Affordable Comedy Act show and slam poetry in Chicago, a local DJ in New Orleans and a bar crawl in Austin.

http://ift.tt/MOQwW1

FDA looks to reboot nonprescription drug system

The Food and Drug Administration is looking to revamp its system for regulating hundreds of over-the-counter drugs, saying the decades-old process is not flexible enough to keep pace with modern medical developments.

http://ift.tt/1jp3FAy

Medicare Advantage plans may face cuts

The politically dicey move affecting a private insurance alternative highly popular with seniors immediately touched off an election-year fight.

http://ift.tt/OocWyC

FDA pulls cigarette brand from stores

The Food and Drug Administration for the first time on Friday used its authority under a 2009 law to remove cigarettes from stores.

http://ift.tt/1jp3DbQ

For President Obama, a new sense of purpose in acting alone

This week, President Barack Obama promoted tougher fuel efficiency standards for trucks.

http://ift.tt/1dh2Gxo

Facts presented by Dexter cancer patient in anti-Obamacare ad inconsistent

The $750,000 anti-Obamacare ad launched this week in Michigan features Dexter's Julie Boonstra, a leukemia patient who received a cancellation notice last year from her health insurer.

http://ift.tt/1dh2FcE

Mich. House leader unveils auto insurance reform package

House Speaker Jase Bolger has unveiled a complex new auto insurance reform proposal that would put a $10-million cap on crash victim medical benefits and offer modest-cost, reduced-protection coverage for low-income residents.

http://ift.tt/1d78jy4

Michigan Senate OKs bill shifting $100M for snow removal

Potholes on southbound Greenfield between Eight and Nine Mile in Southfield have drivers slowing to 20 mph to avoid jarring impacts.

http://ift.tt/1ehIStm

Court Rules Against Notre Dame Over Birth Control

A federal appeals court has issued a ruling against the University of Notre Dame in a lawsuit over parts of the federal health care law that forces it to provide health insurance for students and employees that covers contraceptives.

http://ift.tt/1ehIV8z

White House pushes for black enrollees

The Obama administration is engaged in a 'final coordinated push' to enroll blacks in ObamaCare, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said Friday.

http://ift.tt/1frtvDg

Court: Notre Dame must adhere to ObamaCare birth control mandate

The University of Notre Dame must provide birth control to employees and students after a federal appeals court ruled Friday, a move the school says will force it to violate its religious beliefs.

http://ift.tt/1dgZWQB

The Saga of Edgewater Medical Center

Sitting between Hollywood and Edgewater on Ashland is a vacant decaying building.

http://ift.tt/MOJRev

Nugent Apologizes for 'Subhuman Mongrel' Remark 2/22/14

Ted Nugent has apologized for calling President Barack Obama a "subhuman mongrel," attempting to defuse a political flap engulfing Texas' governor's race.

http://ift.tt/Oo4pM1

Obama Admin Announces Cuts to Medicare Advantage

Cuts are on the table next year for Medicare Advantage plans, the Obama administration said Friday.

http://ift.tt/1hFPdXu

Experts increasingly contemplate end of smoking

Health officials have begun to predict the end of cigarette smoking in America. They have long wished for a cigarette-free America, but shied away from calling for smoking rates to fall to zero or near zero by any particular year.

http://ift.tt/1nX3gFu

Meth-making could get trickier

Pseudoephedrine is one of the key ingredients used to make methamphetamine, and Adair County Sheriff Robert Hardwick told KTVO he thinks a local ordinance limiting the purchase of over-the-counter medications containing the ingredient would go a long way toward pushing the meth problem out of our community.

http://ift.tt/1hbeSDO

Obama Seeks To Lower Medicare Payments To Insurers; Republicans Protest

Looking to squeeze the middle man, the Obama Administration on Friday proposed to cut payments next year to private health insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans by six to seven percent, a scheme Republicans said would only hurt the elderly and disabled.

http://ift.tt/1hbcUDG

Cuts may be in store for Medicare Advantage plans

Cuts are on the table next year for Medicare Advantage plans, the Obama administration said Friday.

http://ift.tt/1gYN1aL

Obamacare Spurring A New Generation Of Healthcare Startups

Editor's note: Beth Seidenberg, M.D. , is a general partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, focused on life science and digital health investing.

http://ift.tt/MjK48y

The GOP race to demonize Obama

... face such obstruction and disrespect. His accomplishments include: bailing out the auto industry; passing a healthcare law; putting an end to don't ask don't tell; implementing the Equal Pay Act; dismantling Al Qaeda, by eliminating its leader Osama ...

http://ift.tt/1hb8j4i

Planned FDA food safety rules rile organic farmers

A tense conversation followed as the visitor to his farm - an inspector from the Food and Drug Administration - warned him that some organic-growing techniques he had honed over four decades could soon be outlawed.

http://ift.tt/1dgHNSN

The race for 33rd Congressional District gets heated - and expensive

But the two Democrats in the race have pinpointed other issues - whether one candidate is a true Democrat and whether the other is an effective leader - that may garner more attention.

http://ift.tt/1p9lOpx

Republicans proopose Obamacare alternative

Even months after its implementation, President Obama's healthcare law continues to be a subject of debate and even controversy.

http://ift.tt/1j0kqSd

NASE Tax Filing Tips and Updates for 2013 Taxes

You can never be too prepared. Now is the time to start gathering your documents and ensuring you know the changes and new adjustments to the tax code As the American public and millions of small businesses prepare to file their 2013 tax returns, the National Association for the Self-Employed , the nation's leading advocate and resource for the ... (more)

http://ift.tt/1cqHZ4U

1 candidate in 12th district yet to file with FEC

All the major Democratic candidates running in the 12th Congressional District have filed with the Federal Election Commission.

http://ift.tt/1gYFV62

Medicare Advantage plans may face cuts

Cuts are on the table next year for Medicare Advantage plans, the Obama administration says.

http://ift.tt/MOr03k

Debt, deficits recede from political forefront

Just four years ago, deficits and debt were an explosive political combination, propelling Republicans to control of the House and fueling the budget fights that would ensue over the next three years.

http://ift.tt/1jWtRCh

Friday, February 21, 2014

State officials want electronic cigarettes regulated

Electronic cigarettes have gained popularity with people looking to stop smoking, but it's also a device for minors to gain access.

http://ift.tt/1jlYcud

FDA looks to reboot nonprescription drug system

Ex-Newton doctor pleads guilty to federal charges

A former Newton doctor has pleaded guilty to charges of health care fraud and illegally distributing a prescription drug resulting in death.

http://ift.tt/1buwP0K

Impasse over Arkansas Medicaid expansion drags on

Legislation continuing Arkansas' first-in-the-nation plan to use Medicaid funds to purchase insurance for the poor has failed before the state House for a fourth day in a row.

http://ift.tt/1p3sMMx

By Jonathan BernsteinFlorida Special Election Signals (Drumroll ...) Nothing

A Sink win would be proof the Democratic Party can survive an onslaught of Obamacare-related attacks in a moderate area by running a candidate without a congressional resume who doubles down on local issues.

http://ift.tt/MJo7Rn

Alphatec Postpones 2013 Results amid Court Loss

Holdings Inc. is delaying fourth-quarter financial results while it waits to see how lawsuit damages shake out for a company it acquired.

http://ift.tt/1p3sLbH

Yes, Obamacare Critics, Health Insurance Does Make You Healthier

Michael Barone and Charles Krauthammer have some medical advice for you: Don't get health insurance, they say.

http://ift.tt/1f5uGDJ

FDA punches BioMarin's 'golden ticket' for speedy drug review

Annabelle Bozarth started taking Vimizim, BioMarin Pharmaceutical's enzyme replacement therapy for MPS IVA, in a Phase III clinical trial.

http://ift.tt/1f5uEM9

CDC office manager asks to join whistle-blower suit

And she plans to accuse additional CDC officials - deputy director Christine Zukas and Office of Minority Health and Health Equity director Lisa Sockabasin - of rights violations.

http://ift.tt/1p3sKVb

Congress Inaction Prompts Obama To Act Alone

This week, President Barack Obama promoted tougher fuel efficiency standards for trucks.

http://ift.tt/1gTd2rL

FDA to Overhaul OTC Drug Rules

MNsure hits 100K enrollment milestone

MNsure said Friday the enrollment milestone is a good sign as the agency works to get people signed up under the federal health care law.

http://ift.tt/1gTcYYY

Four more cancers to be covered by insurance program for 9/11 first-responders

Fire trucks sit amid the rubble near the base of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

http://ift.tt/1cySEus

US to change nonprescription drug system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking to revamp its system for regulating hundreds of over-the-counter drugs, saying the decades-old process is not flexible enough to keep pace with modern medical developments.

http://ift.tt/1gTcYbu

Cantor releases House GOP agenda

... by accessing a quality education," Cantor wrote. One bill would repeal the provision in President Obama's healthcare law that defines a full-time worker as someone who works 30 hours a week. Republicans say the definition is causing businesses to ...

http://ift.tt/1bSSGj0

Facts presented by Dexter cancer patient in anti-Obamacare ad inconsistent

A new Americans for Prosperity television ad highlighting a Michigan cancer patient who is critical of Rep. Gary Peters is making representations that aren't consistent with what she told The Detroit News three weeks ago in an interview.

http://ift.tt/1jlSl8a

Pages

Web Stats Provided By Google Analytics

Friday, February 28, 2014

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Wednesday, February 26, 2014