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First Edition: Jan. 2, 2014

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about what to expect of the health law in 2014.

2 Jan 2014

'Deluge' of signups reported by some state exchanges

A handful of states with relatively smoothly operating insurance websites have seen enrollment increases of 30 percent to 40 percent this week. But others, including Massachusetts, Maryland and Colorado, continue to experience political as well as technical challenges.

20 Dec 2013

State highlights: Va. governor-elect will keep Republican's health secretary; Ill. gov. shifts Medicaid contract to state employees

Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe will keep Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's health secretary on as his own, a choice that could help the new governor sell Medicaid expansion to wary Republicans but that also infuriates some abortion-rights activists. McAuliffe (D) will announce Wednesday that he will reappoint Dr. William A. Hazel Jr., an orthopaedic surgeon from Northern Virginia who served as secretary of health and human resources under McDonnell (R), two people familiar with the decision said (Vozzella, 12/17).

19 Dec 2013

Oticon Medical obtains FDA clearance to market Ponto Plus bone anchored sound processors

Oticon Medical has obtained 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market Ponto Plus, the company's newest family of bone anchored sound processors. New Ponto Plus is available in regular and power versions and is designed for use with Oticon Medical's proprietary OptiFit/OptiGrip implant design concepts that have also been cleared by the FDA for use in tissue-preserving surgery.

18 Dec 2013

Texas navigators in the hot seat during congressional 'field hearing'

After allegations of wrongdoing, a congressional hearing held Monday in Richardson, Texas, focused on the required training, and the lack of background checks and fingerprinting for those who were on the job.

17 Dec 2013

Report: Health law regs were delayed ahead of Obama's reelection

These rules, along with others related to the environment and worker safety, were delayed to avoid introducing contentious issues into the 2012 campaign, The Washington Post reports.

17 Dec 2013

U-M researchers report novel approach for treating tinnitus in humans

For tens of millions of Americans, there's no such thing as the sound of silence. Instead, even in a quiet room, they hear a constant ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming or other noise in their ears that isn't real. Called tinnitus, it can be debilitating and life-altering.

17 Dec 2013

Standardized research approaches needed for developing new treatments for neurofibromatosis

As potentially effective new treatments for neurofibromatosis (NF) are developed, standardized research approaches—including outcome measures specific to NF—are needed. The first report from the Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis (REiNS) International Collaboration has been published as a supplement to Neurology, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

13 Dec 2013

Sebelius: Enrollment numbers going up and website getting better, but a review will be launched over healthcare.gov launch problems

Just as the November enrollment figures were released, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified Wednesday before the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee where she was again grilled on the difficulties that have plagued the website's launch and other related issues.

13 Dec 2013

More outreach needed for family members who carry genetic risks of cancer

A study done by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center shows that many relatives of patients who undergo testing for a gene linked to breast and ovarian cancers misinterpret the results, and less than half of those who could benefit from genetic testing say they plan to get tested themselves-despite the fact that knowing your genetic status may help catch the disease in its earliest stages.

13 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 12, 2013

Today's headlines include ongoing coverage of the health law's implementation -- from details of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' Wednesday Capitol Hill appearance and more information about the most recent enrollment numbers to analysis of policy issues related to the overhaul.

12 Dec 2013

Sebelius orders probe of botched website rollout

As Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius headed to Capitol Hill to testify, she announced several steps to address the healthcare.gov disaster, including asking the department's inspector general to review the management decisions behind the rollout and pledging to implement his recommendations.

12 Dec 2013

Crealta to acquire all assets of Savient Pharmaceuticals

Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Savient") announced that it has reached agreement on the terms of an acquisition agreement with Crealta Pharmaceuticals LLC ("Crealta") through which Crealta would acquire substantially all of the assets of Savient, including all KRYSTEXXA® assets, for gross proceeds of approximately $120.4 million.

11 Dec 2013

Study reveals that women are under-represented within the academic publishing system

After reviewing the authorship of 5.4 million peer-reviewed articles, University of Montreal information scientist Prof Vincent Larivière and colleagues from UQAM and University of Indiana have established that women are seriously under-represented within the academic publishing system.

11 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health law problems plague Calif. too; Obamacare redistribution is from lucky to unlucky; FDA crackdown on genetic testing

While politicians in Washington are hailing California's exchange as proof of the law's success, voters in California don't seem to agree-;and it's not hard to understand why. Policies for about 900,000 Californians are being cancelled because they don't meet the law's benefit mandates.

11 Dec 2013

Simple and affordable hearing aids for children

Norwegian researchers are developing a simple and cheap hearing aid that can be adapted to compensate for a child's hearing loss without the need for specialists. The aim is to help more people in the third world.

11 Dec 2013

Private contractors who worked in conflict environments struggle from depression, PTSD

Private contractors who worked in Iraq, Afghanistan or other conflict environments over the past two years report suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression more often than military personnel who served in recent conflicts, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

10 Dec 2013

Shifts in zinc's location could be exploited for early diagnosis of prostate cancer

Zinc, an essential nutrient, is found in every tissue in the body. The vast majority of the metal ion is tightly bound to proteins, helping them to perform biological reactions. Tiny amounts of zinc, however, are only loosely bound, or "mobile," and thought to be critical for proper function in organs such as the brain, pancreas, and prostate gland. Yet the exact roles the ion plays in biological systems are unknown.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers may have figured out ways to attack Meniere's disease

Researchers at University of Colorado School of Medicine may have figured out what causes Meniere's disease and how to attack it. According to Carol Foster, MD, from the department of otolaryngology and Robert Breeze, MD, a neurosurgeon, there is a strong association between Meniere's disease and conditions involving temporary low blood flow in the brain such as migraine headaches.

7 Dec 2013

Hopes dim for Medicare doctor payment fix this year, short-term 'patch' is likely

Lawmakers are proposing another "patch" to temporarily fix the "Sustainable Growth Rate," while a permanent fix is being readied in Senate and House committees.

6 Dec 2013

Hearing News and Research

First Edition: Jan. 2, 2014

'Deluge' of signups reported by some state exchanges

State highlights: Va. governor-elect will keep Republican's health secretary; Ill. gov. shifts Medicaid contract to state employees

Oticon Medical obtains FDA clearance to market Ponto Plus bone anchored sound processors

Texas navigators in the hot seat during congressional 'field hearing'

Report: Health law regs were delayed ahead of Obama's reelection

U-M researchers report novel approach for treating tinnitus in humans

Standardized research approaches needed for developing new treatments for neurofibromatosis

Sebelius: Enrollment numbers going up and website getting better, but a review will be launched over healthcare.gov launch problems

More outreach needed for family members who carry genetic risks of cancer

First Edition: December 12, 2013

Sebelius orders probe of botched website rollout

Crealta to acquire all assets of Savient Pharmaceuticals

Study reveals that women are under-represented within the academic publishing system

Viewpoints: Health law problems plague Calif. too; Obamacare redistribution is from lucky to unlucky; FDA crackdown on genetic testing

Simple and affordable hearing aids for children

Private contractors who worked in conflict environments struggle from depression, PTSD

Shifts in zinc's location could be exploited for early diagnosis of prostate cancer

Researchers may have figured out ways to attack Meniere's disease

Hopes dim for Medicare doctor payment fix this year, short-term 'patch' is likely

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