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First Edition: September 7, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Sarah Varney reports on California Gov. Jerry Brown, his absence from the Democratic convention and efforts to implement the health law: "California's Jerry Brown, the governor of the most populous state in the union, a state that has aggressively pushed ahead with the Affordable Care Act even when it wasn't the "in-thing," is sitting out this year's Democratic National Convention.

7 Sep 2012

Roundup: Flurry of health bills as Calif. legislature winds down; Kansas City health data exchange opens up

The window to save the Healthy Families program is narrowing to a small slit, with just a single day left to pass bills. ... Today -- until midnight tonight -- is the last day for legislation to be passed this year. The governor has until the end of September to veto or approve bills.

1 Sep 2012

Ga. Gov. signals willingness to discuss Medicaid expansion compromise

After the Georgia governor seemed to rule out Medicaid expansion in a convention speech, a spokesman qualified that it might change if the state had options not now on the table.

31 Aug 2012

Views on Medicare: Ryan plan could hurt disabled Americans; Pitting the poor against seniors

Opinion writers continue to look at the debate about Medicare as it becomes a focal point of the presidential election.

22 Aug 2012

Majority of Californians support health reform, Poll says; Gov. Brown plans special legislative session on health law

Californians support health reform, a new polls says, even as Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown seeks a special session from state lawmakers to deal with health reform issues, which he says can go no further without more federal guidance.

21 Aug 2012

Chicago, Blue Cross Blue Shield to team on health care fraud task force

Chicago officials are teaming up with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois on health care fraud detection and prevention. A task force will be made up of representatives of the city and the health insurer. Members will work to assess potential health care fraud and instances of wasteful spending.

15 Aug 2012

Health law critically important to women; Expanding Medicaid could spur state education cuts; Misuse of antipsychotics in dementia patients

If we can set aside the political wrangling and focus on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, what becomes obvious is its critically important impact on women's health. The fact is while women are the primary coordinators of health care for families and comprise the majority of U.S. health-care workers, they also put their own health-care needs behind those of their children. Cost is too often the reason.

13 Aug 2012

State roundup: Calif. officials near deal on workers' health costs

Hopes for a last-minute agreement to overhaul the state's $11-billion workers' compensation system are growing as the end of the 2012 legislative session approaches.

10 Aug 2012

GAO finds states need more HHS guidance on new Medicaid rules

The study of six states finds they want more help as they look to expand their programs under new rules in the health law.

7 Aug 2012

Concierge medicine buys patients more of doctors' time and attention

The Los Angeles Times reports that a growing number of California physicians are turning toward this type of practice.

30 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: AIDS spread in U.S. South; Abortion opponents battle in Ariz.; GOP's costly effort to kill health law

More than 30 years into the AIDS epidemic, a combination of safe-sex education and a new generation of pharmaceuticals has left many Americans convinced that HIV/AIDS is a problem that has been, if not solved, at least addressed. But that's certainly not true in the American South, which accounts for nearly 50% of all new HIV infections in the United States.

27 Jul 2012

Roundup: La. lawmakers angry they didn't get to decide on health cuts; New Jersey judges protect selves from health benefit cuts; Detailing Calif. health care budget struggles

Louisiana lawmakers bristled Monday about getting few details and no ability to decide the $523 million in budget cuts Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has made to health care programs, largely to LSU's safety net health care facilities. Several complained the governor's top leaders weren't explaining the gravity of the slashing and the implications on the LSU network of public hospitals and clinics that care for the poor and uninsured in a state where one in five residents don't have health insurance.

26 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Cutting health costs is next battle; Texas Medicaid chief on why expansion won't work; Grief, anger over end-of-life decision

No matter what happens to President Obama's health care reforms after the November elections, the disjointed, costly American health care system must find ways to slow the rate of spending while delivering quality care. There is widespread pessimism that anything much can be achieved quickly, but innovative solutions are emerging in unexpected places. A health care system owned and managed by Alaska's native people has achieved astonishing results in improving the health of its enrollees while cutting the costs of treating them.

24 Jul 2012

Egg allergy treatment for children: an interview with Dr Robert Wood

The tendency to get allergies is a fairly general one, which is mostly inherited – it tends to run in families. There are several foods that are most common for children to become allergic to: milk, egg and peanuts in most countries are the most common food allergies.

23 Jul 2012

IOM: Paying providers more in some parts of county won't solve access problems

In a new report, the Institute of Medicine concludes that raising Medicare reimbursements for some areas of the country will not necessarily address the physician shortage.

19 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: 'Tug of War' over Medicaid expansion; Bill Keller debunks 5 'Obamacare' myths

The new health care law's individual mandate -; the provision pushing people to buy insurance, and upheld last month by the Supreme Court -; has garnered huge attention. But about half the planned expansion of insurance coverage under the new law comes from another source entirely: growth of the Medicaid program. Yet Medicaid has never been especially popular, and when its expanded role becomes more widely understood, it is likely to become less popular still.

17 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Trouble keeping health costs down; Ignagni says law needs some revisions; Coverage is like clean water

Now that the Supreme Court has provided legal certainty on the recent healthcare reform law, the nation must turn its attention to affordability. While the law expands coverage to millions of Americans, a goal health plans have long supported, major provisions of the law need to be changed to avoid significant cost increases for consumers and employers.

12 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Obama's 'ideological gymnastics;' Health law's promise of mental health parity; Perry's 'platitudes' on care in Texas

Mitt Romney is under fire for flip-flopping when he declared that the individual mandate is a tax, after a campaign adviser said it was not. In a front-page story, the New York Times wrote that Romney's statement "prompted renewed criticism that he was willing to adjust his views for political expediency." Bill Burton of the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA opined on what he called "Romney's ideological gymnastics."

11 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Daschle says health law still has 4 hurdles; Commentators from states such as Calif., Texas and Florida wrestle with options

The GOP-controlled U.S. House plans to hold what can only be called symbolic votes on repealing the sweeping reforms they deride as "Obamacare." Meanwhile, at least 15 governors are said to be leaning toward refusing to expand state Medicaid programs -- a key part of the reform's strategy to provide some form of health insurance to the 32 million people now going without coverage.

10 Jul 2012

Safe optimal concentration of propolis against radiation-induced damage

Researchers determined the amount of propolis offering maximum protection against ionised radiations without being toxic to blood cells.

7 Jul 2012