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Senate Democrats seek justification for Plan B decision

Thirteen Democrats and one independent expressed disappointment in Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' decision to block younger teenagers from buying the "Plan B" emergency contraceptive without a prescription. Meanwhile, a federal judge says he will review the decision.

15 Dec 2011

NHS whistle blowers need more protection

A consultant pediatrician who had come forth with concerns about a clinic where Baby Peter was treated days before his death has accused NHS managers of using employment laws to gag potential whistleblowers.

14 Dec 2011

Many parents do not think their teens are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss

National data demonstrate that 1 in 6 U.S. adolescents has high-frequency hearing loss. A new report from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health shows that many parents don't think their teens are at risk.

13 Dec 2011

Roundup: Iowans question Wellmark premium hikes; Fla. Medicare audit; Mich. nursing home scandals

The Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield vice president faced dozens of angry customers and tried to explain why the health insurer wants to increase their premiums by 9.4 percent. ... Barbed questions flew throughout the hearing before the state insurance commissioner, who will decide whether to grant Wellmark's proposed increase for 86,000 Iowans who buy their own insurance policies.

13 Dec 2011

State roundup: Consumers dispute Iowa rate hike; Wis. senior program extension?; Fla. criticized on nursing homes

California Pacific Medical Center, including its St. Luke's campus, is San Francisco's most profitable hospital, yet it spends proportionately far less on care for poor residents than other private nonprofit hospitals in the city, according to a new report.

9 Dec 2011

Increased sensitivity to low frequency vibration found in people with inherited hearing loss

People with a certain form of inherited hearing loss have increased sensitivity to low frequency vibration, according to a study by Professor Thomas Jentsch of the Leibniz-Institut f-r Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)/Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Professor Gary Lewin (MDC), conducted in cooperation with clinicians from Madrid, Spain and Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

9 Dec 2011

Holder rebuffs GOP efforts to probe Kagan's role

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. clashed with congressional Republicans on Thursday, defending the Justice Department in the face of criticism of its "Fast and Furious" gun-trafficking sting and its refusal to turn over documents on the health-care law adopted last year.

9 Dec 2011

FDA panel: Some birth control pills should carry stronger warning labels

An FDA panel decided Thursday that two popular birth control pills should come with stronger warning labels about the possibility of blood clots.

9 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 9, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include artilces about a new GOP tax plan that includes a Medicare pay fix for doctors and President Obama's support of a decision to keep the "Morning After Pill" from minors.

9 Dec 2011

Study: Hearing and sight are deeply intertwined

Our senses of sight and hearing work closely together, perhaps more than people realize, a new UCLA psychology study shows.

9 Dec 2011

House hearing on malaria progress, challenges

This post in the "Malaria Policy Center" blog describes a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, titled "Fighting Malaria: Progress and Challenges," that was held on Monday.

8 Dec 2011

Lawmakers debate value of cameras in the courtroom

A Democratic senator dismissed those fears Tuesday, saying cameras would not cheapen the high court's proceedings. "I'm trying to picture Ruth Bader Ginsburg turning into Judge Judy. I just don't think it's going to happen," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said during a hearing on the subject Tuesday.

8 Dec 2011

Consumer advocates, other watchdog groups urge congress to leave broker regs alone

The organizations want Congress to maintain the medical loss ratio rule's current classification of broker fees as administrative expenses. Also in the news, during a Tuesday hearing, House Republicans attacked the work of an economist Democrats have quoted in an argument related to the health law's tax credits.

8 Dec 2011

State roundup: Aetna suing over Mich. BCBS hospital deals; ACLU threatens Ohio abortion suit

The latest challenge was a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Detroit's federal court by insurance giant Aetna, one of the nation's largest health plans, with 35 million members. The suit alleges a violation of federal antitrust laws, claiming the Blues raised rates for Michigan consumers over the last four years and used the money to reward hospitals with higher payments if they charged Blues' competitors the same or higher rates.

8 Dec 2011

Senators say burden on Express Scripts and Medco to show merger would benefit consumers, competition

Sen. Herb Kohl on Tuesday told Express Scripts and Medco executives that the burden was "squarely" on them to show that their proposed $29 billion merger would benefit consumers and competition, not just the corporate bottom line.

8 Dec 2011

Senate hearing focuses on merger of two big drug benefit managers

Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions are seeking to combine operations, but some senators have raised concerns about the effect on consumers.

7 Dec 2011

Legislative update: A range of congressional health measures draw attention

New legislation was introduced to make drug price gouging a federal crime. Also, a measure is pending that seeks to make the upcoming Supreme Court term "must-see TV." The abortion battle will heat up again in a hearing scheduled today over the Prenatal NonDiscrimination Act.

7 Dec 2011

Fake, poor-quality drugs boosting malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia, U.S. experts say

"Fake or poor quality malaria drugs are boosting resistance in parts of southeast Asia, a problem that is likely to worsen unless tighter regulations are adopted, U.S. experts said Monday" at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, Agence France-Presse reports.

7 Dec 2011

Purdue, GE Healthcare and Notre Dame announce commercial availability of Veo CT scan

Demonstrating their shared legacy of innovative research and commitment to patient-centered medical technology, the University of Notre Dame, Purdue University and GE Healthcare have announced the commercial availability of a new CT scanning technology, called Veo-, that enables physicians to diagnose patients with high clarity images at previously-unattainable low radiation dose levels.

7 Dec 2011

Communication break down in warning parents about their overweight children

A new analysis of national survey data finds that less than one-quarter of parents of overweight children recall ever being told by a doctor or other health care provider that their children were overweight.

6 Dec 2011

Hearing News and Research

Senate Democrats seek justification for Plan B decision

NHS whistle blowers need more protection

Many parents do not think their teens are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss

Roundup: Iowans question Wellmark premium hikes; Fla. Medicare audit; Mich. nursing home scandals

State roundup: Consumers dispute Iowa rate hike; Wis. senior program extension?; Fla. criticized on nursing homes

Increased sensitivity to low frequency vibration found in people with inherited hearing loss

Holder rebuffs GOP efforts to probe Kagan's role

FDA panel: Some birth control pills should carry stronger warning labels

First Edition: December 9, 2011

Study: Hearing and sight are deeply intertwined

House hearing on malaria progress, challenges

Lawmakers debate value of cameras in the courtroom

Consumer advocates, other watchdog groups urge congress to leave broker regs alone

State roundup: Aetna suing over Mich. BCBS hospital deals; ACLU threatens Ohio abortion suit

Senators say burden on Express Scripts and Medco to show merger would benefit consumers, competition

Senate hearing focuses on merger of two big drug benefit managers

Legislative update: A range of congressional health measures draw attention

Fake, poor-quality drugs boosting malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia, U.S. experts say

Purdue, GE Healthcare and Notre Dame announce commercial availability of Veo CT scan

Communication break down in warning parents about their overweight children

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

Shaping the Future of Neuroscience: A Conversation with Atlas Antibodies on the MolBoolean™ and the Impact of SfN 2024

How the Arts Reshape Brain Function: Susan Magsamen on the Future of Neuroaesthetics

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