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Roundup: Legislatures pressured on health cuts, malpractice laws; Mass. Blue Cross board salaries; pension costs

This week, the Assembly and Senate will debate the final package of budget reductions. Among the $6 billion in health-related cuts is the elimination of the Maddy Fund, a $55 million attempt to reimburse emergency departments for indigent care.

9 Mar 2011

Health law policy disputes central to congressional spending fight

As lawmakers tussle over how much spending should be cut in this year's budget, these key policy questions related to the health law and other regulatory issues are a flashpoint. In addition, House Republicans are stepping up their strategies to defund the overhaul.

9 Mar 2011

Sanfilippo syndrome compromises blood-brain barrier, leads to brain damage

A study into the effects of Sanfilippo Syndrome type B (MPS III B) has found that the barrier responsible for protecting the brain from the entry of harmful blood-borne substances is structurally and functionally damaged by the devastating disease. University of South Florida researchers identified damage in specific brain structures involved in the pathology of MPS III B, one of four Sanfilippo syndromes, all of which are inherited diseases of metabolism.

9 Mar 2011

Nursing professors to develop new device for older adults

For those of us living the frenetic modern lifestyle, sitting in one place for a long period might seem like a vacation. But for those who are retired, it can lead to health complications.

8 Mar 2011

AudioNova, Amplifon's hearing aid and audiology device drive European wholesale market

According to a new report by iData Research, the leading global authority in medical device and pharmaceutical market research, the retail European hearing aid and audiology device market was valued at over €3.8 billion in 2010, while the wholesale market was valued at almost €1.3 billion The retail market is expected to grow rapidly by 2017 due to aggressive growth strategies among local and international retail chains and the adoption of new technologies such as wireless Bluetooth hearing aids and receiver-in-canal models.

8 Mar 2011

Democrats may be giving up on medicare chief's confirmation

Senate Democrats have given up on confirming Don Berwick as CMS administrator in the wake of a letter from 42 Republican senators opposing the nomination, sources tell POLITICO. Citing the GOP letter, a person familiar with the situation said Senate Democrats and the White House "can do the arithmetic" and now see that there's no way for Berwick to get the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate.

8 Mar 2011

CPCHE launches multi-year project to promote healthier home energy retrofits

Home energy retrofits tackle climate change and when done right they should make homes healthier, while aiding families struggling with utility bills.

6 Mar 2011

Health care political battles tied to budget, insurance costs

"As Congress continues to debate the new health care law, health insurance costs are still rising, particularly for small businesses. Republicans are seizing on the trend as evidence that the new law includes expensive features that are driving up premiums. But the insurance industry says premiums are rising primarily because of the underlying cost of care and a growing demand for it. Across the country, premiums have more than doubled in the last decade, with smaller companies particularly hard hit in recent years, federal officials say".

6 Mar 2011

Two influential business groups back Crystal Lake hospital plan

Mercy Health System recently received the backing of two influential business groups that support the building of a new state-of-the-art hospital in Crystal Lake that will create jobs and spur economic growth.

5 Mar 2011

Sebelius, GOP face off at House hearing

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stuck to the usual talking points Wednesday as she appeared before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee in defense of implementation of the health law and the president's budget request for her agency. She also told Republicans that that there is no system by which Medicaid block grants can be created.

5 Mar 2011

Stakeholders say foreign aid cuts can damage global food security as FAO food price index reaches new high

Republicans' proposed foreign aid cuts could damage food security programs in the developing world and create social instability requiring U.S. military intervention, advocates and government officials said on Thursday at a Capitol Hill event addressing hunger and rising food prices, Agence France-Presse reports (Zeitvogel, 3/3).

5 Mar 2011

House Republicans continue budget assault on health law

Hearings are scheduled next week to develop legislation to make it possible to defund the health law by redesignating the related spending from "mandatory" to "discretionary."

5 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 4, 2011

In today's headlines, a Florida federal judge stays his own order regarding the health law, clearing the way for it's implementation -- for now -- but also making clear that the appeals process should move forward at an expedited rate.

4 Mar 2011

Endolymphatic sac shunt surgery improved hearing loss symptoms in flight attendant

When fluctuating hearing loss, with frequent bouts of nausea and vertigo caused New York flight attendant Patricia Gilbert to miss several work shifts, she sought answers from the medical community.

4 Mar 2011

Clinton, Kerry caution against FY11 foreign aid cuts at Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing

At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senate Foreign Relations Chair John Kerry "decried House GOP cuts to the foreign affairs budget," The Hill's "On The Money" blog reports.

4 Mar 2011

Governors' Medicaid, budget concerns trigger debate

As governors took to Capitol Hill this week to talk about their state budgets, Medicaid and the implementation of the health law, more attention was focused on the issues and cost estimates involved in the debate.

4 Mar 2011

Clinton defends State Department budget requests before House panel

In her testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday about President Barack Obama's FY12 budget request, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also defended the State Department's FY11 budget request, Bloomberg reports. Clinton said the proposed budget cuts for FY11 would be "devastating" to U.S. national security, and U.S. programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq would see "sharp reductions" if the proposed cuts are passed.

3 Mar 2011

EU's Avastin policy: A stark contrast to the FDA's recent decision

The committee's decision stands in stark contrast to the recent verdict by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is wary of Avastin's benefits for breast-cancer patients.

3 Mar 2011

Health law's coverage expansions tally $118 billion in state costs, Republicans say

House and Senate Republicans issued a report Tuesday in advance of a Capitol Hill hearing charging that the health law's expansion of Medicaid will come with a cost to states that is far more than congressional auditors estimated.

3 Mar 2011

Governors seek more help with Medicaid costs

At a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday, GOP governors reiterated complaints about the fiscal pressures imposed by Medicaid and said President Barack Obama's recent flexibility proposal would not address the burden created by the health law's Medicaid requirements. But Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the only Democrat to testify, saw the event as "an opportunity" rather than "an inquisition."

2 Mar 2011