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Medicaid reimbursements for emergency care for undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma increase 154% in three years

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority paid health care providers $9.7 million to treat 4,450 undocumented immigrants under Medicaid's Alien Emergency Services Program in the fiscal year that ended June 30, compared with $3.8 million to treat 2,054 people in 2003, the Daily Oklahoman reports.

24 Aug 2006

Medicare policy offering coverage for certain treatments to clinical trial participants examined

"Medicare's Requirement for Research Participation as a Condition of Coverage: Is it Ethical?" Journal of the American Medical Association.

24 Aug 2006

New Jersey Gov. Corzine signs bill to track company employees enrolled in public health insurance programs

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) this week signed a bill (S539) that will track how many employees at large companies are enrolled in the state's public health insurance programs, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

24 Aug 2006

Florida abortion provider Pendergraft appeals license suspension

Florida abortion provider James Pendergraft, whose license was suspended by the Florida Department of Health earlier this month, on Tuesday appealed the suspension to the 1st District Court in Tallahassee, the Orlando Sentinel reports (Shelton, Orlando Sentinel, 8/23).

24 Aug 2006

Studies examine effects of hospital closures, affordability of coverage

The authors recommend that low-cost, nonhospital-based preventive care be promoted to reduce patient deaths after hospital closures.

24 Aug 2006

Medicare to reduce payments to pharmacies making their own medications

Beginning in January 2007, CMS will make "significantly lower" Medicare payments to pharmacies that make compounded inhalation drugs for patients with respiratory needs, according to a letter sent on Tuesday from CMS Administrator Mark McClellan to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), USA Today reports.

24 Aug 2006

Health care proxy selections often unexpected

The selection of a designated health care "proxy" often is unexpected, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Detroit Free Press reports.

24 Aug 2006

Women's Health Network petitions FDA to halt sales of estrogen, testosterone combination treatments

The National Women's Health Network has petitioned FDA to stop sales of Solvay's Estratest and Breckenridge Pharmaceuticals' Syntest, which are estrogen-testosterone combination therapies used to treat menopause-associated hot flashes, until they are proven safe and effective, Reuters reports.

24 Aug 2006

Michigan Civil Rights Commission rules that small businesses must include birth control coverage

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission on Monday ruled that businesses that have fewer than 15 employees in the state and offer comprehensive prescription coverage to their employees must cover birth control prescriptions, the Detroit News reports.

24 Aug 2006

Procedures for obtaining release of H5N1 sequences to the public domain

Information on the gene sequences of H5N1 viruses is important for vaccine development, the preparation of reagents used for diagnostic purposes, and monitoring for drug-resistant strains.

24 Aug 2006

Bird flu detection information on wild birds now available online

The public can now view a Web site showing current information about wild bird sampling for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States.

24 Aug 2006

Lawsuit seeking to overturn FDA decision against prescription drug reimportation waiver dismissed

U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams in Greenbelt, Md., on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Montgomery County, Md., that sought to overturn an FDA decision not to approve a waiver for a program to allow county employees to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports (AP/Baltimore Sun, 8/24).

24 Aug 2006