Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
rubber dildos.
Popular Articles

Stem Cell Therapeutics Receives Clearance From Health Canada To Proceed With The Phase IIb Clinical Stroke Trial
Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS)("SCT" or "the Company") has received a No Objection Letter ("NOL") from Health Canada for the modified REGENESIS protocol using NTx®-265 for a Phase IIb clinical trial treating acute ischemic stroke.
diet pills
Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear!
We humans prefer to be addressed in our right ear and are more likely to perform a task when we receive the request in our right ear rather than our left. In a series of three studies, looking at ear preference in communication between humans, Dr. Luca Tommasi and Daniele Marzoli from the University "Gabriele d"Annunzio" in Chieti, Italy, show that a natural side bias, depending on hemispheric asymmetry in the brain, manifests itself in everyday human behavior. Their findings were just published online in Springer"s journal Naturwissenschaften.
News of the day
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries
"Blog Watch" offers readers a roundup of health policy-related blog posts.The blogosphere is buzzing about the GOP "alternative" health reform proposal from Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.), and Reps. Devin Nunes (Calif.) and Paul Ryan (Wis.). Known as the Patients" Choice Act (.pdf), it would create state-based private health insurance exchanges and provide U.S. residents tax credits to subsidize coverage premiums. Yuval Levin of conservative stalwart The Corner calls the plan "the best comprehensive health care proposal Republicans have produced to date, and shows that at least some in the party understand the need to engage the issue with a grasp of the differences between underlying problems (like cost control) and symptoms of those problems (like access to coverage), and with an actual appreciation for economic incentives and pressures." Marguerite Higgins of the Heritage Foundation"s The Foundry says the plan "features several important conservative principles for health care reform that would allow free-market solutions to take root in the broken U.S. health care system, and give patients more decision-making power with their health care dollars."But Michael Cannon of the libertarian Cato@Liberty blog says he is "troubled" by aspects of the plan that are "self-contradictory." He writes, "On the one hand, it lists "No Tax Increases" as a core concept. Do its authors not know that imposing price controls on health insurance premiums imposes a tax on healthier-than-average consumers? And where do they think the money for "risk-adjustment" payments will come from? Heaven?" The New Republic"s Jonathan Cohn seems to agree, saying, "The details are pretty unappealing, except where there are none; and the whole thing is presented as the antithesis of big government when, in fact, it too would require at least some government intervention." Overall Cohn thinks the plan indicates good news for Democrats, concluding, "Passage of a bill seems ever more likely, to the point where potential opponents feel they must offer alternatives that embrace some of the same concepts."The Washington Post"s Ezra Klein examines the structure of the plan, calling it "the bastard child of the Massachusetts health reforms and the McCain campaign proposal." He also seems to think it"s positive news for reformers, adding, "But it"s still a step forward for the Republican Party. It"s an admission that individuals can"t go it alone. That the state has a large and important regulatory role to play. The business model of insurers is not simply broken but actively cruel. A Republican Party that accepts the principles of this plan is a Republican Party that is much likelier to accept the principles of Obama"s eventual plan." He notes that GOP leadership was not involved in the proposal.Interesting elsewhere:
Diagnostics

Hospitals React To Proposal To Revamp Medicare Advisory Panel

In an effort to trim medical costs, President Barack Obama is trying to strengthen the role of an independent commission to determine how much Medicare pays doctors and hospitals. Kaiser Health News reports on the reaction of certain hospitals including many model systems that are critical of the commission: These facilities "pride themselves on holding down costs and improving quality and are fed up with how slowly Congress has moved to change the payment system." KHN reports that the hospital industry "said creating a super MedPAC would unfairly usurp legislative power" and "the Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents teaching hospitals, had a similar view." Meanwhile, "CHRISTUS Health, a Catholic health system with more than 50 hospitals largely in Texas and Louisiana, supports the Obama strategy." KHN reports: "Setting Medicare payment rates is traditionally a process filled with political squabbling as members of Congress look to protect dollars going to their local hospitals and doctors rather than promote fees and payment plans that drive efficiency in the health system. The Obama administration plan is to establish an agency called the Independent Medicare Advisory Council that would make recommendations on Medicare fees to the president. For Congress to overturn this council"s recommendations, lawmakers would have to pass a joint resolution within a month. It would work similarly to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, which was formed to reduce the political infighting involved in closing military bases" (Galewitz, 7/24). The Minnesota Post-Bulletin reports: "Mayo Clinic is finding health-care reform legislation in Washington easier to swallow now that some sugar has been added: The proposed creation of a council that would pay more for efficient, value-driven health care." The Mayo Clinic initially criticized the idea and signed a letter to Congress that expressed its "significant concerns" about health reform legislation because the plan was too similar to the Medicare system. However, Mayo changed its" stance and offered support for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council: "Mayo"s Health Policy Center released the statement on its blog Tuesday applauding the proposed creation of the IMAC that would move Medicare to a "value-based payment" model. One of Mayo"s complaints about health reform was that it didn"t sufficiently reward health providers such as Mayo that provide quality health care at a low price, instead rewarding those who order the most procedures" (Klein, 7/23). CNN reports on the pros and cons of such a commission, noting that "opponents view this proposal as "big brother" dictating medical treatment" (Bohn and Yellin, 7/23). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009