CDC Ramps Up Production Of New Three-In-One Flu Vaccine
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Health officials say that there will be plenty of flu vaccine available this year, now that the H1N1 pandemic has ended, The Washington Post reports. "The World Health Organization declared an end to the pandemic last month, based on indications that the H1N1 flu was transitioning to a more seasonal virus...
State Roundup: Some Premiums Soar In Washington State; Building Boom For Denver Hospitals; Looking For Uninsured Kids
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:00:00 PDT

The Seattle Times: "Whopping rate increases are coming soon for many people with individual health-insurance policies. Most insurers offering individual policies in the state have asked for and been granted rate increases, effective Oct. 1, according to the state\'s insurance commissioner. Regence BlueShield\'s rate increase - an average 16.5 percent - was one of the highest...
Studies Examine Health Care Use, Quality
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 PDT

News outlets offered a variety of articles about health care use and quality. The New York Times: A new study finds "that more than half of the 354 million doctor visits made each year for acute medical care, like for fevers, stomachaches and coughs, are not with a patient\'s primary physician, and that more than a quarter take place in hospital emergency rooms...
Health Law Rollout Effects: Delivering \'Accountable\' Care, Device Tax, Nursing Mothers
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 PDT

Today\'s updates on the continuing implementation of the health law include Medicare chief Don Berwick\'s behind the scenes push for \'accountable care organizations,\' tax anxiety in the medical device industry, and the promise of new help for pregnant women...
Candidates Focus On Health Care Politics
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 PDT

As candidates ramped up campaigning over Labor Day weekend, news outlets examined the role of the new health law in the 2010 elections...
Sometimes A Hospital Stay Does Not Mean You\'re Admitted
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:00:00 PDT

This Kaiser Health News story by Susan Jaffe, produced in partnership with The Washington Post, looks at an increasing use of hospital observation care for Medicare beneficiaries rather than admission as an inpatient. "After Ann Callan, 85, fell and broke four ribs, she spent six days at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring...
Hospitals Hire To Keep Up With Growing Diversity, Tech Challenges
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:00:00 PDT

"As more immigrants crowd its waiting rooms, Elmhurst Hospital is joining a growing number of hospitals in New York and across the country that are going beyond hiring interpreters and offering translated paperwork and are adopting practices intended to improve care for an increasingly diverse patient population," The New York Times reports...
Myths, Controversy Surround Health Reform Law
Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:00:00 PDT

News outlets are following the politics and rhetoric surrounding the new health law. NPR reports on six myths perpetuated by some critics of the law. They include: the law helps President Barack Obama raise a private army and that those who want public coverage have to have a microchip implanted. That began with a provision in House-passed bill, which was not in the final bill...
Up To 5 Million Kids Uninsured But Eligible For Government Programs
Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:00:00 PDT

As many as 5 million uninsured kids are eligible for Medicaid or the Children\'s Health Insurance Program, according to a report published Friday in the journal Health Affairs, Reuters reports. "An estimated 7.3 million children were uninsured on an average day in 2008 and 65 percent of them were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage, the report said. ...
Research Roundup: Heart Disease And Disability; Medicaid And Health Reform, Mental Illness
Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:00:00 PDT

Urban Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Health Status Of New Medicaid Enrollees Under Health Reform - Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, authors of this paper found "strong evidence that those who will enroll [in Medicaid after 2014] are likely to be healthier than nondisabled adults currently enrolled in Medicaid ...