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Somatic Systems launches its second Clinical Somatics Professional Training Program

Somatic Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of a second Clinical Somatics Professional Training Program this year. The program will begin December 5, and feature a convenient, innovative modular format to accommodate a variety of professional schedules.

16 Sep 2009

American consumers largely unsure of their health benefit plans

A survey released today from Plan for Your Health, the health benefits public education program launched in September 2004 by Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA), found that less than 20 percent of insured adults surveyed consider themselves very knowledgeable about their health benefits plan.

16 Sep 2009

Majority of Americans believe that "side deals" are harming real healthcare reform

The Greenlining Institute (www.greenlining.org) today reacted to a survey conducted by the Lombardo Consulting Group which shows that Americans are losing confidence in the health care reform process (available here.) The national poll found that an overwhelming number of poll respondents believe that "side deals" between Washington decision makers and the pharmaceutical industry have "seriously compromised efforts to enact real reform of the health care system."

16 Sep 2009

Insurance and HMO interests fighting health care reform with huge money

A campaign finance watchdog's analysis of insurance and HMO political contributions and lobbying expenses found the industries spent $126,430,438 over the first half of 2009 and $585,725,712 over the past two and a half years to influence public policy and elected officials.

16 Sep 2009

Majority of liberals against healthcare coverage for illegal aliens

According to a nationwide poll of 600 self-identified liberals and progressives, a majority of liberals oppose extending taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal immigrants. The poll revealed that although liberals support a universal plan and agree with the President's handling of healthcare reform, many express concern that current proposals would extend healthcare coverage to illegal aliens and result in increased costs.

16 Sep 2009

State news round-up: Insurance coverage, infection reporting, immigrant health

News outlets report on a range of state health stories including infections in New Hampshire, children's insurance in Michigan, increased insurance coverage in North Carolina, immigrant health in Texas and long-term financial planning on Florida.

16 Sep 2009

Health care reform should include protections for retiree health care benefits

The executive director of a national retiree advocacy group has called proposals for nationalized health care (HR 3200) a "back-door bailout" that would enable companies to skip out on fiscal obligations to retirees and stick the taxpayers with the bill.

16 Sep 2009

Some Senate Dems voice concerns with Baucus bill

Sen. Max Baucus' pursuit of a bipartisan health care reform bill is being met with increasing skepticism from his own party.

16 Sep 2009

Public option politically charged on both sides of aisle

Alternatives to the government-run public option for health insurance are part of a long list of policy and politics considerations that officials are pondering in the run down to the final health care reform bill this week.

16 Sep 2009

Black patients less likely to survive cardiac arrests in hospitals

Black patients have lower rates of successful resuscitation and are less likely to survive an in-hospital cardiac arrest compared to white patients, according to a study in the Sept. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

16 Sep 2009

Primary care shortage could worsen under reform

The shortage of primary care physicians could prove a major challenge to health reform. To make matters worse, some doctors are considering early retirement because of the high cost of practicing medicine.

16 Sep 2009

Obama's malpractice proposal falls flat for GOP and Democratic contributors

Trial lawyers have used lobbying and fundraising clout to avert malpractice reform for decades, Politico reports. "Given that their political donations went overwhelmingly to Democrats — generally, by a 3-to-1 ratio — this should be a period of respite. But it won't be, now that President Barack Obama has injected tort reform into the health care reform debate" (Cummings, 9/15).

16 Sep 2009

Kaiser Permanente launches new state-of-the-art hospital in Downey

Kaiser Permanente has opened a new state-of-the-art 352-bed hospital in Downey, which will provide high-quality, personal, and affordable healthcare in Southeast Los Angeles County for many years into the future.

16 Sep 2009

Allied Healthcare secures contract to deliver home care services

Allied Healthcare International Inc. (AIM: AHI) (http://www.alliedhealthcare.com), a leading provider of flexible healthcare staffing services in the United Kingdom, has secured a three-year contract with the London Borough of Redbridge Council in the United Kingdom.

16 Sep 2009

President Obama urges labor support for health overhaul

The Washington Post reports that President Obama "urged the nation's largest labor federation... to get behind his proposal to overhaul the U.S. health-care system, saying that reform would help revive an economy that is still struggling with high unemployment."

16 Sep 2009

Compass Clinical Consulting website for hospitals and healthcare systems

Compass Clinical Consulting (http://www.compass-clinical.com) launched a new resource-rich, Web 2.0 website today: HOSPITALS 2.0

16 Sep 2009

U.N. General Assembly votes to create U.N. agency for women

After three years of negotiations, the U.N. General Assembly unanimously voted on Monday "to create a new, more powerful agency for women, in a move supporters hailed as a breakthrough for women's equality and rights," Reuters reports (Worsnip, 9/14). Last week, Cuba, Egypt, Iran and Sudan "mounted a last-minute campaign to delay ratification" (Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, 9/11).

16 Sep 2009

Medicaid expansions could spell trouble for states, Democrats in Congress

Rising health costs, growing numbers of Medicaid enrollees and the possibility of a new mandate to increase the income threshold to become eligible for the program are combining to put state's governors, as well as Democrats in Congress in sometimes awkward positions.

16 Sep 2009

New poll suggests Americans believe health reform could make problems worse

USA Today reports that a new polls suggests some Americans believe President Obama's efforts to overhaul the health care system could actually make the system's problems worse.

16 Sep 2009

House Democrats hold 'friendly' heartings in an effort to refocus health bill debate

House Democrats tried Tuesday to reframe the debate over health care legislation. Meanwhile, a key House committee chairman says that some of the president's proposals from last week's health care speech are complicating efforts to finalize House legislation.

16 Sep 2009