President Bush on Friday signed a $120 billion fiscal year 2007 supplemental appropriations bill (HR 2206) for military operations in Iraq that also includes funding for nonmilitary programs, such as SCHIP, the [click link for full article]
Presidential candidate and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday in Iowa City, Iowa, plans to announce a proposal that would expand health insurance to all U.S. residents by the end of his first term, the Des Moines Register reports (Clayworth [1], Des Moines Register, 5/29). [click link for full article]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued final recommendations to increase the supply of safe and effective influenza vaccines for both seasonal and pandemic use.
Federal regulators on Friday announced that Medicare planned to deny coverage of artificial disks implanted in the lower spines of beneficiaries older than age 60, the New York Times reports. [click link for full article]
Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses SCHIP funds included in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental war appropriations bill, House approval of veterans’ health care legislation and the introduction of bicameral measures that would provide funds for states to search for ways to settle medical malpractice suits in this week’s ” [click link for full article]
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Thursday said the department will allocate $195 million in a one-time round of grants to Gulf Coast health services, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. [click link for full article]
Millennium Research Group (MRG) has conducted a detailed analysis of the US video and high-tech device market in its US Markets for Video and High-Tech Hardware Devices 2007 report. The analysis reveals that capsule endoscopy is the fastest-growing segment of the market, with a compound annual growth rate set to reach approximately 50% over the next five years. [click link for full article]
Blue Cross of California, the state’s largest health insurer, has launched a media campaign opposing health care proposals by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and other state lawmakers that would require insurers to sell policies to all residents, regardless of health status, the [click link for full article]
The Board of Directors of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) today announced a new initiative to protect beneficiaries as they consider enrolling in the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs and ensure that brokers, agents and plan marketing staff meet new qualifications and requirements. The new initiative sets out responsibilities that go beyond existing guidelines and make clear that health plans are committed to giving Medicare beneficiaries peace of mind. [click link for full article]
In the midst of Disability Insurance Awareness Month, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) announced a new national education campaign to promote the need for disability income protection and highlight the value disability insurance provides for workers, employers, and taxpayers. [click link for full article]