Health Care Policy News

By JIM LANDERS and JASON ROBERSON / The Dallas Morning News jlanders@dallasnews.com jroberson@dallasnews.com North Texas medical, business and insurance executives met for the first time Monday and agreed that they must work together to lower costs and improve quality without waiting for Washington to act.

Published at www.nejm.org November 25, 2009 Taxing "Sin Foods" - Obesity Prevention and Public Health Policy As the United States struggles to combat obesity, some health policy experts have asserted that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda would lead to reduced consumption of sodas and increased consumption of more healthful beverages ...

Chiropractors and their supporters in the Legislature are again trying to increase the procedures they can perform -- and doing it in a stealthy way.

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice Also Included In: Smoking / Quit Smoking News outlets report on a health care lawsuit in Massachusetts, a tobacco tax in Colorado and health plan ratings in Utah.

As the health care battle rages on, one central question keeps popping up: How would legislation affect premiums paid by individuals and small businesses, two groups that currently face wildly unpredictable rate increases year to year? Republicans say premiums would go up, partly because of the possibility of new taxes on insurers.

This article originally appeared on The Media Consortium . Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is determined to get a healthcare bill passed in the Senate by Christmas.

Providing physicians with a computerized order entry/decision support system that provides immediate feedback regarding imaging appropriateness at the time of ordering may be an effective solution to managing imaging utilization, according to an article in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, . "Imaging exams are ...

US Taxpayers may be on the hook for the high cost of drug advertising that does little to boost sales, according to a new study led by a University of British Columbia health policy researcher.

Americans could pay billions of dollars more in new taxes for a few years before they're likely to see significant change in the nation's health care system under legislation that Congress is considering.

Thirty-two Colorado health-care providers who serve the uninsured are receiving $16,920,000 from a tobacco-tax surcharge, the state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing announced Tuesday.

Higher charges for medical services but lower drug prices is the goal for China's health care reform, the country's top planning body said on Monday.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Pamela Hyde as Administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within HHS.

The role of public hospitals in America has been remarkably consistent over the decades, in spite of health care policy debates, insurance trends and shifting medical advice.

Several newspapers recently published opinion pieces regarding Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment to the House health care reform bill .

According to breaking reports, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid claims that he has the 60 votes to move ahead on historic and terrible health care legislation that will destroy private health care in America.

Washington -- The Michigan Catholic Conference sent an action alert Friday urging supporters to contact their U.S. senators about a 'completely unacceptable' provision on abortion funding in the Senate health care bill, an indication of the intense interest in the high-stakes debate.

The uproar over new breast cancer screening guidelines in the United States underscores the delicate balance scientists and health policy experts face in trying to convince a wary American public that less healthcare, in some cases, may be good for them.

Effective smoking cessation efforts are under way for military members and veterans, but continued funding and better access is needed, panelists told lawmakers from the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues during a Wednesday briefing on tobacco use.

Shortly after my friend, Rachel Levy suggested I do an H1N1 Politiku, she began to blog about it herself.

The Republican National Committee told its members Wednesday night that it is reviewing its health insurance policy -- a move announced after POLITICO reported that RNC employees have abortion coverage through their current plan.