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Popular Articles

Transplant Drug Stimulates Immune Memory
Rapamycin, a drug given to transplant recipients to suppress their immune systems, has a paradoxical effect on cells responsible for immune memory, scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center have discovered.

Connecticut House Approves Two Health Insurance Pooling Bills
The Connecticut House on Wednesday approved two separate measures to expand health insurance pooling in the state, the Hartford Courant reports. The first measure would create a public health insurance pool open to all residents. The pool, intended to compete with rather than replace private insurance, would be based on the existing pool for state workers (Keating, Hartford Courant, 5/21). The bill will create a nine-member board of directors to investigate and recommend a plan to guarantee every resident health insurance. The bill also creates four committees that will work with the board and provide advice on electronic health records, medical homes, clinical care guidelines and preventive care. In addition, three task forces will examine obesity, tobacco use and care provider shortages (Stuart, CT News Junkie, 5/20).The cost of plan, known as SustiNet, could be a "sticking point" given the state"s $8.7 billion budget deficit over the next two years, the Courant reports The state Senate and Gov. Jodi Rell (R) will consider the plan next.The second measure would allow local governments, small businesses and not-for-profit groups join the state employee insurance plan. The bill would increase the current pool"s membership from 200,000 to an estimated 300,000. Juan Figueroa, a former state legislator and president of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, said, "Both of these plans reduce costs and increase choice. The partnership (pooling) bill has features that SustiNet can build on. The two bills fit hand in glove." Democrats said the second bill would utilize economies of scale to lower costs. Steve Fontana (D), co-chair of the State House Insurance and Real Estate Committee, said, "The larger the pool you have, ... you reduce the volatility and the risk associated with that pool."Opponents say the pooling measure would affect only those who already have coverage. According to House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, "This bill does not solve that problem. If you don"t have it now, you"re not going to have it because of this" (Keating, Hartford Courant, 5/21).
News of the day
Cancer Researchers Link DICER1 Gene Mutation To Rare Childhood Cancer
Research published recently in Science Express from the journal Science demonstrates the first definitive link between mutations in the gene DICER1 and cancer. By studying the patterns of DNA from 11 families with an unusual predisposition to the rare childhood lung cancer pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) investigators found that children with the cancer carried a mutation in one of their two DICER1 gene copies.
Health Insurance

A Selection Of Opinions And Editorials

The Elephant In The Room On Health Care Minneapolis Star Tribune Nearly 3.5 million Minnesota adults are uninsured for long-term care and supportive services, meaning that many of us cannot afford the cost of a longer life or long-term disabilities. Long-term care services and supports must be part of meaningful health care reform (Roberts, 7/7). Med School: What The 1965 Medicare Debate Can Teach Us About Health Slate Maybe the president should be paying more attention to the achievements of 1965, the year Medicare was passed with overwhelming support (Beam, 7/7). As Health Data Becomes Available, Patients Can Demand Better Care Dallas Morning News Light is starting to peek into the dark confusion of health care quality and costs (Landers, 7/7). Obamacare: Where"s The Innovation? Philadelphia Daily News Obama health-care reform promises to increase coverage, decrease costs and increase or maintain the quality of medicine we now have. No one else has been able to do this - and neither will he. His solutions aren"t new (Tremoglie, 7/8). Look Out, Baltimore, Health Care Reform Is On The Way Baltimore Sun Thanks to some of the highest bills and costliest care in the country, Baltimore"s medical industry has accounted for more than half the metro region"s job growth in the past five years. Health-care reform promises to stop all this, leaving Baltimore without an obvious engine to create employment (Hancock, 7/8). 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.


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