Sunday, December 30, 2012

Fiscal Talks Resume With Deadline in Mind - NYTimes.com

Fiscal Talks Resume With Deadline in Mind - NYTimes.com

Survival of 'Obamacare' Tops List of Biggest Health News in 2012

Survival of 'Obamacare' Tops List of Biggest Health News in 2012

Dads lead fight to ban synthetic pot in Ga. - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Dads lead fight to ban synthetic pot in Ga. - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Businesses come face-to-face with health care law | www.ajc.com

Businesses come face-to-face with health care law | www.ajc.com

‘Child-only’ policies returning to Georgia in 2013 | Georgia Health News

‘Child-only’ policies returning to Georgia in 2013 | Georgia Health News

Celiac 'Epidemics' Link To Infections Early In Life - Results Highlight The Importance Of Breast Feeding

Celiac 'Epidemics' Link To Infections Early In Life - Results Highlight The Importance Of Breast Feeding

Celiac 'Epidemics' Link To Infections Early In Life - Results Highlight The Importance Of Breast Feeding

Celiac 'Epidemics' Link To Infections Early In Life - Results Highlight The Importance Of Breast Feeding

‘Child-only’ policies returning to Georgia in 2013 | Georgia Health News

‘Child-only’ policies returning to Georgia in 2013 | Georgia Health News

Dads lead fight to ban synthetic pot in Ga. - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Dads lead fight to ban synthetic pot in Ga. - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Businesses come face-to-face with health care law | www.ajc.com

Businesses come face-to-face with health care law | www.ajc.com

Varizig Approved to Treat Chickenpox Symptoms

Varizig Approved to Treat Chickenpox Symptoms

Survival of 'Obamacare' Tops List of Biggest Health News in 2012

Survival of 'Obamacare' Tops List of Biggest Health News in 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Physicians push for full Medicaid expansion after HHS all-or-nothing stance - amednews.com

Physicians push for full Medicaid expansion after HHS all-or-nothing stance - amednews.com

Telemedicine vital to rural Georgia future

Albany Herald | Telemedicine vital to rural Georgia future

CHOA North Pole Visit

North Pole visit - YouTube

Some Kids Abusing Common Baking Ingredients

Some Kids Abusing Common Baking Ingredients

Overweight Teens Report High Rates of Bullying, Teasing

Overweight Teens Report High Rates of Bullying, Teasing

Oxygen Treatment May Improve the Odds for Extreme Preemies

Oxygen Treatment May Improve the Odds for Extreme Preemies

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Marijuana use is up among teens, according to the annual Monitoring the Future survey - latimes.com

Marijuana use is up among teens, according to the annual Monitoring the Future survey - latimes.com

State gets (smaller) bonus for kids’ enrollment | Georgia Health News

State gets (smaller) bonus for kids’ enrollment | Georgia Health News

Threading the Needle — Medicaid and the 113th Congress — NEJM

Threading the Needle — Medicaid and the 113th Congress — NEJM

Secondhand Smoke in Pregnancy Tied to Behavior Woes in Kids

Secondhand Smoke in Pregnancy Tied to Behavior Woes in Kids

Medicaid Expansion Opt-Outs and Uncompensated Care — NEJM

Medicaid Expansion Opt-Outs and Uncompensated Care — NEJM

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Speed Bumps May Aid Appendicitis Diagnosis

Speed Bumps May Aid Appendicitis Diagnosis

Veggies and Cheese as Filling as Chips For Kids, With Fewer Calories

Veggies and Cheese as Filling as Chips For Kids, With Fewer Calories

Survival Tripled for Hospitalized U.S. Kids With Cardiac Arrest

Survival Tripled for Hospitalized U.S. Kids With Cardiac Arrest

Is the Mental Health System Failing Troubled Kids?

Is the Mental Health System Failing Troubled Kids?

Ten Ways Patients Get Better Medical Treatment - WSJ.com

Ten Ways Patients Get Better Medical Treatment - WSJ.com

Ten Ways Patients Get Better Medical Treatment - WSJ.com

Ten Ways Patients Get Better Medical Treatment - WSJ.com

Temporary pay hike for Medicaid doctors is also boon for patients | Georgia Health News

Temporary pay hike for Medicaid doctors is also boon for patients | Georgia Health News

Monday, December 17, 2012

Keep Tots' Milk to 2 Cups a Day: Study

Keep Tots' Milk to 2 Cups a Day: Study

Having Babies Sit Up May Help Them Learn

Having Babies Sit Up May Help Them Learn

Fewer Children Injured From Swallowing Caustic Chemicals: Study

Fewer Children Injured From Swallowing Caustic Chemicals: Study

Advanced Imaging Techniques To Monitor Recovery Following Pediatric Concussions

Advanced Imaging Techniques To Monitor Recovery Following Pediatric Concussions

Physician Groups Rank UnitedHealthcare Last Again

Physician Groups Rank UnitedHealthcare Last Again

Increased Risk Throughout Life For Esophageal Inflammation, Cancer In Children Born Prematurely

Increased Risk Throughout Life For Esophageal Inflammation, Cancer In Children Born Prematurely

Unusual partnership supports child health | Georgia Health News

Unusual partnership supports child health | Georgia Health News

Health Law Could Help Low-Income Mothers With Depression – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Health Law Could Help Low-Income Mothers With Depression – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Facing Deadline, Most States Say No To Running Their Own Insurance Exchanges – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Facing Deadline, Most States Say No To Running Their Own Insurance Exchanges – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Sunday, December 16, 2012

California may cut state Medicaid reimbursement rates: court | Reuters

California may cut state Medicaid reimbursement rates: court | Reuters

Infants With Colic May Benefit From Manipulative Therapies

Infants With Colic May Benefit From Manipulative Therapies

Rise in Health Insurance Costs Outpacing Income Growth, Report Finds



Rise in Health Insurance Costs Outpacing Income Growth, Report Finds
Wednesday, December 12, 2012  California Healthline

Growth in employees' health insurance premium costs outpaced growth in income in all 50 states from 2003 to 2011, while deductibles nearlydoubled during that period, according to a new report released by the Commonwealth Fund, Modern Healthcare reports.

The report, which aimed to better understand the financial strain on households and business budgets from the nation's rising health care costs, found that:
  • A worker spent an average of $3,962 on premiums for employer-based family health coverage in 2011, an increase of 74% from 2003;
  • The average premium for a family plan in 2011 was $15,022, up 62% from 2003;
  • Seventy-eight percent of insured workers had deductibles in 2011, compared with 52% in 2003;
  • The average deductible for an individual health plan in 2011 was $1,123, an increase of 117% from 2003; and
  • The average deductible for a family plan in 2011 was $2,220, an increase of 106% from 2003 (Evans, Modern Healthcare, 12/12).

Premiums increased three times faster than incomes for workers in New MexicoSouth Carolina and West Virginia, where the premiums exceeded 25% of median wages, the report found.

The report warns that average family premium rates could reach $25,000 by 2020 if premiums continue to climb at the current rate.

ACA Provisions' Effect on Costs
Cathy Schoen -- senior vice president for policy, research and evaluation at the Commonwealth Fund, and an author of the report -- credited mechanisms in the ACA that have "begun to lay the groundwork to address costs and provide a platform for further action."

The report cited the law's medical-loss ratio regulations, the Medicaid expansion, the creation of health insurance exchanges, rules prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions and new payment incentives as examples of changes that could help lower premiums.
However, Robert Zirkelbach -- a spokesperson for America's Health Insurance Plans -- said that new taxes on insurers and minimum coverage requirements outlined in the ACA could drive up premiums. He added that the MLR provision is forcing insurers to scale back on non-medical coverage-related programs, such as accountable care organizations or health information technology investments.
Schoen acknowledged that efforts to contain health care costs will require action beyond the provisions in the ACA. "We need to take a marketwide approach that examines and focuses on the prices that being charge for care," she said (McGlade, CQ HealthBeat, 12/12).


Childhood Obesity and the Medicaid Squeeze


Childhood Obesity and the Medicaid Squeeze
POSTED BY MARK FUNKHOUSER | DECEMBER 13, 2012  GOVERNING MAGAZINE

As every governor knows, the growth in Medicaid spending is one of the major threats to states' fiscal sustainability. Medicaid currently consumes 24 percent of total states' funds. Spending on the program has grown at an annual average rate of 7.2 percent over the past decade, and that growth rate is projected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to increase to 8.1 percent in the current decade. The cost of Medicaid now exceeds that of K-12 education as the largest area of state spending and is beginning to squeeze out other programs.

Getting Medicaid spending under control might seem to be a hopeless goal, but it isn't hopeless at all. The single most effective strategy would be to return childhood obesity rates to their historic levels, and there are encouraging developments in places as diverse as New York City and Mississippi.

That positive news couldn't be coming at a better time. As the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have reported, childhood obesity rates have essentially tripled in the past 30 years, from 6.5 percent in 1980 for children ages 6 to 11 to 19.6 percent in 2008. For teens ages 12 to 18, the obesity rate climbed from 5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2010.

The impact of those numbers on health-care costs are clear. Laura Segal, writing on the Trust for America's Health website, reports that being obese puts a person "at increased risk for more than 20 major diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease." Alvin Powell, writing in the Harvard Gazette, notes that diabetes cases essentially have doubled in the last 20 years and that diabetes "is the nation's seventh-leading cause of death and a prime cause of kidney failure, blindness, nontraumatic limb amputations, heart disease, and stroke." Twenty-six million Americans had diabetes in 2010, and direct and indirect costs came to $174 billion, Powell reports.

Poor kids are more likely to be obese and more likely to be on Medicaid, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes among children, which used to be rare, now is on the rise. Moreover, a recent study shows that the disease progresses more rapidly in children than in adults and is harder to treat. "It's frightening how severe this metabolic disease is in children," David M. Nathan, an author of the study and director of the diabetes center at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the New York Times. "It's really got a hold on them, and it's hard to turn around."

So it's encouraging that the rate of increase in childhood obesity has leveled off in recent years and in some jurisdictions is even showing declines. Between the 2006-07 and 2010-11 school years, for example, New York City saw a 5.5 percent decline in the obesity rate among children in grades K-8. Philadelphia not only achieved an overall decline in obesity rates among K-12 students, but also reported the largest declines among African-American males and Hispanic females, two groups with disproportionately higher obesity rates.

Mississippi, which has the highest rate of obesity of any state, showed the greatest percentage decline, according to a recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: In the spring of 2005, 43 percent of Mississippi children in grades K-5 were obese. By the spring of 2011, the rate had declined to 37.3 percent, a drop of 13.3 percent. There are likely to be many reasons for this decline, but the Healthy Students Act of 2007, which required Mississippi's public schools to provide more time for physical activity, offer healthier foods and beverages, and develop health-education programs, appears to have played a role.

Governors, mayors and other policy makers who've been looking at programs like first lady Michele Obama's Let's Move! initiative as little more than a feel-good kind of thing ought to give those programs a second look. There isn't any good reason why we couldn't bring childhood obesity back to the where it was in 1980, and doing so would be a lot more effective in reducing Medicaid and other public health-care costs than tinkering with provider rates and eligibility structures.

There are dozens of organizations and efforts focused on this issue, and real progress will probably take an "all-of-the-above" sort of strategy. Once people see the connections and the implications, getting them on board ought be as easy as child's play or as simple as a brisk, invigorating walk in the park.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Just A Spoonful: Sweet Taste Comforts Babies During Injections

Just A Spoonful: Sweet Taste Comforts Babies During Injections

Study Suggests An Inadequate Immune Response In Children With RSV Is Directly Associated With The Severity Of The Disease

Study Suggests An Inadequate Immune Response In Children With RSV Is Directly Associated With The Severity Of The Disease

Medicaid primary care pay at risk in lame-duck talks - amednews.com

Medicaid primary care pay at risk in lame-duck talks - amednews.com

2-Year Period After Parent's Suicide Try Most Risky for Children: Study

2-Year Period After Parent's Suicide Try Most Risky for Children: Study

Child Abuse in U.S. Declines for 5th Straight Year

Child Abuse in U.S. Declines for 5th Straight Year

Georgia inches up in health rankings

Georgia inches up in health rankings

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Mothers' Pre-Pregnancy Weight Tied to Kids' IQ, Study Says

Mothers' Pre-Pregnancy Weight Tied to Kids' IQ, Study Says

Commentary: Medicaid expansion needed | Georgia Health News

Commentary: Medicaid expansion needed | Georgia Health News

Health rankings: USA is living longer, but sicker

Health rankings: USA is living longer, but sicker

WebMD to cut 62 jobs in metro Atlanta | www.ajc.com

WebMD to cut 62 jobs in metro Atlanta | www.ajc.com

Governor Nathan Deal warns Georgia legislators there will be no money for new initiatives | jacksonville.com

Governor Nathan Deal warns Georgia legislators there will be no money for new initiatives | jacksonville.com

Congressional Democrats Warn Against Medicaid Cuts





Congressional Democrats Warn Against Medicaid Cuts
By Rebecca Adams, CQ HealthBeat Associate Editor

Some Democratic senators and congressmen said Tuesday that they would not support a budget-reducing deal that cut Medicaid, even as one leading House Democrat acknowledged that the party will probably have to accept Medicare cuts.

“Whatever they’re talking about with Medicare, maybe there are some things we can live with,” Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif, said at a Capitol Hill event organized by consumer advocacy and union groups such as the Service Employees International Union and Families USA. “But we cannot live with any cuts in Medicaid.”

But when asked about several specific Medicare proposals that are said to be under consideration in the fiscal cliff and beyond talks — including further efforts to charge wealthier seniors more for their coverage, changes to Medigap supplemental insurance, additional cuts to providers and raising the eligibility age of Medicare — Waxman declined to endorse them.

Waxman singled out two significant Medicaid provisions gaining traction as cause for concern. He said that in order to stave off an approximately 27 percent cut in Medicare payments for physicians that is scheduled to hit in January, many Republicans are floating the idea of blocking a temporary Medicaid rate increase for physicians. In 2013 and 2014, primary care physicians are set to receive the same rates for Medicaid patients as Medicare patients. The provision was put in the 2010 health care law to address concerns that Medicare traditionally pays higher rates and primary care doctors will be needed to handle the expected influx of Medicaid patients that will join the system in 2014.
Waxman also criticized the idea of setting a per capita grant for each state participating in Medicaid, a variation on the GOP block grant idea that he said “some in our party” are floating as a way to reduce the costs of the program.

House Republicans would like to cut $600 billion over a decade from Medicare, Medicaid and other health programs.

Other Medicaid reductions that have been suggested include ratcheting down the amount of money that states can draw down in higher federal matching rates through taxes on providers, reduced funding for durable medical equipment like wheelchairs and savings in care for people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

The Obama administration has been amenable to some of those proposals, such as lowered provider taxes, but in recent days it has backed away from some ideas it previously proposed for cutting Medicaid. For instance, President Barack Obama previously had proposed blending the various rates for Medicaid. But on Monday, administration officials said they no longer back that idea.
The three congressmen and six senators at the event repeatedly voiced concern that Medicaid cuts would be exchanged for tax increases on the wealthy, under the logic that if the higher-income taxpayers take a hit, then lower-income should too. But the lawmakers said their key message was “hands off Medicaid.”

“In many cases, our votes are at stake,” said Sen. John D. Rockefeller, IV, D-W.Va.
The lawmakers included several high-ranking members of committees overseeing health issues, including Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa and many of his panel members and House Budget Committee ranking Democrat Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. “Any cut in Medicaid, any cut, will be felt by our most vulnerable,” said Van Hollen.
After the press conference, Waxman said that any changes to Medicaid would indicate to governors who are weighing whether to expand their programs in 2014 that the federal government is not a trustworthy partner. The overhaul law promises that the federal government will pay all the costs in the first three years for newly-eligible people if a state expands its program and even in after that full funding phases out, the match will not go below 90 percent. “If you start changing the Medicaid program this year, then all the governors will say, ‘Well, if they change it now, maybe they’ll change it later.’ So they might want to hold back on moving forward with the Affordable Care Act,” said Waxman. “I think the administration understands the importance of Medicaid as a program to help the most vulnerable and as an essential component for the success of the Affordable Care Act.”

Monday, December 10, 2012

Oxygen Deprivation in the Womb May Raise ADHD Risk

Oxygen Deprivation in the Womb May Raise ADHD Risk

Could Kids' Salt Intake Affect Their Weight?

Could Kids' Salt Intake Affect Their Weight?

Fit Kids Finish First In The Classroom

Fit Kids Finish First In The Classroom

Chambliss: President to get 'his way' on fiscal cliff | The Augusta Chronicle

Chambliss: President to get 'his way' on fiscal cliff | The Augusta Chronicle

Alcohol and youth: An unhealthy mix | Georgia Health News

Alcohol and youth: An unhealthy mix | Georgia Health News

The secret to a longer life? Children | www.ajc.com

The secret to a longer life? Children | www.ajc.com

Hospitals expected to benefit two ways from Medicaid expansion - amednews.com

Hospitals expected to benefit two ways from Medicaid expansion - amednews.com

CDC warns of early start to the flu season | www.ajc.com

CDC warns of early start to the flu season | www.ajc.com

Georgia agencies, school districts brace for fiscal cliff | www.ajc.com

Georgia agencies, school districts brace for fiscal cliff | www.ajc.com

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Pro & Con: Should Georgia expand Medicaid to cover uninsured? | www.ajc.com

Pro & Con: Should Georgia expand Medicaid to cover uninsured? | www.ajc.com

Pediatricians: EHRs lacking in 5 main functions - amednews.com

Pediatricians: EHRs lacking in 5 main functions - amednews.com

Poor Diet During Pregnancy Predisposes Baby To Diabetes

Poor Diet During Pregnancy Predisposes Baby To Diabetes

New Genetic Testing Reveals More Prenatal Abnormalities

New Genetic Testing Reveals More Prenatal Abnormalities

Can Teens' Lack of Sleep Lead to Diabetes?

Can Teens' Lack of Sleep Lead to Diabetes?

Solving problems requires focus on fixes: Opposition to health care law in Georgia and elsewhere won’t help the 1 in 5 Georgians who lack insurance | Atlanta Forward

Solving problems requires focus on fixes: Opposition to health care law in Georgia and elsewhere won’t help the 1 in 5 Georgians who lack insurance | Atlanta Forward

Thursday, December 6, 2012

A Blood Test for Autism? | TIME.com

A Blood Test for Autism? | TIME.com

Early flu season hitting some midstate schools | Education | Macon.com

Early flu season hitting some midstate schools | Education | Macon.com

Defeat on provider fee could gut hospitals’ finances | Georgia Health News

Defeat on provider fee could gut hospitals’ finances | Georgia Health News

Hospitals consider benefits, costs of child life specialists - FierceHealthcare

Hospitals consider benefits, costs of child life specialists - FierceHealthcare

Kids May Be at Slightly Higher Asthma Risk If Parents Had Infertility Treatments

Kids May Be at Slightly Higher Asthma Risk If Parents Had Infertility Treatments

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

KHN Changes How It Describes Medicaid Eligibility Level Under Health Law – Capsules - The KHN Blog

KHN Changes How It Describes Medicaid Eligibility Level Under Health Law – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Study Foresees Shortage of Primary-Care Doctors

Study Foresees Shortage of Primary-Care Doctors

Azziz announces job cuts at GHSU | The Augusta Chronicle

Azziz announces job cuts at GHSU | The Augusta Chronicle

Use Social Media to Fight Childhood Obesity, Heart Experts Say

Use Social Media to Fight Childhood Obesity, Heart Experts Say

Gov. Deal Looking For Consensus on Critical Revenue Stream for Poor Patients | WABE 90.1 FM

Gov. Deal Looking For Consensus on Critical Revenue Stream for Poor Patients | WABE 90.1 FM

Doctors Who Work for Hospitals Face a New Bottom Line - NYTimes.com

Doctors Who Work for Hospitals Face a New Bottom Line - NYTimes.com

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

RN-T.com - Lawmakers may debate Obama Medicaid expansion

RN-T.com - Lawmakers may debate Obama Medicaid expansion

U.S. Kids Might Not Be Over-Medicated After All

U.S. Kids Might Not Be Over-Medicated After All

Teen Girls Who Smoke May Up Risk for Future Bone Disease

Teen Girls Who Smoke May Up Risk for Future Bone Disease

'Synthetic Pot' Sending Thousands of Young People to ER: Report

'Synthetic Pot' Sending Thousands of Young People to ER: Report

Chip Rogers leaving state Senate | www.ajc.com

Chip Rogers leaving state Senate | www.ajc.com

New ED drama? Hospitals demand upfront fee for nonemergencies - amednews.com

New ED drama? Hospitals demand upfront fee for nonemergencies - amednews.com

Monday, December 3, 2012

U.S. birth rates hit hard by recession - latimes.com

U.S. birth rates hit hard by recession - latimes.com

Nearly half of U.S. docs use e-prescribing - FierceHealthcare

Nearly half of U.S. docs use e-prescribing - FierceHealthcare

Zeroing In On Asian-American Children At Highest Risk For Obesity

Zeroing In On Asian-American Children At Highest Risk For Obesity

Tap-Water Chemical May Be Linked to Food Allergy

Tap-Water Chemical May Be Linked to Food Allergy

More U.S. Kids Get High-Radiation Scans, Study Says

More U.S. Kids Get High-Radiation Scans, Study Says

'Hiding' Cigarettes in Stores Might Keep Kids From Smoking: Study

'Hiding' Cigarettes in Stores Might Keep Kids From Smoking: Study

Insurance Surcharges Will Fund Most Online Exchanges Created Under Health Law - Kaiser Health News

Insurance Surcharges Will Fund Most Online Exchanges Created Under Health Law - Kaiser Health News

Deal appoints new Senate floor leaders | Governor Nathan Deal Office of the Governor

Deal appoints new Senate floor leaders | Governor Nathan Deal Office of the Governor

Sunday, December 2, 2012

CDC projects huge diabetes jump in kids, teens | www.ajc.com

CDC projects huge diabetes jump in kids, teens | www.ajc.com

Revisiting key components of the Affordable Care Act - FierceHealthcare

Revisiting key components of the Affordable Care Act - FierceHealthcare

A Q&A with Speaker David Ralston on ‘personhood,’ immigration, a new Georgia Dome and hospitals | Political Insider

A Q&A with Speaker David Ralston on ‘personhood,’ immigration, a new Georgia Dome and hospitals | Political Insider

Possible Affordable Care Act Glitch: Too Few Doctors

Possible Affordable Care Act Glitch: Too Few Doctors

Helmets Do Save Lives on the Slopes, Research Shows

Helmets Do Save Lives on the Slopes, Research Shows

Could Baby's Crying Give Clues to Autism?

Could Baby's Crying Give Clues to Autism?

Times-Georgian - Hospital bed tax A health care decision looms

Times-Georgian - Hospital bed tax A health care decision looms

ACLU Says It Sues Georgia Over Law Limiting Abortions - Businessweek

ACLU Says It Sues Georgia Over Law Limiting Abortions - Businessweek