Managed Care Weekly articles from October 2004

Managed Care Weekly archives from October 2004

AARP offers dental insurance.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Approximately 60% of Americans older than 50 have dental insurance and most will lose this coverage when they retire and face fixed or reduced incomes, according to the landmark U.S. Surgeon General's...

Chronic pediatric illnesses not adequately addressed by current policies.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Current methods of delivering healthcare to kids are woefully unable to cope with a pediatric disease pendulum that has swung from acute to chronic illnesses, says a researcher at the Stanford...

Highmark partners with community groups, expands access to preventive healthcare.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sixteen community organizations and hospitals will offer Highmark's preventive health programs and services, such as "Eat Well for Life," a 4-week nutrition program; "Discover Relaxation Within," a...

AAHomecare examines OIG report on Medicare payment for home oxygen.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Regarding the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General's (OIG) study released recently, "Medicare Payment Rates for Home Oxygen Equipment," the American Association for...

Health insurance plans extend efforts to end tobacco use, study shows.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly three-quarters of all health insurance plans included in a new survey rely on evidence-based clinical guidelines to address tobacco use, and almost all plans - 98% - provide full coverage for at...

Study says air worse in smoky bars than on truck-choked roads.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- If you're wondering whether a smoky bar or a city street filled with diesel truck fumes is more harmful to your health, you might want to skip your next happy hour. Smoky bars and casinos have up...

National Marrow Donor Program adds three new cord blood member banks.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has added three new cord blood member banks, increasing the number of units on its public cord blood Registry by more than 20%. Now listed on the NMDP...

Authority continues to seek Weston Hospital investors in West Virginia.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- At least two other groups are considering stepping in if The Mountaineer Group LLC cannot accomplish its plans for the old Weston State Hospital, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, a development official...

Celerity signs business development agreement with Getting Ready Corp.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Celerity Systems, Inc., (CESY), a business-development company focused on providing capital formation, management advice, and investments in developing companies, announced that the company has signed a...

Centene launches CenCorp Health Solutions.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Centene Corp. (CNC) announced the realignment of its specialty companies into a subsidiary company to be known as CenCorp Health Solutions (CenCorp), a multiline, Medicaid-focused specialty platform...

Denver Health settles with nurses, union.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Registered nurses and the Denver Health and Hospital Authority have settled a lawsuit alleging hospital officials illegally tried to block nurses from forming a union. Denver Health on September 13,...

HealthTransaction Network announces network development/progress report.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthTransaction Network Corp. announced that it has received letters of intent from several health insurance and healthcare providers to develop a new, a nationwide healthcare transaction network. ...

Healthlink opens U.K. office; National Health Service projects initial focus.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Healthlink, Inc., a Houston, Texas-based, privately held, provider-focused healthcare information-systems consulting firm, announced the opening of an office in London, England, whose initial work will...

HearUSA realigns executive team to manage anticipated growth.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HearUSA, Inc., (EAR) announced it has restructured its executive management team to manage anticipated growth and facilitate reporting relationships. "This reorganization will make HearUSA stronger...

Hurricanes delay company's relocation plans.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MTS Medication Technologies (MPP) announced it will be moving its operations in October 2004 rather than September 2004 as previously announced. This delay was due in large part to construction...

Ivy Tech, Indiana University to coordinate biotechnology programs.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Students at Ivy Tech State College will be able to earn a two-year degree in biotechology and transfer into a four-year program at Indiana University under an agreement between the two schools. ...

Joslin affiliates with University of California, Irvine Medical Center.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Joslin Diabetes Center announced its affiliation with University of California, Irvine Medical Center (UCI). Located at Gottschalk Medical Plaza on the UC Irvine campus, Joslin Diabetes Center at...

MEDITECH and Zynx Health form strategic alliance.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Information Technology, Inc., (MEDITECH), a supplier of clinical information systems and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) solutions, and Zynx Health Incorporated, developer of...

Merit Medical Systems signs supplier agreement with Premier.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Merit Medical Systems Inc., (MMSI) a manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable products used primarily in cardiology and radiology procedures, has signed a supplier agreement with Premier...

NHS Direct selects Bowne Global Solutions for interpretation services.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bowne Global Solutions (BGS), a leading provider of interpretation and translation services, has signed a contract with NHS Direct to provide England's telephonic health advice and information service...

Nebraska Governor announces program for Hastings Regional Center.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Hastings Regional Center is getting a Nebraska state program that could save a few jobs from recently announced cutbacks at the mental health hospital. The program will provide mid-level...

Neighborhood Health Partnership selects ENS for E-Commerce services.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Electronic Network Systems, Inc., (ENS) a subsidiary of NWH, Inc., (NWIR), announced that Neighborhood Health Partnership, Inc., (NHP) has selected ENS to provide transaction services for claims to its...

NitroMed up; to present trial data at conference.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NitroMed Inc.'s stock rose September 16, 2004, after the company confirmed that trial data on its heart drug, intended for black patients, will be presented at an industry conference. The shares...

Operating income up at Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Vermont.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fletcher Allen Healthcare reported operating income of $1.4 million for the quarter that ended June 30, a better result than the loss absorbed last year but short of what the hospital had budgeted. ...

Renaissance Medical Ventures formed to acquire distressed businesses.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National Medical Development, Inc., (NMDI) announced the formation of a new affiliate company, Renaissance Medical Ventures, LLC. Renaissance specializes in the identification and acquisition of...

Sonoma Health Care Center workers join union.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- On August 31, 2004, the National Labor Relations Board upheld a May 2002 vote by Sonoma Health Care Center workers to join SEIU 250, California's largest healthcare workers' union. The results of...

Tailored counseling may promote mammography among low-income rural black women.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Low-income older black women in rural areas of Arkansas who had never had a mammogram were more likely to do so after receiving a call from a community healthcare worker, University of Arkansas public...

Lactobacillus acidophilus-containing yogurt doesn't stop fungal infection.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study from Australia has demonstrated that Lactobacillus acidophilus, a key bacterium in yogurt, isn't effective in preventing candidiasis, infection by the Candida fungus (aka, thrush). The work...

Healthaxis and ppoONE formally announce expanded relationship.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A formal announcement was made recently expanding the relationship between Healthaxis (HAXS), a provider of business process outsourcing services, and ppoONE. The relationship will provide an...

Humana contracts with Availity.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humana, Inc., (HUM) has named Availity, LLC, its primary gateway for the submission of claims and encounters. Under this national arrangement, Humana is asking all of its major clearinghouses to...

American Healthways signs 3-year deal with Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American Healthways, Inc., (AMHC) announced a new, 3-year agreement with Ashland, Kentucky-based Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital to provide the company's hospital-based diabetes services. "Diabetes...

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Advocate extend relationship.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Oak Brook-based Advocate Health Care have reached agreement to extend their relationship for another 2 years, covering 2005 and 2006. The agreement means...

Search under way for tenth annual top youth volunteer awards.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Over the past 9 years, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have been given to thousands of middle and high school students across the United States. Winners were chosen for helping the less...

Companies turn to CDHPs to curb double-digit annual cost increases.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly 1 in 5 companies (19%) of 314 firms surveyed offer a consumer-driven health plan, up from 11% in 2003, according to Deloitte Consulting, LLP. An additional 14% of companies surveyed will...

Bill Clinton treated at accredited chest pain center in New York.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Former U.S. president Bill Clinton is recovering after undergoing successful quadruple bypass surgery from New York Presbyterian Hospital, the first accredited Chest Pain Center in New York. His...

Anthem Foundation of Ohio grants $1.1M for preventive oral healthcare.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Low-income residents of 10 Ohio counties who have limited access to basic preventive oral healthcare will benefit from more than $1 million in grants made by The Anthem Foundation of Ohio (AF-Ohio). ...

Dental plan urges patients to share medical history with dentist.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to the Academy of General Dentistry, dental patients should mention everything about their health, even if it they think it doesn't relate to the mouth. "Forgetting to share information...

Employee benefits provider announces arrangement with Dental Health Services.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Principal Financial Group, the nation's 401(k) leader and premier provider of employee benefits, announced a new business relationship with Dental Health Services for customers in California. ...

No racial disparity in depressive disorder seen in elderly home care patients.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- While many diseases and conditions appear to disproportionately affect minorities, a new study found that when it comes to major depression among homebound elderly, blacks and whites appear to suffer...

Oak Creek, Wisconsin, mayor says he plans to veto Canadian drug proposal.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The mayor of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a Milwaukee suburb, says he will veto a proposed ordinance enabling city employees, retirees and residents to purchase prescription drugs from Canada. Mayor Dick...

Wisconsin senators ask FDA why it intercepted drugs from Canada.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Wisconsin's two U.S. senators have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) why the agency has been intercepting prescription medications ordered by Wisconsin residents from Canadian mail order...

Alliance partner to market Notes' HealthyPass portable EMR.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Imaging Technologies, Inc., (BITI) announced that its Personal Health Management Division, CapMed, has partnered with Notes, Inc., to support the Notes HealthyPass, a portable and secure personal...

California Pacific Medical Center opens Kanbar Cardiac Center.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- California Pacific Medical Center announced the opening of its Kanbar Cardiac Center, a new, state-of-the-art clinical care facility offering advanced technology to treat virtually all heart conditions,...

Study results reported on cath lab activity.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a recently published study, IMV Medical Information Division estimates that patient cases performed in cath labs increased 17% from 1998 to 2002, to 3.85 million, but were essentially flat...

Cooper successfully sells $80M in bonds - its largest financing ever.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cooper University Hospital has announced the issuance of $80 million in tax-exempt bonds, its largest deal ever. Planning for this financing involved 22 different organizations and close to 50...

Health Care REIT announces pricing of 7.625% cumulative preferred stock.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health Care REIT, Inc., (HCN) announced that it has priced a public offering of 7,000,000 shares of 7.625% series F cumulative redeemable preferred stock. The shares have a liquidation value of...

Health Management Associates updates 2004 financial objectives.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health Management Associates, Inc., (HMA) has updated its financial objectives for the fourth quarter and year ending September 30, 2004, to reflect the estimated impact of Hurricanes Charley and...

Lab company announces 24% increase in quarterly net revenues.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc., (BRLI) released its third quarter, fiscal year 2004 earnings for the 3 months ending July 31(dollars in thousands except per share data or where otherwise noted). ...

LanVision Systems reports second quarter financial results.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- LanVision Systems, Inc., (LANV) announced financial results for the second quarter and first 6 months ended July 31, 2004. Revenues for the second quarter were $2,558,295 compared with $2,966,590...

Lancer Orthodontics announces financial year-end results.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lancer Orthodontics, Inc., (LANZ) announced its financial results for its fiscal year ended May 31, 2004. Lancer reported net sales for fiscal year 2004 of $6,024,009 compared to $5,887,898 in...

McKesson anticipates first half EPS between 75-80 cents.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- McKesson Corporation (MCK) expects that earnings per fully diluted share for the first half will be between 75 and 80 cents due to fewer than anticipated price increases for U.S. pharmaceutical products...

Mediware reports third consecutive year of record revenue.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mediware Information Systems, Inc., (MEDW) reported its third consecutive year of record revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, of $36.7 million, up 11% compared to $33.0 million for fiscal...

National HealthCare Corporation announces new independent accountants.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National HealthCare Corporation (NHC), a long-term health care company, announced the appointment of BDO Seidman, LLP, as its new independent accountants. The decision was approved by NHC's board of...

Humana offers Medicare members free exercise and wellness programs.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humana Inc. (HUM) has signed an agreement with HealthCare Dimensions Incorporated (HCD) to provide free exercise programs in 19 states through HCD's SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The majority of...

Arkansas governor urges businesses to encourage workers to exercise.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Governor Mike Huckabee is urging Arkansas business leaders to place more emphasis on encouraging workers to adopt healthier lifestyles as a way to get a handle on their healthcare costs. "There is...

Encouraging kids to run marathons, a quarter-mile at a time.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ask 7-year-old John Simmons if he can run a marathon and he shyly laughs. But ask him if he can run 26.2 miles over several months and he nods yes. Simmons and thousands of other children across...

Family finds health, happiness on farm.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Most mornings, as suburbanites everywhere rush around their prefab houses getting the lunches made and the kids dressed, life at one rural household remains quiet. At 7:30 a.m. or so, fresh-faced...

The way to a more productive employee may be through the gym.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- You might be forgiven for raising an eyebrow when employees at GlaxoSmithKline in Moon Township tell you how hard they work. Listen to them talk about the onsite, fully equipped, trainer-staffed...

Drug compound thought to enhance brain functions to counter Alzheimer disease.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Former President Ronald Reagan's fight with Alzheimer helped raise public awareness of the disease that not only robs an individual's intellectual activity but also affects the families caring for loved...

Silver Haired Legislature passes security, health dominant agenda.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The South Carolina Silver Haired Legislature approved an agenda September 16, 2004, that emphasizes security and health issues for the state's 65-and-older population. The group, set up to advise...

Survey shows recreational gambling linked to good health in older Americans.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- It's Friday at the Mohegan Sun casino, and most of the daytime gamblers are retirees like 73-year-old Mike Sanzo. He's checking out the day's races, while his wife hits the slots. Sanzo says...

Complicated regulations hinder basic science and clinical studies.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Privacy Rule implemented as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is constraining researchers in the United States and slowing the progress of a wide range...

Compliance 360 announces partnership with Strategic Management Systems.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Compliance 360, an enterprise compliance management application, has formed a strategic alliance with Strategic Management Systems, Inc., (SMSInc) a compliance-advisory firm. SMSInc has developed 4...

Unsafe health care fuels HIV epidemics in Africa.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unsafe health care fuels HIV epidemics in Africa. "Current reconsideration of the contributions of various modes of transmission to HIV epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa has important implications...

HIV-affected families must deal with complex psychosocial issues.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV-affected families must deal with complex psychosocial issues. According to a study from Belgium, "The reduced risk of mother-to-child transmission due to improved HIV treatment has resulted in...

Financial rewards offered to Pennsylvania practices providing diabetes care.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance are joining with local employers to encourage better care for diabetic patients in Pennsylvania. The health plan will provide quarterly financial rewards to...

LabOne signs national agreement to provide lab testing for Humana Inc.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- LabOne, Inc., (LABS) has signed an expanded, national agreement to provide laboratory testing services for Humana Inc. (HUM). LabOne will provide its full laboratory services, including its...

Medco's online pharmacy named best interactive web site for seniors.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medco Health Solutions, Inc., (MHS) announced that its Internet pharmacy, http://www.medco.com/, was named the best interactive site and best eCommerce site for persons over age 50 by the Spring 2004...

Mountain States Health Alliance to install wireless infrastructure.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mountain States Health Alliance of Tennessee has signed an agreement with Johnson Controls, Inc., for the first system-wide installation of a single wireless distribution technology in the health care...

National opinion survey findings reported on Americans and health care reform.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Faced with shrinking health care coverage and fast-rising medical costs, two out of three American adults (67%) now think health care coverage should be a "guarantee" as in Canada, Britain, and other...

Federal employees' 2005 health benefits program adds HSA option.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aetna (AET) announced that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has agreed to make two Aetna HealthFund consumer-directed medical plan options available to over 4.5 million eligible members of...

Senate candidate unveils healthcare plan to Charlotte, North Carolina, voters.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Democratic Senate candidate Erskine Bowles toured in support of his healthcare reform proposal September 14, 2004, calling it a "moral issue" that he plans to tackle immediately if elected in November....

Vermont gubernatorial candidate proposes universal health plan.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Clavelle said September 15, 2004, he wants Vermonters to be required to have health insurance, the way state residents are now required to have car insurance....

Health Net transitions into TRICARE's northeast and national capital areas.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health Net, Inc., (HNT) announced that its government contract subsidiary, Health Net Federal Services (HNFS), will begin providing health care services to beneficiaries covered by the TRICARE contract...

New Mexico Governor wants more school-based clinics.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New Mexico schools are in line for a new source of money for health programs. State Medicaid officials announced September 15, 2004, that they got federal approval to match administrative dollars...

Study documents high markups on hospital charges.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New research on pricing practices of more than 4000 hospitals across the U.S. documents that huge markups in charges to patients, especially for prescription drugs, medical supplies, and surgeries, are...

Study shows cost considerations driving U.S. formulary and clinical guidelines.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Formulary approval has become a de facto "fourth hurdle" for drug makers, according to a recent report With total spending on prescription medicines in the United States rising 13% to 17% a year,...

Alabama task force makes recommendations on curbing healthcare costs.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A task force appointed by the governor to curb rising healthcare costs for school employees and state workers made recommendations September 14, 2004, that would cost smokers and some future retirees...

E-Board asked to cover rising state health insurance costs.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Members of Oregon's Legislative Emergency Board were asked to allocate $54.8 million to cover the rising costs of state workers' health insurance. Workers themselves are exempt from paying the...

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums increase 11.2% on average in 2004.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust released the results of its annual Employer Health Benefits Survey, revealing that employer-sponsored health insurance premiums...

Feds propose extension of miner health plan funding.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The federal government will partially extend a reclamation tax on coal to help fund a miners' health plan, even if Congress fails to reauthorize the tax before it expires, a federal official says. ...

Feds provide cash to help uninsured, underinsured in Idaho.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A $2 million federal grant has been awarded to underwrite a community health clinic serving the uninsured and underinsured in southwestern Idaho. The Department of Health and Human Services will...

Florida Governor announces changes in KidCare health insurance program.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Florida governor Jeb Bush announced changes September 14, 2004, in the state's KidCare program that he said will provide health insurance to an additional 37,000 Florida children. Bush said...

Former Canadian Prime Minister says universal healthcare works in Canada.
October 4, 2004... 2004 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Canada's former prime minister hesitated to offer advice to a group of eastern Iowa business leaders on how the United States could improve its healthcare system, which he acknowledged is too...