Health Inc. Hospitals and Doctors Drove Up California Health Costs February 26, 2010 • A new study concludes that California's biggest networks of doctors and hospitals caused insurers to pump up hospitals' fees twice as quickly as the national average in recent years. A consolidation wave beginning in the late 1990s gave doctors an...
Health Inc. Makers Of CT Scanners Promise Radiation Safeguards February 26, 2010 • Worries about radiation overdoses have prompted manufacturers of CT scanners to develop additional checks that will be installed starting this year.
Health Inc. Sebelius Invites Insurance CEOs For A Chat About Rates February 25, 2010 • Next week Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius plans to meet with top health insurance executives for a talk about premiums and how to fix problems with the insurance system.
Health Inc. WellPoint Pushes Ahead On Controversial Rate Hikes February 24, 2010 • The brouhaha over rate increases in California has not changed the insurer's plans to hike premiums. A House subcommittee will grill WellPoint's chief executive Angela Braly Wednesday, a day after other company executives testified before the Cali...
Health Inc. Patient Confidentiality Can Walk Out The Door With Laptops February 23, 2010 • Federal rules now require medical record keepers to notify the government of breaches that could affect 500 or more people. Stolen and lost computers are often to blame.
Health Inc. FDA To Hold Avandia Hearing, After Senate Report Raises Flags February 22, 2010 • In July, the agency is expected to review the safety of the GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia, a diabetes drug dogged by cardiovascular risks. A Senate Finance Committee report that was just released resurrected questions about the medicine.
Health Inc. Administration Seeks Power To Stop Insurance Rate Hikes February 22, 2010 • President Obama is expected to propose a new federal board to establish what premium increases are reasonable as part of a package intended to revive health overhaul. The administration also wants the authority to block excessive increases.
Health Inc. Some Hospital Patients Take More Than Their Pills February 19, 2010 • When people are discharged from hospitals, they sometimes leave with souvenirs. Some of the items taken might surprise you.
Health Inc. WellPoint Goes On Offense To Defend Insurance Rates February 18, 2010 • WellPoint defended the politically fraught rate increase of a California subsidiary saying medical costs were going up. A sour economy also means healthy people are dropping coverage, leaving sicker, more expensive people in the pool.
Health Inc. Glaxo Pulling Some Poligrip From Market Over Zinc Risk February 18, 2010 • The company will not sell Super Poligrip Original, Ultra Fresh and Extra Care denture adhesives until it comes up with new formulas that do not contain zinc. Too much of the mineral can lead to nerve damage, some studies show.
Health Inc. Administration Escalates Attacks On Health Insurers' Rates February 18, 2010 • Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is expected to blast insurers over big proposed rate hikes in a half-dozen states. It's a broadening of the administration's campaign to stoke support for health overhaul by pointing the finger...
Health Inc. Kellogg Slapped For Contamination At Eggo Waffle Factory February 17, 2010 • The Food and Drug Administration said sanitation problems may have contributed to contamination at a factory that makes the popular frozen waffles. Kellogg says the plant has been fixed and the products are safe.
Health Inc. Anthem Holds Off On California Rate Hike February 16, 2010 • A for-profit insurer has agreed to wait a few months on a premium increase that drew fire from the Obama administration so independent actuaries can check the company's math.
Health Inc. Insurers Post Big Profits, Cut Coverage, New Report Says February 12, 2010 • The nation's five biggest insurance companies made $12 billion in profits last year, but dropped 2.7 million people from their roles, according to a report (1) out today from HealthCare For American Now, a health reform advocacy group.
Health Inc. PhRMA Chief Tauzin's Resignation Shows Industry Divisions On Overhaul February 12, 2010 • News that Bill Tauzin - a former congressman turned high-powered drug lobbyist - will resign at the end of June from his $2-million-a-year post as the president of Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufactures of American suggests his landing may no...