The Virginia Quality Healthcare Network is a statewide coalition of nearly 50 voluntary health associations, patient advocacy groups and professional associations representing millions of Virginia citizens. Our mission is to educate and advocate to achieve quality healthcare for all Virginia citizens. Read the articles below for important information on our advocacy efforts on behalf of Virginia consumers.



Concierge healthcare company to aid Virginia’s uninsured/ Press Release
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The Virginia Community Healthcare Association & Members Mark National Health Center Week 2008 - Our Valley
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Children's-health bill likely to die
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GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES $400,000 FEDERAL GRANT
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20 most recent | Year 2010 | Year 2009 | Year 2008 | Year 2007 | Year 2006 | Year 2005 | Year 2004 | Year 2003

HHS Issues Final Regulation on Access to Group Health Coverage   12/30/2004
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Uninsured Bear Brunt of Hospital Crisis   12/30/2004
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FDA Approves New Drug for Severe Pain   12/29/2004
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Federal/Private Partners Launch Resource for Diabetic Kidney Disease Gene Studies   12/29/2004
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Senior Service Offers Rx Advice   12/28/2004
There's a new U.S. government Web site to provide seniors with information about the safe use of medicines. More >>>

Medicare Will Help Beneficiaries Quit Smoking   12/24/2004
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Government: Nursing Home Care Improving   12/23/2004
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Governors Ask Bush Not to Cut Medicaid   12/23/2004
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Medicare HMOs Don't Show Hoped-For Savings   12/21/2004
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NIH News: Use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Suspended in Large Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention Trial   12/21/2004
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Department of Health & Human Services Weekly Report   12/21/2004
December 19 - December 25, 2004 More >>>

Researchers Report Early Success Using Saliva to Detect Oral Cancer   12/21/2004
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Medicare's Troubles May Be Sleeping Giant   12/20/2004
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Few Americans Are Aware They Have Chronic Kidney Disease   12/18/2004
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NIH Halts Use of COX-2 Inhibitor in Large Cancer Prevention Trial   12/18/2004
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State Budget Revenue Pressures Ease, But Expenditure Concerns Remain   12/16/2004
Health, education concerns top states' list of 2005 fiscal priorities More >>>

Department of Health & Human Services Weekly Newsletter   12/15/2004
December 12-December 18, 2004 More >>>

Study: Companies Cutting Health Benefits    12/15/2004
Many companies are dropping their promise of health benefits for future retirees, who now might have to stay on the job longer and rely on government health care in their old age. More >>>

Statement on Oral Contraceptive Study from Barbara Alving, M.D., Director of the Women's Health Initiative and Acting Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute   12/15/2004
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Smell Test May Predict Alzheimer's - U.S. Study   12/14/2004
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Stopping Some Drugs Raises Heart Attack Risk-Study   12/14/2004
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Molecular Test Can Predict Both the Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence and Who Will Benefit From Chemotherapy   12/11/2004
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Modest Savings Seen in Extra Medicare Payments   12/11/2004
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New Antibiotic Fights Tuberculosis, Study Shows   12/10/2004
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Medicare Modernization Act Already Helping Millions in First Year   12/09/2004
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Department of Health & Human Services Weekly Newsletter   12/09/2004
December 5 - December 11, 2004 More >>>

HHS Purchases 1.2 Million Doses of Flu Vaccine   12/08/2004
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Medicare Lays Out Regions for Coverage   12/07/2004
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HHS Announces Regions to Administer New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit and Medicare Advantage Program   12/07/2004
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New Leukemia Drugs Work Better, Studies Show   12/06/2004
Next-generation leukemia pills, designed to help patients not cured by the successful drug Gleevec, work even better than doctors had hoped, researchers said on Sunday. More >>>

Prescription Drug Use at Record High for Americans   12/03/2004
Americans, long considered one of the most medicated peoples in the world, are swallowing more pills than ever, according to a report released on Thursday by the U.S. government. More >>>

Dept. of Health & Human Services Weekly Report   12/01/2004
November 28th - December 4th More >>>

Antibiotic May Stave Off Parkinson's   11/30/2004
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NIH Convenes State-of-the-Science Conference on Improving End-of-Life Care   11/30/2004
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Mini Stroke' Carries Significant Health Risk   11/29/2004
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CT Scans Studied in Lung Cancer Screening   11/29/2004
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States Starting to Tackle Health Care   11/24/2004
In Tennessee, nearly a half-million people are warned they could lose their government-supported health care. In Maine, the move is in the opposite direction — the state is expanding its role and, with reliance on the private sector, aiming to provide affordable health insurance for all 138,000 residents now without it. More >>>

Health & Human Services Weekly Report   11/23/2004
November 21- November 27, 2004 More >>>

Medicare Drug Plan to Help Poorest Elderly Most   11/23/2004
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Nation's Most Comprehensive Cancer Incidence and Mortality Report Shows Prostate Leading Newly Diagnosed Cancer among Men; Breast Cancer Leads for Women   11/20/2004
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Portion Distortion Web Site: Learn How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain by Watching Portion Sizes   11/20/2004
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Medicare to Offer Introductory Physicals in 2005   11/18/2004
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Research with Red Tide Toxin Yields Potential Therapies for Cystic Fibrosis   11/18/2004
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Worried sick on health care   11/18/2004
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U.S. Launches Giant Study on Children   11/17/2004
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NIAID Launches Expanded Flu Web Site   11/16/2004
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Official: Oral Cancer Can Strike Anyone   11/12/2004
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Medicare Preventive Benefits Begin January 2005 With A Goal of Healthier Seniors   11/10/2004
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Lipitor May Aid Memory in Alzheimer's   11/10/2004
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No Increase in Deaths or Hospitalizations for Heart Failure Patients Who Have a Pulmonary Artery Catheter   11/10/2004
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Surgeon General Urges Families to Track History   11/09/2004
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Alzheimer's Drug Helps MS Patients   11/09/2004
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ACE Inhibitors Not Needed for Many Heart Disease Patients, According to New Study   11/09/2004
Many heart disease patients who are already receiving state-of-the-art therapy do not benefit from additional treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, according to results of a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study provides the most definitive evidence to date of the effect of the drug in stable heart disease patients whose heart function was shown to be at normal or near-normal levels, and whose heart disease was already well managed. Researchers found that ACE inhibitors do not lower the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, or the need for coronary revascularization (bypass surgery or angioplasty to restore blood flow to clogged arteries) in these patients. More >>>

Flu Remedy Sales Watched to Spot Outbreaks   11/08/2004
Sales of over-the-counter drugs to treat the flu may help the government more quickly spot local outbreaks. The government now receives figures representing 80 percent of sales of remedies for cold symptoms and diarrhea, for example, in an effort to spot disease trends. More >>>

Health Workers Urged to Pressure Congress   11/08/2004
Thousands of public health workers were rallied Sunday to view themselves as "public health heroes" when they head to Congress this week to pressure legislators to spend more for health. More >>>

Study Indicates Cancer Drugs Getting Safer   11/04/2004
Experiments in which new cancer drugs are tested on patients are not as risky as they were a decade ago, according to a study that found a sharp drop in deaths from 1991 to 2002. More >>>

Medical Marijuana Laws Accepted in West   11/04/2004
With Montana's approval of a medical marijuana initiative, nearly three-fourths of Western states now have such laws — while only two of the 37 states outside the West have adopted them. More >>>

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Shows Early Promise -Report   11/02/2004
A vaccine may work to protect women against a virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. More >>>

HHS Announces Awards to States to Tell Low-Income Beneficiaries About 2006 Drug Benefit   10/30/2004
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Health & Human Services Weekly Newsletter   10/30/2004
October 28 - November 6, 2004 More >>>

Red Wine May Protect Against Lung Cancer   10/29/2004
Researchers say they may have found yet another health benefit conferred by red wine -- it seems to reduce the risk of lung cancer, at least in men. More >>>

Grants.gov Marks First Anniversary   10/28/2004
Grants.gov, the single secure Web site to find and apply for federal grants, today marked its first year of operations. More >>>

Researchers Identify Brain Protein That Halts Progression Of Alzheimer's   10/27/2004
Researchers have identified a protein in the brain that halts the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue. The protein, known as “transthyretin,” protects brain cells from gradual deterioration by blocking another toxic protein that contributes to the disease process. More >>>

New TB Vaccine Promising in Early Clinical Trials   10/26/2004
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Mental services 'not good enough'   10/25/2004
Years after state officials promised to get more people out of state mental hospitals and to help them more when they leave, care in the community is still measured in minutes a month. More >>>

Genetics Play Role in Response to Most Common Asthma Drug   10/23/2004
tudy Helps Explain Why Albuterol Benefits Some Asthma Patients More Than Others More >>>

Expert: World Unprepared for Flu Pandemic   10/23/2004
It's only a matter of time before another deadly flu pandemic strikes, an international vaccine expert warned Friday, saying that the world is ill-prepared to cope with a major outbreak of disease — possibly because the manufacture of vaccines is governed by profit. More >>>

More Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Coming -Officials   10/22/2004
Another 1 million doses of a nasal spray influenza vaccine will be available in the United States this year, Bush administration officials said on Thursday as they sought to calm concerns about a flu shot shortage. More >>>

Pediatricians Need More Training On Environmental Health   10/22/2004
Doctors and nurses need more environmental health training to prevent, recognize, and treat diseases caused by environmental exposures, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Experts recommend that medical and nursing schools add environmental health topics to training programs. More >>>

U.S. Squeezes Out a Few Million More Flu Vaccines   10/20/2004
.S. health officials, stung by political attacks after losing 40 percent of the flu shot supply, got a small break on Tuesday as one vaccine supplier announced it had squeezed out an extra 2.6 million doses. More >>>

Flu Vaccine an Issue in Presidential Race   10/20/2004
As public health officials scramble to find more flu vaccine and experts debate how to increase the U.S. supply, John Kerry hopes voters will come to one conclusion: The severe shortage the United States now faces is President Bush's fault. More >>>

Large Portion of Late-Stage Breast Cancers Associated With Absence of Screening   10/20/2004
Increasing mammography screening rates and investing in research to improve breast cancer detection technologies should be top priorities, according to authors of a study published in the October 20, 2004, Journal of the National Cancer Institute*. As many as 92 percent of late-stage breast cancer cases in the United States could be diagnosed and treated earlier, when there is greater likelihood of effective treatment, if the healthcare system focused on recruiting women who have not been recently screened, and if early detection techniques could be improved to more accurately detect cancer. The study was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Cancer Research Network (CRN), a consortium of integrated health plans. More >>>

Canadians Seek Ban on U.S. Drug Shopping   10/19/2004
Canadians must stop Americans from using Internet pharmacies to raid its medicine chest or face a drug shortage, a coalition of Canadian groups representing seniors, pharmacies and patients has warned. More >>>

Sister Study Opens Nationwide   10/19/2004
A new study that will look at 50,000 sisters of women diagnosed with breast cancer opened today for enrollment across the United States. The Sister Study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, will investigate environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer. The Sister Study is the largest study of its kind to look at breast cancer risk factors. More >>>

Hard facts: Couple faces health cost   10/18/2004
Health care - both its cost and availability - is a major national headache that's becoming a migraine. More >>>

HHS Awards $49 Million to Extend Health Care to More Low-Income, Uninsured Americans   10/15/2004
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HHS Awards $139 Million to Drive Adoption of Health Information Technology   10/14/2004
Awards Will Help Improve Patient Safety and Quality of Care More >>>

National Institute on Aging, Industry Launch Partnership,   10/14/2004
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) in conjunction with other Federal agencies, private companies and organizations today launched a $ 60 million, 5-year public-private partnership — the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative — to test whether serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), other biological markers, and clinical and neuropsychological assessment can be combined to measure the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). More >>>

Congress Passes Bill Allowing Inhalers   10/13/2004
Schools would be encouraged to allow asthmatic schoolchildren to carry and administer their own medication under a bill passed by Congress and sent to the president for his signature. More >>>

GlaxoSmithKline Offers to Sell Flu Vaccine   10/13/2004
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is in talks with the Food and Drug Administration about selling its Fluarix influenza vaccine in the United States to help cope with an expected flu-vaccine shortage this season. More >>>

Many in Assisted Living Have Mental Health Problems   10/11/2004
Rates of mental health problems among elderly assisted living residents are higher than expected, says an Indiana University study in the October issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. More >>>

Shingles: A Replay of an Old Virus   10/11/2004
ust when you think that childhood diseases were nothing more than a fuzzy memory — bang, you develop shingles. The same virus (varicella-zoster) that caused chickenpox when you were young gets reactivated in later life, causing a return of the rash, blisters, and discomfort that are common with both diseases. About 20 per cent of older Americans develop shingles during their lifetime. More >>>

Drug Shortages Hurting Patient Care   10/08/2004
Continuing drug shortages are having far-reaching, negative impacts on patient care and hospital costs, says a survey conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and pharmacy residents at Johns Hopkins Hospital. More >>>

Medicare Advantage Plans Expand Coverage to Seniors, Lower Costs for Enrollees   10/07/2004
New Plans Entering Medicare Advantage Program, Providing More Choices and Lower Costs for Beneficiaries More >>>

HHS Awards $31 Million in Grants to 31 States to Help Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults   10/06/2004
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Interim Influenza Vaccination Recommendations: 2004-05   10/06/2004
On October 5, 2004, CDC was notified by Chiron Corporation that none of its influenza vaccine (Fluvirin®) would be available for distribution in the United States for the 2004-05 influenza season. The company indicated that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom, where Chiron's Fluvirin vaccine is produced, has suspended the company's license to manufacture Fluvirin vaccine in its Liverpool facility for 3 months, preventing any release of this vaccine for this influenza season. This will reduce by approximately one half the expected supply of trivalent inactivated vaccine (flu shot) available in the United States for the 2004-05 influenza season. More >>>

Dept. of Health & Human Services Weekly Report   10/05/2004
Week of October 3 - October 9, 2004 More >>>

Vioxx Withdrawal Causes Concern About FDA   10/04/2004
Americans should feel reasonably safe taking government-approved prescription drugs — with a few caveats — even after a popular arthritis medication was pulled from the market, medical experts say. But the problems with Vioxx raise questions about the Food and Drug Administration's safety review process and the length of time it took Merck to pull the drug, observers say. More >>>

Lawmakers Eye Pediatric Drug Rule Change   10/02/2004
The discovery that antidepressants may increase suicidal tendencies in children has prompted some lawmakers and physicians to ask if changes are needed to financial incentives given to drug makers for pediatric research. More >>>

Merck Pulls Arthritis Drug from Market   10/01/2004
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Medicare to Cover More Implanted Heart Devices   09/29/2004
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday proposed expanding Medicare coverage for costly, potentially life-saving implanted heart devices, a decision expected to benefit makers Guidant Corp., Medtronic Inc. and St. Jude Medical Inc. More >>>

Higher Costs, Less Care   09/29/2004
In the past four years, Americans have spent an ever-growing portion of their paychecks on health care and for the most part gotten less for their money, forcing millions into the ranks of the uninsured or personal bankruptcy, according to government figures and several independent assessments. More >>>

Va. Enrolls More Children In Health Care   09/29/2004
The number of children enrolled in Virginia's health insurance program for minors has risen dramatically since 2002, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) announced yesterday during a stop in Alexandria to highlight what he considers one of the big successes of his administration. More >>>

Dept. of Health & Human Services Weekly Report   09/28/2004
September 26 - October 2, 2004 More >>>

Lack of health insurance factors into region’s woes   09/28/2004
Every year, thousands of uninsured people in Hampton Roads pour into hospital emergency rooms seeking help for problems that could have been treated, even prevented,with regular visits to a doctor. More >>>

OB/GYNs work to address malpractice insurance rates   09/28/2004
A local group of obstetrician-gynecologists have banded together to seek relief from malpractice insurance rates that have caused some physicians to stop delivering babies. More >>>

HHS Press Release: Nearly Two Million Low-Income Americans on Medicare to Get Drug Discount Cards   09/23/2004
Nearly two million low-income Americans on Medicare will soon be automatically eligible for prescription discounts through the Medicare Drug Discount card and qualify for an additional $1,200 in savings over the next 14 months. More >>>

HHS "Early Offers" Pilot Program to Speed Compensation to Injured Patients, Help Reduce Medical Costs   09/22/2004
Early Offers" is a pilot program aimed at encouraging settlements of patients claiming to have been injured by medical mistakes and controlling health care costs by providing fair and prompt compensation without time-consuming and expensive litigation. More >>>

Daily Press Opinion: Health care an emerging crisis   09/22/2004
ccessibility has long been a major aspect of the American health care system. Unfortunately, accessibility to affordable, quality health care in Virginia is now being threatened. More >>>

Loophole Lets Pharmacies Bill Govt. Twice   09/21/2004
A regulatory loophole is allowing some pharmacy companies to bill government health programs twice for the same drugs, according to whistleblower lawsuits challenging the payments. More >>>

Dept. of Health & Human Services Weekly Report   09/21/2004
September 19 - September 24 More >>>

Grants.gov Reaches 1000 Applications Mark   09/18/2004
"Grants.gov," the single secure Web site to find and apply for U.S. Government grants, has received its 1,000th electronic grant application, a milestone indicating the shift from a slower, paper-based grant application process is well underway. More >>>

FDA OKs Defibrillator Without Prescription   09/17/2004
People worried about sudden cardiac arrest no longer need a doctor's prescription to buy devices that jump-start the heart. The Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites ) for the first time agreed Thursday to let consumers go online and purchase the $2,000 devices for home use. Some 80 percent of the instances of sudden cardiac arrest, which is best treated by a shock from a defibrillator, happen at home. More >>>

HHS Enhances Medicare Drug Card Program to Help Seniors Choose Lower-Cost, Similar Drugs   09/16/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced new measures to help seniors get the lowest price possible for their medicines by allowing them -- for the first time -- to compare prices for similar drugs used to treat common diseases such as high cholesterol or blood pressure. More >>>

Medicare Lower Cost Rx Comparison Tool   09/16/2004
This section provides information on public and private programs that offer discounted or free medication, programs that provide help with other health care costs, and Medicare health plans that include prescription coverage.It also provides information on even more ways you can reduce your prescription drug costs, such as by using generic alternatives. More >>>

Costs Cause Many to Curtail Medications   09/14/2004
Many Americans are not taking all their medicines because they can't afford them, and most aren't telling their doctors about it, new research shows. More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   09/14/2004
September 12 - September 18 More >>>

Few Apply for Medicare Drug Coverage   09/13/2004
Far from the expected deluge, relatively few patients with cancer and other serious illnesses have applied for generous early Medicare prescription drug coverage. More >>>

More Women Surviving Advanced Breast Cancer   09/13/2004
More women are surviving advanced breast cancer, French researchers say, and better treatments are probably the reason. More >>>

U.S. Health Insurance Costs Soar, Workers Hit   09/10/2004
Health insurance premiums rose five times faster than U.S. workers' salaries this year, according to a survey released on Thursday that also showed slippage in the percentage of American workers covered by employer health plans. More >>>

Lifestyle Changes Could Cut Alzheimer's Cases   09/10/2004
Unless Americans make some lifestyle changes now, the number of Alzheimer's disease cases in the United States will double to 6 million by 2030, say experts who caution that their estimates are on the low side. More >>>

Alzheimer's Researchers Eye Brain Buildup    09/07/2004
How to prevent a sticky gunk from clogging up, and probably killing, the brain cells of Alzheimer's patients is the newest focus in the fight against the disease. More >>>

Medicare Payments for Elderly to Rise 17 Percent   09/04/2004
Older Americans will have to pay about 17 percent more next year -- the largest increase in Medicare's history -- for their government-run health insurance, U.S. officials announced on Friday. More >>>

Medicare Payments for Elderly to Rise 17 Percent   09/04/2004
An experimental drug called safinamide improves movement in patients with early Parkinson's disease, researchers report. More >>>

Britain launches lifelong breast cancer study   09/03/2004
In an effort to find new ways to prevent breast cancer, two British cancer organizations called for the help of 100,000 volunteers to participate in a lifelong breast cancer study. More >>>

Death Risk in Breast Cancer Patients Can Vary Widely   09/01/2004
In women with breast cancer, the probability of dying from that malignancy, as opposed to some other cause, can range from 3 percent to 85 percent, depending on factors such as disease stage and patient age at diagnosis, new research shows. More >>>

Dept. of Health and Human Services Weekly Report   08/31/2004
August 29 - September 4 More >>>

NIH Offers $35,000 in Annual Student Loan Repayment   08/31/2004
NIH's application cycle for Loan Repayment Programs opens September 1, 2004, and closes December 15, 2004. The NIH awards up to $35,000 annually in student loan repayments to health professionals engaged in qualifying research. Details and the online application are available at www.lrp.nih.gov. More >>>

Diabetes Going Undetected in Many Heart Patients   08/30/2004
Diabetes is an undetected and silent threat for many people who end up with heart disease, according to new research published on Monday. More >>>

HHS Issues National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan   08/27/2004
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HRT Can Affect Mammography Results   08/27/2004
A mammogram may be less effective if a woman is on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a new British study finds. More >>>

Survey: Health Care Costs Continue to Rise    08/27/2004
Employers are facing continued double-digit increases in health care costs in 2005 and likely will require their workers to pay an even greater share of the bill, according to a new survey of more than 900 firms. More >>>

Virginia income, insurance data in state mirror U.S. trend   08/27/2004
The poor and uninsured in Virginia did about as badly last year as those in the rest of the country. More >>>

HHS Awards $24.1 Million to Help Women, Children and Families Obtain HIV/AIDS Care and Services   08/25/2004
Today's grants are awarded under Title IV of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act. Title IV programs specifically address the needs of women, children, youth and families by providing care that deals with the entire family. This includes primary and specialty medical care, psychosocial services, logistical support and coordination, and outreach and case management. Programs also are designed to increase access to clinical trials and research.

Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Va. 309,777 More >>>

Vital Drug Use Drops with Medicare Coverage Gaps   08/25/2004
After exceeding their annual drug benefit cap, Medicare beneficiaries often decrease their use of essential medications, apparently to compensate for the coverage gap, according to a new report. More >>>

Dept. of Health and Human Services Weekly Report   08/24/2004
August 22 - 28, 2004 More >>>

The Increasing Number of Adults with High Blood Pressure Statement from Barbara Alving, M.D., Acting Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute   08/24/2004
A new analysis* of the prevalence of high blood pressure in the US shows a striking increase over the last 10 years in the number of adults with this condition. More >>>

Secretary Thompson Announces TANF Caseloads Declined in 2003   08/23/2004
Eight Years After Reform, More Americans Achieving Self-Sufficiency More >>>

NYT: U.S. Probes Medical Supply Industry   08/22/2004
The U.S. Justice Departmentis investigating the medical supply industry over concerns that some health care providers bilked government programs including Medicare, The New York Times reported on Saturday. More >>>

Kaine team tackles cost of health care Promises nonpartisan solution   08/22/2004
Virginia Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has teamed up with Republicans to try to reduce the high cost of health care, which he considers the biggest problem facing Virginia residents. More >>>

Group Offers Guidelines for Medicare Drug Plan   08/20/2004
A U.S. group advising Medicare on its new prescription drug benefit released a proposal on Thursday that could determine how likely the latest medicines are to be covered for the elderly. More >>>

Inexpensive Drug Effective in Early Parkinson's   08/13/2004
THURSDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDayNews) -- An inexpensive drug called selegiline may be one of the best treatments during the early stages of Parkinson's disease, according to a study in the British Medical Journal. More >>>

Virginia increases Medicaid payment   08/13/2004
Gov. Mark R. Warner ordered a 34 percent increase in Medicaid payments for obstetrical care of poor women yesterday More >>>

Poll: Older Americans Unhappy with Medicare Changes   08/11/2004
Older Americans are confused and unhappy about upcoming changes in the federal Medicare health program, according to a nonpartisan survey released on Tuesday that indicates the issue could help Democrats win the November vote. More >>>

Medical licensee data more accessible   08/10/2004
Finding out if Virginia-licensed health-care workers have been in trouble is getting easier, thanks to a new, fee-based subscription service and to enhancements to an existing online state database available for free. More >>>

Department of Health and Human Services Weekly Report   08/10/2004
August 9th - 14th, 2004 More >>>

Parkinson's Drug Linked to Heart Valve Damage   08/09/2004
Heart valve disease appears to be relatively common in Parkinson's disease (news - web sites) patients treated with pergolide (Permax), according to results of a new study. Evidence suggests that the degree of damage correlates with lifetime dose of the drug, but the effects may be reversible. More >>>

Reports show insurance slide and predict charity decline   08/09/2004
Trends that don't get big headlines are walloping the ordinary American born with a stainless steel spoon in his mouth. Here are two examples:

Health insurance. Some 8.9 million people under age 65 lost their employee health coverage between 2001 and 2003, a recent health study found. More >>>

Parkinson's-Alzheimer's Link Seen Unlikely   08/07/2004
It has been thought that there might be a genetic link between Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but that seems not to be the case. More >>>

New Study to Show How Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Rate Improvement Change   08/04/2004
A new clinical study to determine how people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) evaluate improvements in disease symptoms will be carried out by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health. The study will examine how much of an improvement in pain, stiffness, function and other symptoms is needed before patients consider the change important. More >>>

Department of Health and Human Services Weekly Report   08/03/2004
August 1st - 7th More >>>

HHS Awards More Than $19 Million to Expand Health Center Services, Strengthen America's Health Care Safety Net   08/03/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced more than $19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity to serve 270,000 more rural and inner-city Americans, including many without health insurance. More >>>

Study Examines Medicare Drug Cards   07/31/2004
Buttressing Bush administration claims, the new Medicare discount drug cards offer savings off retail prescription prices, an independent analysis released Wednesday said. More >>>

Location of Potential Familial Lung Cancer Gene Discovered   07/27/2004
Researchers have discovered a possible inherited component for lung cancer, a disease normally associated with external causes, such as cigarette smoking. An interdisciplinary consortium consisting of 12 research institutions and universities, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), identified a major lung cancer susceptibility region on a segment of chromosome 6. The findings appear in a just-posted-online edition of American Journal of Human Genetics* and will appear in print in the September 2004 issue. More >>>

Many Seniors Still Ask if Medicare Drug Card is Way to Go   07/24/2004
It's the ultimate pocketbook issue that many senior citizens are still struggling with: Should I sign up for the Medicare drug discount card? More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   07/21/2004
July 18 - July 24, 2004 More >>>

MANY VIRGINIANS ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE DON'T RECEIVE MAMMOGRAMS   07/21/2004
Tens of thousands of Virginia women eligible for Medicare do not receive regular mammogram screenings despite the high risk of breast-cancer, according to a new study released Tuesday. More >>>

Alzheimer's Costs Could Overwhelm Medicare, Medicaid   07/20/2004
The number of Medicare beneficiaries identified as having Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites) soared 250 percent in the 1990s, and experts say that will translate into a huge jump in health-care costs. More >>>

Study: Drug May Delay Alzheimer's Onset   07/19/2004
People with a common memory disorder that often leads to Alzheimer's disease may be able to briefly delay that fate by taking a drug normally prescribed for Alzheimer's,a new study indicates. More >>>

Drug Delays But Does Not Prevent Alzheimer's -Study   07/19/2004
A popular Alzheimer's drug appears to delay the onset of the disease among patients with memory loss although does not prevent it, researchers announced on Sunday. More >>>

Governor’s Work Group on Rural Obstetrical Care   07/17/2004
Interim Report More >>>

Town Meeting on Access to OB Care   07/17/2004
Videoconferencing Sites More >>>

Medicare Changes Stance on Obesity   07/17/2004
Medicare is discarding its declaration that obesity is not a disease, a policy change that potentially throws open the door for millions of overweight Americans to make medical claims for treatments such as stomach surgery and diet programs. More >>>

Alzheimer's, Other Diseases Often Mistaken   07/15/2004
Ask anyone to name a brain disease that causes dementia and eventually death, and the most likely answer you'll get is Alzheimer's diseas. Though that's one correct answer, it's not the only one. And a group meeting this week is trying to increase medical and public awareness for other degenerative brain syndromes that are as misunderstood and underdiagnosed as they are destructive to victims and families. More >>>

Study: Customized Vaccines Help Delay Cancer Death   07/15/2004
An anti-cancer vaccine made with a patient's own brain tumor has helped several sufferers live much longer than expected, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. More >>>

Dept. of Health and Human Services Weekly Report   07/14/2004
July 11 -July 17, 2004 More >>>

New Cholesterol Guidelines Are Strictest Ever   07/13/2004
- New U.S. cholesterol guidelines issued on Monday set the lowest level yet for high-risk patients, with recommendations for aggressive use of drugs to get levels down. More >>>

Mouse Virus Look-Alike Tied to Breast Cancer   07/13/2004
A microbe similar to a virus that causes mammary tumors in mice appears to be implicated in human breast cancer -- particularly in Tunisian women -- researchers report in the medical journal of Cancer. More >>>

New Drug for Alzheimer's Disease to Be Tested   07/09/2004
A potential new drug to treat Alzheimer's is being studied by researchers at about 40 sites around the world, including 34 in the United States. More >>>

Senator's Tearful Plea Helps Pass Suicide Bill   07/09/2004
Oregon Republican Gordon Smith took the floor to introduce a youth suicide prevention bill named after his dead son. With unusual speed, the Senate unanimously passed the measure within hours. More >>>

Dems Cite Errors in Info on Medicare Drug Cards   07/08/2004
A new report by Democrats in the U.S. House finds that the Web Site intended to help seniors select Medicare-approved "drug discount cards" contains "widespread" incorrect information about which pharmacies participate with which cards. More >>>

Long Nursing Shifts Raise Error Risk, Study Finds   07/07/2004
Nurses in U.S. hospitals about 40 percent of the time are working long shifts that raise the risk of medical mistakes such as giving the wrong medication or the wrong dose, a study released on Wednesday said. More >>>

The Continual Challenge of Emerging Infectious Diseases   07/06/2004
Emerging infectious diseases, which have shaped the course of humanity and caused incalculable suffering and death, will continue to confront society in unpredictable ways as long as humans and microbes co-exist, write authors from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health in a review article published in the July 8 issue of the journal Nature. More >>>

Drug Breakthroughs Offer Hope for Parkinson's Patients   07/05/2004
A drug approved in April by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration brings yet another source of relief to those who suffer from the debilitating malady known as Parkinson's disease. More >>>

AARP: Drug Prices Jumped in Early 2004   07/01/2004
Even after the new Medicare law promised billions of dollars in government spending on prescription drugs, makers of best-selling medications raised prices quickly, nearly triple the rate of inflation, an AARP survey found. More >>>

CONTRACEPTION COUNTS, BY STATE AND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT    07/01/2004
The typical American woman must use contraception for nearly three decades of her life in order to prevent unintended pregnancy. Many of these women, at some point during their reproductive lives, are in need of publicly funded contraceptive services and supplies. But states--and even congressional districts within each state--vary widely in how well they meet women’s need for contraception. More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   06/30/2004
June 27th - July 4th More >>>

Millions of Hispanics at Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes   06/30/2004
About 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 40 to 74 — millions of whom are Hispanic or Latino — currently have pre-diabetes, a condition that raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. To respond to this rapidly growing problem, experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and community-based organizations from around the country met today at the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) annual conference to discuss national and local efforts to stem the diabetes epidemic in the Hispanic community. More >>>

Studies Try to Determine Who Can Use HRT Safely   06/29/2004
Hormone replacement therapy may be especially dangerous for older women with diabetes, researchers said on Monday, but a separate group said HRT may not be so harmful for younger, healthy women. More >>>

Second Heart Surgery Costly to Medicare   06/29/2004
If you've had angioplasty to open a clogged heart artery, chances are you also had a stent implanted during the procedure to help ward off new blockages. More >>>

Gene Measurement Could Help Breast Cancer Treatment   06/29/2004
The activity of a gene called ALCAM may help doctors make early decisions about the best treatment for women with breast cancer. More >>>

HHS Awards $23 Million to Help Communities Provide Early HIV/AIDS Care   06/26/2004
Today’s awards include one new grant for $426,624 to Centra Health Inc., in Lynchburg, Va. The remaining 44 awards are competitive continuation grants for existing service areas. The grants help ensure that early HIV care is targeted to those communities that need it most, particularly in rural and remote areas and inner cities. In addition to counseling, testing and referral, and medical evaluation and clinical care, the grants also support oral health care, adherence counseling, nutritional counseling, outpatient mental health, outpatient substance abuse, and appropriate referral for specialty and subspecialty care. More >>>

Science Finds Clue to Stopping Cancer's Spread   06/25/2004
Cancer cells commandeer a normally dormant protein to aid their spread to other organs, a new study has found. More >>>

Medicare to Extend Access to Certain Drugs for Beneficiaries with Serious and Chronic Illnesses   06/25/2004
HS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new Medicare demonstration program that will save seniors and persons with disabilities substantial money -- up to 90 percent in some cases -- on the life-enhancing medicines they take for serious diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. More >>>

Few Women Comply with Mammogram Guidelines   06/24/2004
Findings from a new study indicate that only 6 percent of women get a screening mammogram every year starting at age 40 as recommended by the American Cancer Society. Because annual screening has been shown to improve breast cancer survival, such underuse is particularly concerning More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   06/22/2004
June 20 -26, 2004 More >>>

New Scanner May Improve Cancer Care   06/22/2004
In cancer diagnosis and treatment, pinpointing the stage to which a tumor has progressed is critical. Now, scientists in Germany say a new integrated PET/CT scanner is more effective at staging tumors than either PET (positron emission tomography) or CT (computed tomography) alone. More >>>

HHS Announces Appointments to New Commission on Needs of the Low-Income in the New Medicare Drug Benefit   06/19/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the appointment of 24 members to serve on the State Pharmaceutical Assistance Transition Commission (SPATC). The commission was mandated by the new Medicare reform law to assure that low-income Medicare beneficiaries who now get their drugs through state-sponsored programs will not see their benefits reduced or their paperwork increased. More >>>

HHS Awards $849 Million to Improve Public Health Preparedness   06/18/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced an additional $849 million in awards to states, territories, and four major metropolitan areas to strengthen the ability of government and public health agencies to respond to bioterror attacks, infectious diseases and natural disasters. More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   06/16/2004
June 12 - Jun 19, 2004 More >>>

NIH Launches Expanded Health Information Web Site   06/16/2004
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pleased to announce the launch of an expanded health information Web site, available on the World Wide Web at: http://health.nih.gov/. More >>>

National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society Co-Sponsor Second Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference   06/12/2004
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) announce the second biennial cancer survivorship research conference, "Cancer Survivorship: Pathways to Health After Treatment," which will take place in Washington, D.C., on June 17-18, 2004. The conference will bring together researchers from across several fields, including healthcare professionals, community-based advocates, state public health planners, and cancer survivors and their families, to focus on innovative research findings and to network with multidisciplinary experts who are committed to the advancement of survivorship research. More >>>

Women Need More Mammograms, Study Finds   06/11/2004
Training more technicians to do mammograms and making it easier for women to get them will do far more to prevent breast cancer deaths in the near future than new technology, the Institute of Medicine reported on Thursday. More >>>

Renal Physicians and NIH Release Web Tool to Coordinate Care for Kidney Patients   06/09/2004
The Renal Physicians Association (RPA) and the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) announced today the availability of a Nephrology Consult Letter Template, a new web-based tool to improve coordination of care for kidney patients. More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   06/09/2004
June 6 - June 12, 2004 More >>>

Symptoms of 'Silent Killer' Not So Quiet - Study   06/09/2004
Ovarian cancer, called the silent killer because it often goes undetected, does have pronounced symptoms if doctors and patients would only heed them, researchers said on Tuesday More >>>

New Breast Cancer Drug Saves Lives   06/09/2004
A new class of breast cancer drugs that women can take after the standard five years of tamoxifen therapy saves lives as well as preventing the return of tumors, researchers from Canada reported on Tuesday. More >>>

U.S. 2003 Health Cost Rises Slowed, But Still High   06/09/2004
The pace of growth in medical costs eased significantly in 2003, but still bounded well ahead of economic expansion, making it among the biggest burdens facing corporate America, a report released on Wednesday said. More >>>

New Drugs Offer Hope of Controlling Kidney Cancer   06/07/2004
Four new or experimental drugs that cause only mild side effects showed far better ability in clinical trials to control advanced kidney cancer than results typically seen with older, more-toxic treatments, researchers said on Sunday. More >>>

Had enough? Docs call for single payer   06/07/2004
What will it take to make us riled enough to insist on affordable health care? More >>>

Medicare Unveils Drug-Discount Card Program   06/02/2004
Today's the day the new Medicare-approved drug-discount card program takes effect. But so far seniors haven't rushed to sign up. More >>>

HHS Secretary Urges Seniors to Sign Up for Discount Cards   06/02/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today urged people with Medicare to take advantage of real savings on their prescription medicines by signing up for Medicare-approved drug discount cards. The cards offer savings of 10 to 25 percent or more for beneficiaries who do not have good drug coverage now, and low-income beneficiaries also qualify for discounts and a $1,200 credit over the next 18 months to help pay for prescriptions. More >>>

Health and Human Services Weekly Report   06/02/2004
More >>>

Confusion Surrounds Medicare Drug Discount Card Program   05/28/2004
If you're 65 or older, you may be wondering whether Medicare's new prescription drug discount card program, which takes effect June 1, is right for you. More >>>

HHS Announces New Collaborative Enrollment Initiative to Help Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Sign Up for Drug Discount Card   05/28/2004
New Funding and Partnership Included in Initiative More >>>

Studies Show Drug Prices Rising Rapidly   05/26/2004
Changes in Medicare will do little to shield older Americans from drug prices that are going up much faster than inflation, say two groups pressing for lower drug prices. More >>>

Department of Health and Human Services Weekly Report   05/25/2004
May 24 - 29, 2004 More >>>

Democrats Demand Payback of Illegal Medicare Videos   05/22/2004
U.S. Senate and House Democrats on Thursday introduced legislation to require the Bush administration to repay the estimated $43,000 cost of "video news releases" that the General Accounting Office says violated a federal law against the use of government funds for "publicity or propaganda." But Administration officials insist that there was nothing inappropriate about the videos and they intend to take no action in light of the finding. More >>>

Senate Briefing on Special Session Budget   05/22/2004
Budget bill as passed by the House and Senate on May 7, 2004 More >>>

HMOs to Cost Medicare $2.75 Bln Extra in '04- Rpt   05/20/2004
A new law encouraging private health insurers to bid for Medicare business will cost the government $2.75 billion more this year than a fully government-run program, a nonprofit group reported on Thursday. More >>>

Rising Co-Payments Prompt Some to Forego Medications   05/19/2004
Even if you have insurance, rising co-payments may make you feel that some prescription medications are just too expensive for you. More >>>

HHS Weekly Report    05/18/2004
More >>>

Dems Want Drug Panel to Speed Up Guidance   05/15/2004
Speed it up, Democratic governors and lawmakers are telling a Bush administration task force that is looking at legalizing prescription drug imports. More >>>

House Backs Two Health Bills on 'Uninsured Week'   05/13/2004
The House of Representatives approved two Republican-backed bills on Wednesday aimed at making health care more affordable, addressing what opinion polls have shown is one of the top concerns of voters this election year. More >>>

Medicare to Expand Heart Pump Coverage - Thoratec   05/12/2004
Proposed Medicare rules would add 30 percent to coverage for Thoratec Corp.'s More >>>

HHS Weekly Report   05/12/2004
May 9-15, 2004 More >>>

Scientists Find New Way to Attack TB   05/11/2004
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered a new way to attack tuberculosis, which could lead to more effective antibiotics. More >>>

U.S. Uninsured Health Care Cost Put at $125 Billion   05/11/2004
The cost of providing health care for U.S. citizens who have no insurance will total $125 billion this year, with taxpayers and private entities footing most of the bill, a report issued on Monday said. More >>>

Warner 'raising the bar' on FAMIS enrollment   05/11/2004
he goal is to have 6,000 more children insured by September More >>>

Drugmakers Fail to Address Cancer in Children   05/10/2004
Drugmakers are brimming these days with news about new cancer drugs offering advances in fighting the disease. More >>>

Budget vote ends longest Assembly in modern history   05/08/2004
The House and Senate overwhelmingly passed a new state budget Friday, finally ending a historic impasse over taxation and funding for state government. More >>>

Medicare Drug Card Fight Obscures Benefit   05/08/2004
he new Medicare discount drug cards' clear benefit for low-income seniors is being drowned out in the partisan political tussle about their value, advocates for the elderly say. More >>>

A budget at last   05/08/2004
It boosts sales tax by a half-cent, raises the cigarette levy and caps the phaseout of the car-tax cut More >>>

Schools, colleges, police, Medicaid recipients win in budget   05/07/2004
f you go to public schools or colleges, wear a badge or need state help to care for family members in nursing homes or local mental health centers, you're a winner in the new budget legislators will vote on Friday. More >>>

Support for Canadian Drug Imports Hits Groundswell   05/07/2004
A fierce momentum began building this week to legalize the importation of prescription drugs from Canada to the United States, and even those who oppose the move now admit they may not be able to stop it. More >>>

Negotiators strike spending deal   05/06/2004
Legislative budget negotiators agreed Wednesday on a two-year, $59 billion spending plan that will send a jolt of new state aid to public schools and colleges, expand health care services and boost pay for state troopers and deputies. More >>>

AGs Call for Prescription Drug Importation   05/06/2004
Attorneys general from 18 states, including Connecticut, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson on Wednesday, asking him to allow states to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada. More >>>

Negotiators fail to clear hurdles that block budget   05/05/2004
The future of Portsmouth’s jail and aid for low-income preschoolers are among a handful of pesky obstacles that are preventing state budget negotiators from sealing a deal . More >>>

Average Blood Pressure Levels On Rise Among American Children/Teenagers   05/05/2004
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels for children and teenagers have risen substantially since 1988, according to a new study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study links part of the rise to a concurrent increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. More >>>

Education would get boost with budget   05/04/2004
Budget negotiators may recommend pumping millions from the historic state tax increase into new aid for public education, modest raises for government workers and another deposit in the state's emergency fund, sources said yesterday. More >>>

U.K. Pharmacy Filling U.S. Prescriptions   05/03/2004
A company that helps Americans order medication from Canada is teaming up with a British pharmacy to fill backordered prescriptions. More >>>

Medicare Drugs Web Site Has Inaccuracies   05/01/2004
Sponsors of the new Medicare drug discount card on Friday said some prices are wrong on the online prescription price comparison that the Bush administration rolled out a day earlier. More >>>

Budget talks will resume Monday   05/01/2004
A General Assembly vote on a new two-year state budget may not take place until Thursday. More >>>

Cancer Find May Help Shape Drug Treatment   04/30/2004
A gene test may one day help doctors predict just which lung cancer patients should try a new drug that helps some people significantly - but fails most. More >>>

Revised Definition Means Millions More Have Pre-Diabetes   04/30/2004
Pre-diabetes" -- a condition that raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke -- is far more common in America than previously believed, according to a new HHS estimate released today. About 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 40 to 74 -- or 41 million people -- currently have the condition, which is marked by blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. Many people with pre-diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years. More >>>

Stalemate ends while disagreements remain   04/29/2004
Nine senior lawmakers on Wednesday began pondering how best to spend $1.36 billion in new revenues from tax increases approved by the Virginia General Assembly this week. More >>>

Budget blockade busted   04/28/2004
Approval of $1 billion in new taxes means a budget now possible Approval of $1 billion in new taxes means end of process in sigh More >>>

Tax plan offers hope, hike   04/27/2004
Virginians would pay an extra half-cent on the dollar in sales taxes and never see the promised end to the car tax under a long-awaited compromise approved by Senate leaders Monday. More >>>

Critical votes on budget looming   04/26/2004
The Senate Finance Committee and the full Senate will take their turns at ending the prolonged budget stalemate this week. More >>>

Many senior advocates chilly about new Medicare card   04/26/2004
Grim silence greeted pleas that senior advocates at a recent national aging convention help the government sign up seniors for one of the new Medicare prescription-drug discount cards More >>>

Lawmakers set to reveal new tax-hike plan Monday   04/24/2004
group of legislators trying to fashion a tax-hike compromise says it will unveil its plan on Monday. The group is expected to propose about $980 million in sales, cigarette and real estate deed tax increases over the next two years. More >>>

Feds Approves Medicaid Drug Program   04/23/2004
The government Thursday approved a joint drug-buying program between five states that has saved millions of dollars in prescription costs, a decision that could lead other states to form similar agreements. More >>>

Medicare Will Police New Drug Cards   04/23/2004
As the Medicare program expands its benefits, particularly with new coverage of prescription drugs, "we know we need to be ready for those who would take advantage," Medicare Administrator Mark McClellan said at an event to highlight fraud-fighting efforts. More >>>

HHS Approves First-Ever Multi-State Purchasing Pools for Medicaid Drug Programs   04/23/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved plans by five states to pool their collective purchasing power to gain deeper discounts on prescription medicines for their state programs. The multi-state purchasing pool plans approved today include Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska and Nevada. This is the first time in the history of the Medicaid program that states have worked together in this manner. More >>>

Bipartisan Senate Team Unveils Drug Import Bill   04/22/2004
Leading U.S. senators on Wednesday unveiled a bipartisan bill that would let Americans import cheaper U.S.-approved prescription drugs from abroad. More >>>

House, Senate to resume work   04/22/2004
The House and Senate, having failed for 100 days to produce a state budget, yesterday quarreled over a schedule for returning to work on taxes and spending. More >>>

Study: Doctors Often Pick Costlier Drugs   04/21/2004
Doctors often prescribe newer, more expensive drugs for high blood pressure instead of the ones recommended under medical guidelines, and the practice is costing the nation more than $1 billion a year, researchers say. More >>>

Senate pushes back budget vote   04/20/2004
A proposed budget compromise has fallen through again. More >>>

Study to Test Hormone Benefits in Younger Women   04/19/2004
Researchers hoping to find some benefits from hormone replacement therapy said on Sunday they were launching a trial in younger women to see if it protects them from heart disease. More >>>

Assembly to convene on budget   04/19/2004
Lawmakers hope this week will lead to some budging on the impasse between House, Senate More >>>

Medicare Seeks More Access to Drug Cards   04/18/2004
The Medicare program is taking steps to make it easier for low-income Americans to sign up for Medicare-approved prescription drug discount cards. More >>>

Nurse performance database being proposed   04/18/2004
Hospitals would be required to report disciplinary action against nurses to a federal database and then check that registry before hiring health care workers under a bill detailed Thursday. More >>>

Senate considering car tax cap to end state budget stalemate   04/17/2004
A state budget agreement may hinge on the House of Delegates? willingness to drop its commitment to end the car tax, several state Senate leaders said Friday. More >>>

HHS Names Executive Director for White House Conference on Aging   04/17/2004
Former Virginia Department on Aging Commissioner Ann Y. McGee, Ed.D., will serve executive director for the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. More >>>

HHS Awards Additional $9 Million to Help States Develop Aging and Disability Resource Centers   04/17/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 12 grants totaling nearly $9 million to support state efforts to create "one stop" centers to help consumers learn about and access long-term supports ranging from in-home services to nursing facility care More >>>

House tax plan gets chilly reception from Senate panel   04/15/2004
A day after the House passed its first general tax increase in 18 years, the Senate Finance Committee today criticized the measure as falling far short of meeting the state's needs but took no action. More >>>

Sales tax to face House test   04/13/2004
State delegates are scheduled to vote today on a compromise tax plan that many hope will jump-start budget negotiations and end an impasse that has dragged 31 days past the General Assembly’s deadline. More >>>

More Frequent Mammograms Urged for High-Risk Women   04/13/2004
Annual mammograms may not be enough to detect malignancies in women with genetic mutations that increase their risk of developing breast cancer. More >>>

Agency to provide free health-emergency cards   04/13/2004
State health officials hope you have some room in your wallet, next to the video rental card and your driver's license, for a health-emergency card that lists your penicillin allergy and blood type. More >>>

New Drug Law's Cost Impact Debated    04/10/2004
s lawmakers squabble over just how much the new Medicare prescription drug package will cost, a team of government auditors in Philadelphia knows one thing: If history is any guide, it won't be a good deal for seniors or taxpayers. More >>>

House GOP to delay voting on budget bill   04/09/2004
Republican leaders of the House of Delegates said they will delay a vote on a compromise tax plan until Tuesday. More >>>

Drug May Help Prevent Irregular Heartbeat   04/09/2004
A calcium leak inside heart cells triggers a lethal type of irregular heartbeat and a drug that plugs the leak seems to prevent it, say scientists who hope the finding one day will help hundreds of thousands of people. More >>>

Half-cent tax increase set for vote   04/08/2004
A House panel revived a Republican bill today that boosts sales taxes by one-half cent and would generate nearly $1 billion in new revenue just as efforts to draft a new two-year budget appeared on the verge of collapse. More >>>

Hope dashed in House panel for budget plan   04/07/2004
A tax plan many lawmakers viewed as their best hope for a budget compromise failed to make it out of a committee in the House of Delegates Tuesday, dashing expectations that a 25-day stalemate would end this week. More >>>

Some Doctors Choosing Cash Over Insurance   04/05/2004
When Chuck O'Brien visits his doctor, they talk about his aches and pains, his heart problems and his diet, but never about his health insurance. That's because Dr. Vern Cherewatenko is one of a small but growing number of physicians across the country who are dumping complicated insurance contracts in favor of cash. More >>>

House to try again on budget   04/05/2004
Caucus meeting set; GOP lawmakers seek to resolve differences More >>>

House speaker proposes make-or-break vote on taxes   04/03/2004
House Speaker William J. Howell on Friday challenged delegates favoring tax increases to a showdown vote on the House floor next week that could decide the fate of General Assembly’s impasse on approving a new state budge More >>>

HHS Offers More Information About Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards   04/02/2004
HHS Offers More Information About Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards New Tools For Choosing Medicare-Approved Discount Cards Available More >>>

Computer Program Predicts Heart Attack Risk   04/02/2004
A new computer program can help predict patients' risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke over 10 years, doctors said on Friday. More >>>

Tax hike looking better to some House lawmakers   04/02/2004
Anxious over the protracted budget stalemate, Republican members of the House of Delegates are intensifying behind-the-scenes efforts to reach a compromise, and a growing number are publicly signaling they are willing to support a half-cent sales tax increase. More >>>

Many Not Having Mammograms Under Medicare   04/01/2004
ix years after Medicare began paying for an annual mammogram for women over 40, only 51.8 percent of the eligible women over 50 had at least one mammogram in 2001 or 2002, according to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That translates to about 7.6 million women nationwide. More >>>

GOP delegates say proposed plan would stop shutdown   03/31/2004
Republican leaders in the House of Delegates proposed a stopgap budget Tuesday they said could be used to avoid a government shutdown and protect localities if ongoing negotiations fail to yield a compromise on taxes and spending. More >>>

AARP: Tax statement 'untrue'   03/31/2004
Group labels the mailings by some House Republicans as 'scare tactics' at seniors More >>>

Welfare Rolls Drop Again   03/31/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the number of families and individuals receiving assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program continues to decline and urged the United States Senate to act quickly to reauthorize the landmark welfare reform program. More >>>

States Look to Maine on Health Care Plan   03/30/2004
Other states have tried - and failed - to create universal health care. Now Maine intends to show them how it's done. More >>>

Don't expect federal help   03/30/2004
Facing a budget impasse and tough economic times, Gov. Mark R. Warner won't be able to get much help from the federal government, Virginia's congressional delegation told Warner yesterday. More >>>

Budget negotiators from House agree to more for health care   03/26/2004
State lawmakers said Thursday they are making some progress in backroom budget talks, but they admitted that they are still miles apart on how much to raise taxes. More >>>

Medicare Allows Drug Discount Card Offers   03/26/2004
Seniors can get help finding the best prescription drug discount card for their needs beginning next month, when Medicare expects to release detailed information about the costs of approved programs. More >>>

Doctors will have to train elsewhere   03/26/2004
Budget uncertainty and loss of sponsor force office to stop admitting medical residents More >>>

Budget logjam muddies waters   03/25/2004
State employees forced to take unpaid vacations. Troopers yanked off the highways. Patients at government hospitals untreated. Department of Motor Vehicle offices dark. Virginia defaults on bond-backed debt. More >>>

Medicare Seen Insolvent by 2019   03/24/2004
The fund that pays hospital benefits to the U.S. elderly is expected to become insolvent in 2019, seven years earlier than predicted, a report on the Medicare system said on Tuesday. More >>>

Warner revives tax proposal   03/24/2004
Gov. Mark R. Warner revived his moribund plan yesterday for boosts in sales and income taxes, arguing that he sees no other way to break the budget deadlock in the GOP-dominated General Assembly. More >>>

HHS Names Members to Task Force on Drug Importation   03/24/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson named 13 people to serve on the new Task Force on Drug Importation that is exploring how drug importation might be conducted safely and its potential impact on the health of American patients, medical costs and the development of new medicines. More >>>

Breast Cancer Drug Underused, Study Says   03/23/2004
The drug tamoxifen has been shown to cut breast cancer risk by nearly 50 percent, yet many women at high risk of the disease are not taking the medication. More >>>

No, Va., there is no budget   03/22/2004
Cranky lawmakers went home last night for several days of rest and recreation, still stumbling toward springtime reruns of their standoff over the Virginia budget. More >>>

Nurse Staffing Companies Eye Rebound   03/22/2004
There's good news about the nursing shortage: Some companies that supply nurses quickly for hospitals in need are diagnosing a healthier market after an 18-month shakeout. More >>>

House panel pushes for voters’ OK of higher taxes   03/20/2004
The 66-day budget stalemate in the General Assembly showed no signs of ending Friday as Republicans in the House of Delegates stepped up efforts to require voter approval for sales and income tax increases. More >>>

Government Warns of Drug Card Scams   03/19/2004
For many Americans, the government's new Medicare drug discount card will be a way to save money. For a few, it is a way to make money - by scamming seniors. More >>>

Study supports cigarette tax rise   03/19/2004
A 50-cent increase in Virginia's cigarette excise tax could produce a net gain of jobs in the state, according to a study commissioned by a tobacco-control group. More >>>

New Senate budget plan drops gasoline-tax increase   03/18/2004
The Senate, looking to break a chronic budget impasse with the House of Delegates, dropped a proposed gasoline tax increase but retained sales, income and cigarette taxes in drafting a new budget Wednesday. More >>>

Medicare Weighs Defibrillator Coverage   03/18/2004
Medicare is considering expanding coverage for expensive cardiac defibrillators that are surgically implanted, following a government-funded study that showed the technology significantly reduced deaths in patients with even mild heart disease. More >>>

Assembly adjourns without budget   03/17/2004
The General Assembly adjourned Tuesday without passing a state budget, only to have Gov. Mark R. Warner order them back to their seats to start a new legislative session today. More >>>

Health Chief Seeks Medicare Cost Dispute Probe   03/17/2004
The U.S. health secretary, facing charges of administration misconduct surrounding the hotly debated Medicare prescription drug law, requested a probe on Tuesday into treatment of a government expert who reportedly said he was threatened with dismissal. More >>>

New Test to Become Available for Breast Cancer   03/17/2004
A new diagnostic tool for breast cancer that will allow doctors to look at the genetic make-up of tumors to personalize treatment could be available later this year, researchers said on Wednesday. More >>>

Virginia faces shortage of qualified nurses,council tells lawmakers   03/17/2004
Virginia should invest an additional $19 million annually into the state's nursing colleges to avoid a massive shortfall of nurses that threatens to erode the quality of health care, according to an ambitious plan approved Tuesday by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. More >>>

HHS Names Members to Task Force on Drug Importation   03/17/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today named 13 people to serve on the new Task Force on Drug Importation that is exploring how drug importation might be conducted safely and its potential impact on the health of American patients, medical costs and the development of new medicines. More >>>

The Flip-Flop Files    03/16/2004
New Findings Keep Overturning Medical Advice. Here Are 11 of the Latest -- but Surely Not Final -- Recommendations More >>>

Budget compromise boosts spending but not revenue   03/16/2004
A compromise budget proposal the House had promised to break a legislative logjam contained marginal spending increases that fell well short of the Senate's position but did nothing to generate additional revenue. More >>>

Physician assistants, nurse practitioners find boom in employment   03/16/2004
Physician assistants and another group of health providers who provide primary care – nurse practitioners – have enjoyed a boom in employment during the past decade. In Virginia alone, the number of certified physician assistants has grown from 208 in 1992 to 981 this year. More >>>

2003 Drug Spending Up Despite Pressure to Cut Costs    03/16/2004
Drug spending in Canada and the United States rose 11 percent last year to $230 billion, accounting for nearly half of all worldwide sales, according to data released yesterday by IMS Health, an international consulting firm that specializes in monitoring the pharmaceutical industry. More >>>

Latest budget talks end abruptly   03/15/2004
Talks toward a compromise Virginia budget ended abruptly after 22 minutes last night, with House negotiators promising a plan today in the protracted stalemate over taxing and spending that has pushed the 2004 General Assembly into overtime. More >>>

Mobile clinics tend working poor   03/15/2004
If some uninsured residents are wondering what health-care options are available to them, the answer could come in the form of a 34-foot Gulf Stream coach. More >>>

Lacking Accord, Va. Lawmakers Extend Session   03/14/2004
Virginia lawmakers acknowledged Saturday that they could not agree on a state budget by their deadline and took the extraordinary step of extending the General Assembly session, although they remained pessimistic about bridging their deep divide over higher taxes. More >>>

HHS Increases Funding to Educate Seniors and Disabled Americans About New Improvements to Medicare   03/10/2004
SHIPs Help Beneficiaries Navigate the Medicare System More >>>

Negotiators get to work   03/05/2004
Finally sitting down at the same table, nine delegates and senators took a largely symbolic first step yesterday toward finding common ground on a new Virginia budget before the March 13 adjournment. More >>>

House budget negotiator says there won't be a tax referendum   03/04/2004
House budget negotiators today dropped a demand that part of the state budget be linked to passage of a statewide tax referendum. More >>>

Cancer Patients Brace for Medicare Changes   03/04/2004
Patients and doctors are bracing for major changes in the way the government pays for treating cancer, with concerns that patients will have to wait in long hospital lines to receive chemotherapy or will be denied expensive but effective new drugs. More >>>

Medicaid Takes Increasing Toll    03/03/2004
Rising Costs for Services Spur A Yearly Struggle to Fund Program More >>>

House issues ultimatum to Senate and governor   03/03/2004
Republican leaders in the House of Delegates issued an ultimatum Tuesday to Gov. Mark R. Warner and the state Senate: Hold a statewide vote on tax increases, or face deadlock on the budget. More >>>

Proposal to ease health mandates referred for study   03/02/2004
Printer Friendly Version Email This Story Proposal to ease health mandates referred for study BY TAMMIE SMITH TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 2, 2004 A Senate committee yesterday referred for further study a bill that would let businesses offer health plans without many of the benefits that the state mandates that health plans include. More >>>

House speaker appoints tax foes to budget team   02/28/2004
The House's five-man budget negotiating team will strongly oppose any general tax increases to balance the state's two-year spending blueprint More >>>

Poll Shows Americans Confused by Medicare Changes   02/27/2004
American seniors are keenly interested in the new Medicare bill signed into law last December, but more than two-thirds are confused about it, according to a survey released on Thursday. More >>>

New Type of Cancer Drug Approved    02/27/2004
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved Avastin, the first drug to battle cancers by blocking their blood supply, vindicating a 40-year-old medical theory once ridiculed as absurd. More >>>

House, Senate pass radically different budgets   02/27/2004
The state Senate and House of Delegates set the stage Thursday for grueling negotiations by adopting starkly contrasting budgets. More >>>

HHS ANNOUNCES TASK FORCE ON DRUG IMPORTATION   02/27/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the creation of a task force to advise and assist HHS in determining how drug importation might be conducted safely and its potential impact, positive and negative, on the health of American patients, medical costs and the development of new medicines. More >>>

Va. House panel kills $3.8 billion tax increase bills   02/26/2004
The House's tax-writing Finance Committee on Wednesday killed two Senate bills that would have imposed about $3.8 billion in new state taxes, including a 1-cent boost in the sales tax and increasing the nation's lowest cigarette tax. More >>>

Budget Conferees Prepare to Square Off    02/24/2004
Virginia's battle over taxes and spending is entering a critical and unpredictable phase in the General Assembly as a handful of lawmakers prepare to negotiate in secret and the role of the governor who launched the debate is uncertain. More >>>

Virginia's Budget Battle    02/23/2004
In December, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) proposed a $59 billion, two-year budget. The House and the Senate amended that budget yesterday with very different results. Here are some highlights. More >>>

Va. House and Senate Diverge on Budgets    02/23/2004
-- The Republican-controlled House and Senate presented very different budgets Sunday, offering Virginians a stark choice between a state government that seeks to meet basic obligations and one that promises to improve and expand services. More >>>

No common ground on taxes   02/22/2004
House and Senate committees today disclose Virginia budgets from parallel universes. More >>>

Medicaid changes pinch Va   02/21/2004
Dennis G. Smith was Virginia's top Medicaid official when the state hatched a plan to collect a quarter-billion dollars in federal aid through a loophole that the government couldn't close fast enough. More >>>

Senate passes tax increases   02/21/2004
The state Senate voted for the largest tax increase in Virginia history yesterday, then voted to give a tax break to one of Virginia's largest and most profitable corporations. More >>>

Bush Picks FDA Chief to Run Medicare, Drug Plan   02/21/2004
President Bush on Friday nominated the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Mark McClellan, to run the agency that oversees Medicare and its new prescription drug program for the elderly. More >>>

Va. Senate Endorses Tax Jump    02/20/2004
The Republican-controlled Virginia Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to a two-year, $3.6 billion tax increase, joining GOP lawmakers in the House of Delegates by embracing higher taxes to solve the state's financial problems. More >>>

Researchers: New Vaccine Can Stop Lung Cancer    02/20/2004
-- An experimental vaccine wiped out lung cancer in some patients and slowed its spread in others in a small but promising study, researchers say. More >>>

Critics of mandates push bill   02/19/2004
As a small-business owner, Del. Daniel W. Marshall III, R-Danville, grapples annually with rising health-insurance costs for the 150 employees of the family-run business, Marshall Concrete Products Inc. More >>>

Va. Senate Panel Seeks $1.8 Billion Tax Increase    02/18/2004
-- A key Senate committee passed a plan Tuesday that would raise Virginia's taxes by $1.8 billion each year but backs away from proposals to completely repeal the car tax and to give county governments the ability to impose a local cigarette tax. More >>>

Va. House Proposes Heavier Tax On Business    02/17/2004
-- Republicans in Virginia's House of Delegates endorsed a plan Monday to end tax breaks for many businesses, joining Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) and the Senate's Republican leaders in calling for new revenue to balance the state's budget. More >>>

Medical-insurance legislation moves on   02/17/2004
Bills designed to keep high-risk doctors and hospitals insured and to dramatically amend a 17-year-old program for birth-injured children moved toward passage yesterday. More >>>

Revenue plan a work in progress   02/15/2004
Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr., R-Fairfax, had some harsh words for anti-tax Republicans last week: "You can't bury your head in the sand" about revenue increases, the senior budget-writer in the House of Delegates warned More >>>

Va. House GOP Willing to Revoke Some Tax Breaks    02/14/2004
-- Republican leaders in the House of Delegates offered a plan Friday to balance Virginia's budget by eliminating an array of business tax breaks, a proposal that startled Democrats, business leaders and lobbyists, many of whom have backed Gov. Mark R. Warner's plan for broader tax increases. More >>>

Medicare Law Hurts Cancer Patients    02/14/2004
A new Medicare payment system has prompted at least some cancer doctors around the country to drastically reduce the care they provide in their offices, disrupting treatment for many patients. More >>>

Va. Revenue Report To Trim Growth Outlook    02/13/2004
-- State finance officials are scheduled to report on Friday that revenue is growing more slowly than expected, according to sources close to Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), who say the report undercuts arguments by some Republican lawmakers that brisk economic growth will eliminate the need for tax increases. More >>>

Big Tobacco Fights Higher Cigarette Tax; VA Health Advocates, Lobbyists State Cases    02/12/2004
Tobacco companies and their allies mounted an organized counteroffensive Wednesday against efforts to raise Virginia's lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax, reminding lawmakers of the leaf's rich history in the commonwealth and imploring them to consider the industry's contribution to its economy. More >>>

State to help cover insurance cost?   02/12/2004
Taxpayers might have to foot the costs of some medical malpractice awards in Virginia under a plan sent to the Senate yesterday that would shift doctors' and hospitals' insurance problems to the state. More >>>

Va. Anti-Tax Groups Make Voices Heard    02/11/2004
Opponents of plans to raise taxes staged a rally at the state Capitol on Tuesday, promising that lawmakers who support tax increases this year will face the consequences when they seek reelection. More >>>

House GOP Boosts Medicare Law Publicity   02/11/2004
Republicans are stepping up their publicity campaign for the new Medicare law, acknowledging they have been slow to respond to Democratic criticism on an issue that both parties would like to use to win the votes of older Americans. More >>>

Tax Advocates Pressure House : VA Needs Don't Require Increases, GOP Delegates Respond   02/10/2004
Hundreds of Virginia teachers, students and labor leaders gathered at the state Capitol Monday, heeding the call from an organization closely aligned with Gov. Mark R. Warner's plan to raise state revenue to support education and health care. More >>>

Seniors Not Always Getting Best Medicine   02/10/2004
Inappropriate medications were prescribed for elderly patients during about 8 percent of outpatient visits, says an U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study in the Feb. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. More >>>

Va. Tax Plan Gains Momentum    02/07/2004
Two conservative icons of Virginia politics -- U.S. Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) and former U.S. senator Harry F. Byrd Jr. -- on Friday backed efforts by the state's Democratic governor to raise taxes. More >>>

Republicans Sink Warner Tax Proposal    02/05/2004
Republicans in the House of Delegates rejected Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner's tax plan Wednesday in a vote that sets up weeks of battles between the House and the Senate over Virginia's fiscal future. More >>>

Women's Heart Health Guidelines Issued    02/05/2004
Women and their doctors should work more aggressively to reduce the risk of heart disease, the American Heart Association said yesterday, emphasizing that efforts to prevent and treat the nation's leading killer of women have long lagged behind those for men. More >>>

Doctors, lawyers argue over malpractice limits   02/05/2004
Clad in white lab coats, more than 2,500 Virginia doctors marched to the Capitol on Wednesday and urged lawmakers to put new limits on medical malpractice awards. More >>>

HHS Unveils New Medicare Education Campaign   02/04/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today unveiled a nationwide education campaign to inform seniors with Medicare about the new benefits being offered to them. The first major segment of the education campaign is a television ad that will air nationwide starting today. More >>>

Doctors seek limit on damages   02/04/2004
Doctors carrying a legislative prescription for restraining malpractice-insurance premiums will descend on the Capitol today, but there's no certainty the remedy will work. More >>>

Tax bills before panel   02/04/2004
House tax-writers appear ready to bury any attempts to raise taxes to help balance the state budget and pay for critical state services, from public schools to health care for the poor. More >>>

Lawmakers warned not to defeat Warner plan   02/03/2004
The Warner administration yesterday told lawmakers that failure to endorse the governor's budget and major tax package could have devastating effects on their constituents. More >>>

House panel prepares to vote on governor’s tax proposal   02/03/2004
Pressure is building in the state Capitol as a House of Delegates panel prepares this week for the first votes on Gov. Mark R. Warner’s proposed tax increase. More >>>

Survey: Many back higher tobacco taxes   02/03/2004
For the second straight year, public-health groups have released an opinion poll showing strong support among Virginians for higher taxes on tobacco products. More >>>

Doctors to swarm Richmond   02/01/2004
Virginia's doctors will be in force as debate begins on a medical malpractice reform act. More >>>

Medicare Drug Cost Estimate Increases : Prescription Benefit's Price Tag Rise 33%   01/30/2004
The White House has concluded that adding prescription drug benefits to Medicare will cost one-third more than the $400 billion advertised by Congress and the administration when President Bush signed the bill into law less than two months ago, federal sources said yesterday. More >>>

Hospital board votes to close unit. Doctors who deliver babies in Northern Neck losing coverage   01/30/2004
A hospital board has voted to close the Northern Neck's only obstetrical unit because the private doctors who deliver babies there are losing their malpractice insurance coverage. More >>>

Health, environmental groups back Va. clean air bill   01/28/2004
Health and environmental groups on Tuesday urged the General Assembly to pass legislation requiring eight Virginia power plants to drastically reduce pollution. More >>>

Panel rejects Medicaid measure   01/28/2004
The House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee rejected legislation yesterday that would have made it state policy to adequately fund Medicaid and similar state-funded health care services and programs. More >>>

Doctors seek insurance-payment change   01/27/2004
As an emergency-medicine physician, Dr. Todd L. Vanden Hoek is obligated by law and by ethics to treat patients who show up at the emergency department. More >>>

Va. panel nixes buying prescription drugs from Canada   01/23/2004
A House committee on Thursday killed legislation that would have allowed the state to purchase inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada More >>>

Medical-liability changes urged   01/22/2004
A study of medical-malpractice premiums blames burdensome cost increases on hospital policies and suggests that Virginia doctors will not benefit as significantly from proposed legislation as long as those policies exist More >>>

Cuts Ahead If Va. Taxes Don't Rise, GOP Says. House Memo Identifites $1 Billion for Trimming    01/21/2004
Balancing Virginia's budget without a tax increase could require cutting aid to local governments, slashing funds for education, transportation, health care and public safety and dropping pay raises for state employees, according to an internal budget memo circulated among senior House Republicans. More >>>

Americans Concerned on Health   01/20/2004
Worries about the cost of health care have grown in the public's consciousness over the past two years and now rival their concerns about the economy, an Associated Press poll found. More >>>

45,000 People Quit AARP Over Medicare    01/17/2004
At least 45,000 people have quit the AARP over its support for Medicare legislation last year, association president William Novelli said Friday. More >>>

HHS Approves Michigan Request to Expand Coverage to Uninsured Adults   01/17/2004
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the approval of Michigan's request under the new, more flexible Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) Initiative to expand the use of SCHIP funds to offer health insurance to adults who are currently uninsured. More >>>

Warner touts medical care effort    01/15/2004
Sen. John Warner pledged Wednesday to help line up federal funding for the Patient Advocate Foundation, calling the Newport News-based group a national role model for its work breaking down barriers to medical care. More >>>

Panel Urges Health Care Coverage for All by 2010    01/15/2004
The United States must find a way to provide health care coverage to all Americans by 2010 to prevent more unnecessary suffering, death and economic costs to society, the National Academy of Sciences concluded yesterday. More >>>

More Firms to End Health Benefits for Retirees    01/15/2004
Twenty percent of large, private-sector U.S. employers will probably terminate health insurance benefits within the next three years for workers when they retire as medical costs continue to increase, a new study reported yesterday. More >>>

Familiar health issues on list   01/13/2004
Expect state legislators to debate many of the same health and medical issues they considered last year, the year before and in some cases, the year before that. More >>>

Doctors Head To Richmond   01/13/2004
Don’t plan a visit to your doctor Feb. 4. Chances are the office will be closed. Following the lead of physicians last year in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, doctors throughout Virginia are closing shop for the day to meet with state legislators in Richmond. More >>>

Drug Manager Sued Over Rebates, Prices   01/12/2004
-- Two New York labor groups are suing Express Scripts Inc., accusing the nation's third-largest manager of prescription drug plans of allegedly pocketing rebates and inflating drug prices, driving up health care costs in the state. More >>>

Health care to pose big challenge for state   01/12/2004
The massive public health-care program known as Medicaid pays for nearly half of all births in Virginia and two-thirds of nursing home residents, yet few people understand it. More >>>

Health Care Spending Increases for 6th Year    01/09/2004
Health care spending in the United States grew by 9.3 percent in 2002 over the previous year, driven by rising costs for hospitalization, physician services, home health care and especially prescription drugs. More >>>

For-Profit Insurers' Performance Assessed   01/08/2004
To researchers' surprise, a study found that for-profit health insurers are just as likely as not-for-profit ones to pay for costly operations for the elderly such as heart bypasses and knee replacements. More >>>

Hormone Rates Well Vs. Cardiac Arrest    01/08/2004
A hormone called vasopressin is clearly better at saving the lives of patients whose hearts have stopped than the drug doctors have been using for the past 100 years, according to a study that could transform the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. More >>>

Some Fear Women Lack Facts About Mammograms    01/06/2004
Nancy J. Newman didn't give it much thought when her doctor suggested she get a mammogram at age 40. But after it led to a needle biopsy, a lumpectomy and finally a mastectomy, Newman now wonders whether she should have gotten the exam in the first place. More >>>

Delegate proposes allowing Virginians to buy drugs from Canada   01/06/2004
A state legislator said today he will introduce a bill allowing Virginia to buy inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada, despite a federal ban on imported pharmaceuticals. More >>>

New Jersey becomes second US state to legalise stem cell research   01/06/2004
New Jersey has legalised stem cell research, becoming only the second US state to do so amid staunch opposition from anti-abortion activists and Catholic church leaders More >>>

VA Revises Priority for Doctor Visits   01/03/2004
Veterans needing medical help about health problems stemming from their military service will be scheduled first for nonemergency appointments under new rules announced Friday by the Department of Veterans Affairs. More >>>

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