Healthcare update

50 U.S. Health Care Statistics That Will Absolutely Astonish You

A tumor that could provide the key to making zombies

30 Years In, We Are Still Learning From AIDS

Stem cells for broken hearts
Early work on bone marrow cells to heal fragile hearts showed only modest effects. But new research looks at different types of stem cells. 'We're trying to tear pages out of nature's playbook,' says a Chicago cardiologist.

At least 600,000 young adults join parents' health plans under new law

Health insurers must soon justify 10%-plus premium hikes

The new Obama administration rule taking effect in September doesn't allow state regulators to reject rate increases deemed unreasonable, but it requires insurers to explain the reasons for such hikes to the public.

Health insurers will be required to justify annual premium increases of 10% or more to state regulators starting in September under a new rule issued by the Obama administration.
Federal officials, pointing out that the average cost of health insurance has more than doubled over the last decade, said the effort would help states curb unreasonable rate proposals for millions of individual insurance buyers and small businesses.
The new rule will allow regulators to review rate hikes but does not give them authority to reject those found to be unreasonable. It also requires insurers to explain the reasons for increases of 10% or more to the public and to post the justifications on the Internet.

Aetna to scale back health insurance rate hikes

Blue Shield CEO Bruce Bodaken earned $4.6 million last year

Blue Shield, California's largest nonprofit health insurer, releases the salary data in response to a new state law intended to keep healthcare insurance costs under control.
For the first time, California's largest nonprofit health insurer has released the salaries of its 10 highest-paid executives in response to a new state law intended to keep healthcare insurance costs under control.
The top earner at Blue Shield of California was Chief Executive Bruce Bodaken, who made $4.6 million last year — more than four times the salary of his counterpart at the state's largest for-profit insurer, Anthem Blue Cross.

UCSF, Stanford autism study shows surprises

Environmental factors play a more important role in causing autism than previously assumed and, surprisingly, an even larger role than genetics, according to a new study out of UCSF and Stanford that could force a dramatic swing in the focus of research into the developmental disorder.
The study, published in Monday's issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, looked at 192 pairs of twins in California and, using a mathematical model, found that genetics account for about 38 percent of the risk of autism, and environmental factors account for about 62 percent.
Previous twin studies had suggested that autism was highly inheritable, with genetics accounting for roughly 90 percent of all cases worldwide. As such, much recent research into autism has focused on tracking down the genes and unlocking the complex genetic codes that are associated with autism.

Administration Offers Health Care Cuts as Part of Budget Negotiations

Obama administration officials are offering to cut tens of billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid in negotiations to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the depth of the cuts depends on whether Republicans are willing to accept any increases in tax revenues.
Administration officials and Republican negotiators say the money can be taken from health care providers like hospitals and nursing homes without directly imposing new costs on needy beneficiaries or radically restructuring either program.