Single-Payer Will End Religious Rights

U.S. District Judge Jean Hamilton ruled last week that the federal government cannot force Paul and Teresa Wieland - an American mom and dad - to violate their religious beliefs by compelling them to purchase a health insurance plan that covers sterilizations, contraceptives, and abortion-inducing drugs and devices. But in making the Obama administration's case that the government should be able to do so, lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department made a telling claim: A single-payer health care system would effectively put a stop to such arguments in defense of religious liberty.

Court Decision Leaves Undocumented Immigrants’ Health Care Options In Limbo

Erica Torres is one of the estimated 1.4 million Californians who live without health insurance largely because they are undocumented. She was hopeful when President Barack Obama expanded deportation-relief programs for undocumented immigrants - a controversial move that would have put government-subsidized health care within her reach.

No HIV Screenings for Refugees in Past 6 Years

None of the estimated 400,000 refugees who have entered the United States since 2010 were screened for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in their overseas medical screenings, thanks to a change in federal regulations made by the Obama administration that year. Even though all refugees are encouraged to participate in an initial domestic medical screening that does include HIV testing within 90 days of entering the country, no one knows how many HIV positive refugees have arrived in the United States in the subsequent six and a half years, since participation in these screenings is voluntary and a significant percentage of refugees simply choose not to be screened.

Humana stock price continues to fall amid merger fears 8:10 am…

Humana's stock price fell by 2.6% Monday because of investors' fears that the U.S. Justice Department will try to squash Aetna's $37 billion takeover of the insurer. Humana's stock descent began in earnest last week after antitrust trade publication MLex cited sources who said the Justice Department was skeptical about the Aetna-Humana deal and potentially was ready to sue to block it.

Abortion foes promote fetal-pain laws

Stung by the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned Texas abortion clinic restrictions, leaders of the country's largest anti-abortion group are redoubling their efforts for restrictions on abortion that they claim will prevent fetal pain and that they think can fare well in the public eye and, they hope, in the courts. The National Right to Life Committee's leaders said they remained confident in their strategy of undermining Roe v.

How they voted: Longmont-area congressional votes for July 5-8, 2016

Along with roll call votes this week, the House also passed the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act , to improve access to durable medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries; passed the Senior Safe Act , to provide immunity from suit for certain individuals who disclose potential examples of financial exploitation of senior citizens; ... (more)

Senior Citizen Group Endorses Hillary Clinton

Citing her commitment to expand Social Security, strengthen Medicare and rein in prescription drug prices, the executive board of the Alliance for Retired Americans voted to endorse Hillary Clinton for president. "Hillary Clinton has been a champion for retirees throughout her distinguished career.

Legal Medical Marijuana Saves Medicare $165 Million

States that legalized medical marijuana -- which is sometimes recommended for symptoms like chronic pain, anxiety or depression -- saw declines in the number of Medicare prescriptions for drugs used to treat those conditions and a dip in spending by Medicare Part D, which covers the cost on prescription medications, according to new research. Because the prescriptions for drugs like opioid painkillers and antidepressants and associated Medicare spending on those drugs fell in states where marijuana could feasibly be used as a replacement, researchers said it appears likely legalization led to a drop in prescriptions.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets the crowd and…

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets the crowd and signs autographs during a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center, Wednesday, July 6, 2016, in Cincinnati. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets the crowd and signs autographs during a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center, Wednesday, July 6, 2016, in Cincinnati.

Details emerge in whistleblower suit against Ontario-based Prime Healthcare

ONTARIO >> Ontario-based Prime Healthcare medical group responded Wednesday to news the federal government is joining a Medicare fraud lawsuit against the company, denying charges it admitted patients needlessly. The U.S. Department of Justice in June announced it was intervening in an employee's whistleblower lawsuit against the company, which owns and operates 14 hospitals throughout the state, including facilities in San Dimas, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Inglewood and Encino.

Public Health Matters Blog – Global Health Security: How is the U.S. doing?

The Joint External Evaluation Team joins U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture colleagues in front of the Humphrey Building, Washington DC, May 2016 At first glance, this photo taken on a set of concrete steps in Washington, D.C., may look like an ordinary group shot-but it took an extraordinary series of events to make it happen. The photo shows colleagues from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture standing alongside a team of 15 international experts from 13 different countries, known as the Joint External Evaluation Team .

Editorial Roundup: Bloomberg View a ” Congress plays partisan politics while Zika spreads

Congress is giving the Aedes aegypti mosquito every chance to gain an advantage in the fight against the Zika virus. No one knows exactly when the first such mosquito will transmit the virus inside the U.S., but it might happen before lawmakers manage to pass a bill to pay for its prevention and control.

New study estimates cost involved in training Teaching Health Center residents

A new study reveals that the average cost to train a Teaching Health Center resident is estimated to be $157,602 per year. The report, "The Cost of Residency Training in Teaching Health Centers", published by the New England Journal of Medicine comes as current Teaching Health Centers embark on what could be their last year in existence starting July 1, 2016.

Suffocating in fact-free cocoons

Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin were operating in a "fact-free cocoon" of partisan prejudice when they claimed that voter fraud was a major problem in their state, wrote federal judge Richard Posner in 2014. "If the Wisconsin legislature says witches are a problem, shall Wisconsin courts be permitted to conduct witch trials?" Posner is a conservative appointed by Ronald Reagan.