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Job Seekers With Disabilities Face Discrimination At Application Stage, UK
In a snapshot survey published by Terrence Higgins Trust today, two thirds of top organisations were found to ask irrelevant health related questions on job application forms. A coalition of charities wants these questions banned to reduce the discrimination faced by people with "invisible" conditions such as mental illness or HIV.
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Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center And Rocky Mountain Hospital For Children At P/Sl Install Toshiba's Aquilion One Dynamic Volume CT
To continue to provide the most advanced care for adults, newborns and children across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region, Presbyterian/St. Luke"s Medical Center and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL have installed Toshiba"s Aquilion® ONE, the world"s first dynamic volume CT system. The hospital will use the Aquilion ONE to support its more than 80 specialties, including cardiology, neurology, oncology, diabetes management, orthopedics, pediatrics, emergency medicine and its nationally acclaimed wound healing/limb preservation program.
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Underweight And Very Severely Obese Patients At Risk Following Liver Transplantation
A recent study by doctors at the University of Washington explained that patients who are significantly underweight or very severely obese prior to liver transplantation are at increased risk of death following transplantation surgery. These findings, from the largest known observation of liver transplantation at the extremes of BMI, are published in the August issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Cardiovascular

House Committee Approves Reform Bill; Full House Debate Scheduled For After August Recess

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 31 approved its health care reform bill (HR 3200) by a 31-28 vote that was mostly along party lines, the AP/Seattle Times reports. Among the many amendments considered during the markup, the committee rejected an amendment offered by Reps. Joe Pitts (R-Pa) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) to prohibit government subsidies to any insurance plans that offers abortion coverage, effectively prohibiting abortion coverage for customers eligible for public premium assistance. The amendment was rejected by a 27-31 vote. Another provision approved on July 30 would neither require nor prohibit insurance companies from providing coverage for abortion services.The approved bill includes provisions limiting how much insurers can increase premiums and gives the federal government the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices under Medicaid. The provisions were part of an effort by Democrats on the committee to reconcile the demands of liberals and conservatives, the AP/Times reports. The bill also would require insurance companies to sell coverage to anyone seeking it, regardless of pre-existing conditions. The government would provide subsidies to lower-income families to help them afford policies. In addition, the legislation would establish health insurance exchanges offering a variety of insurance plans, where consumers with or without subsidies could purchase health insurance (Espo/Werner, AP/Seattle Times, 8/1).Five of the committee"s Democrats joined all 23 Republicans in opposing the measure, the Washington Post"s "Capitol Briefing" reports. The five Democrats who voted against the bill were Reps. John Barrow (Ga.), Rick Boucher (Va.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Charlie Melancon (La.) and Bart Stupak (Mich.) (Kane, "Capitol Briefing," Washington Post, 7/31).The committee was the last of three House panels to take action on the legislation, although the vote comes several weeks after the White House and Democratic leaders originally wanted, the AP/Times reports. The full House is expected to vote on the bill after policymakers return from their August recess.Although the House"s agenda has moved slower than party leaders had hoped, it still was faster than the action in the Senate, according to the AP/Times (AP/Seattle Times, 8/1). Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on July 30 announced that the panel will not mark up a health care reform bill this week after Republican negotiators urged that the speed of discussion in the Senate be slowed, the Post"s "44" reports. The announcement means that health care reform legislation will not be out of committee in both chambers before the summer recess (Pershing, "44," Washington Post, 7/31).Catholic Bishops Say That House Bill Could Expand Abortion Coverage In related news, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a letter to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee voiced its opposition to the reform bill, arguing that it could be used to require private health insurance plans to cover abortion services, the Post reports. The bill has been opposed by conservative Christian groups for weeks, with the groups arguing that it could be used to expand abortion rights, the Post reports.In the letter, Cardinal Justin Rigali -- chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities -- said the bill could increase federal funding for abortion services because some government funding would not be covered by the Hyde Amendment, which currently bans the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion services. Rigali also said the bill could overturn state laws that restrict access to abortion services, such as parental notification laws. In addition, Rigali said the bill should continue to ensure provider conscience rights to protect Catholic health care workers who refuse to provide abortion services based on their religious or moral beliefs (Washington Post, 8/1). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women"s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company. © 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.


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