Three Years Post-Katrina, New Orleans Faces Growing Healthcare Crisis As America turns its attention toward New Orleans on the third anniversary of the Katrina disaster, the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) is releasing a video that conveys the impact of a second disaster facing the city - the collapse of its healthcare system.

California Health Officials Seek Suspension Of Injunction Against Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rate Reduction California health officials have asked U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder to suspend an injunction that she issued against a 10% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for health care providers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/27).In February, California lawmakers and Gov.

Malawi Reduces AIDS-Related Deaths With Increased Access To No-Cost Antiretrovirals Increased access to no-cost antiretroviral drugs has contributed to a 75% decrease in AIDS-related deaths in Malawi in the last four years, a senior government official said Monday, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, HIV/AIDS has been linked to 59% of deaths among people between ages 15 and 59 in the country of 13 million.

Some Hospitals Require Insured Patients To Make Larger Upfront Payments For Elective Procedures, Surgeries The South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Tuesday examined how across the U.S., "some insured patients are being asked by hospitals to pay larger portions of their bills upfront -- and sometimes hospitals will not do the procedures until they get their copayments.

Increasing Number Of HIV Cases Recorded In Philippines, Health Secretary Says The number of HIV/AIDS cases recorded in the Philippines is increasing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on Tuesday, adding that the prevalence of the disease in the country remains low, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. Duque said that even though the Philippines is a low-prevalence country, it "should not be a reason to be complacent.

Health Net Agrees To Pay $41M To Settle Charges That It Underpaid Out-of-Network Claims For New Jersey Members Health Net has agreed to pay $26 million in restitution and interest and $15 million in fines and other charges to settle allegations that it underpaid out-of-network claims for 88,000 New Jersey members between 1996 and 2005, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance announced Tuesday, the Bergen Record reports.

Scientists' Findings May Lead To New Drug-Abuse Treatments Increased connections among brain cells caused by excessive drug use may represent the body's defense mechanism to combat addiction and related behaviors, scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

Coalition Of More Than 30 Groups Calls On Presidential Candidates To Develop National HIV/AIDS Strategy A coalition of more than 30 HIV/AIDS advocacy groups representing minority communities in the U.S. has called on presidential candidates Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to develop a comprehensive national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS, VOA News reports.

Sen. Grassley Calls For Review Of Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Payment Errors Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday sent a letter to acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems demanding a "full accounting" of how the agency underestimated the extent of improper Medicare payments for durable medical equipment, the Miami Herald reports (Weaver, Miami Herald, 8/27).

Federal Judge Rules Mass. Abortion Buffer Zone Law Constitutional A Massachusetts law that expands buffer zones around abortion clinics was ruled constitutional Friday by U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro, the AP/Boston Herald reports (AP/Boston Herald, 8/25). Tauro said the law "passes constitutional muster under the First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Due Process Clause.