Health insurers hike rates, ignore government

Consumer advocates are questioning the fairness of requiring Americans to buy health coverage under the Affordable Care Act if the government can’t control the rates insurance companies charge.

To keep prices in check, the health reform law instituted a procedure known as rate review, by which state insurance departments evaluate carriers’ proposed premium hikes of 10% or more to determine whether they are justified. But even when they deem the proposed increases excessive or unreasonable, insurance commissioners can’t always stop companies from putting them into effect.

While the reviews spared consumers $1 billion in rate hikes, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday, insurance commissioners and advocates say they would have saved consumers much more if government authorities in all 50 states could prevent insurers from going ahead with unjustified increases. Read more >>

Ukraine Dead Increase to 239 - 1,253,558 ill with Influenza/ARI

Ukraine Dead Increase to 239 - Still No Sequences
Recombinomics Commentary 20:26
November 12, 2009
1,253,558 Influenza/ARI

65.615 Hospitalizations

239 Deaths

The above numbers are from the latest update from the Ukraine Ministry of Health. The number of deaths increased 26 to 239, so 50 new deaths have been reported in the past 2 days. Although the virus continues to spread (only 5 of the 27 reporting areas have not topped the epidemic threshold) many of the deaths are still being reported from the hard hit areas in western Ukraine(see map). However, the biggest jump in cases was 6.096 in Kiev to 89,339.

The steady increase in the high level of deaths continues to raise concerns about genetic changes in the H1N1. In this morning's press conference the WHO discussed the need for prompt treatment with Tamiflu, but did not address genetic changes in Ukraine. Only general statements on the stability of the H1N1 were made in response to questions on genetic changes in Ukraine. Today's conference is a week after the last comments on the Ukraine H1N1 sequences which indicated that there were no large changes, but an update would be forthcoming in a "few days". It has now been over a week and no updates on genetic changes have been forthcoming.

The release of the sequences from Ukraine is long overdue.

Police prepare drill for pneumonic plague at Illinois school

The Northwest Herald in Illinois reports citizens infected with a fictitious pneumonic plague will line up outside Lincoln Prairie Elementary School on Saturday to help test the site as a medication dispensary in case of an emergency.

The Lake in the Hills Police Department is carrying out the test as part of a grant from the McHenry County Department of Health for its emergency health plan. In case of a biological terrorist attack or widespread disease outbreak, the site would be able get medicine to the community, Lake in the Hills Chief of Patrol Services David Brey said.

“This is just a functional test of the site,” he said.

The event will use volunteers pretending to have been stricken by the plague to help test the flow of the site, from initial triage through receiving proof of being medicated.

“We picked the plague on purpose so it would have nothing to do with the swine flu,” Brey said.

The test will start at 9 a.m. Saturday at Lincoln Prairie, 500 Harvest Gate, across from Lake in the Hills Village Hall.

Research center using babies and children for experimental H1N1 Vaccine

The Warwick Beacon reports Omega Medical Research, a privately owned clinical research center providing clinical research services to the pharmaceutical industry, will "study three different vaccines on three different age groups. Roughly 300 adults will receive an injectable vaccine. The study will also include about 40-60 children between the ages of 2 and 17 and 40 infants and toddlers between six to 35 months old. Some of the patients in the younger age groups will get injections, while others will receive nasal sprays."

Patients will receive compensation for their participation in the study. Adult participants will receive up to $540, children up to $350 and the youngest group, up to $520.

According to their website, Omega Medical Research claims over 6,000 patients have been registered as study subjects for various trials. "Additionally, Dr. Fried [OMR's Medical Director and Principal Investigator] enjoys his own private practice of over 12,000 primary care patients, as well as being part of a regional primary care practice of 35 physicians who, collectively, have well over 200,000 patients. As such, recruitment is a streamlined process, utilizing an ever-expanding database of potential subjects."

So Dr. Fried and his clinic volunteer the services of his patients and the patients of 35 other doctors as guinea pigs to the drug companies for a fee.

“It’s a unique opportunity for the residents of Rhode Island to get vaccinated,” says Lynn Haughey, a nurse practitioner and co-owner of the Omega Medical Research center. Haughey claims that during the study participants will not actually be exposed to live novel H1N1 viruses, but thy will be exposed to their antigens.

Rhode Island Department of Health spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth said the clinical vaccine will likely be produced by one of five pharmaceutical companies: SanofiPasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, CSL Biotherapies or MedImmune. So, if a manufacturer experiences a mishap while making a vaccine, there will be others working toward the same goal.