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GOP House Members Send Obama Letter Asking Him To Reinstate 'Conscience' Rule
House GOP members on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama praising him for saying that he wants to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion" during his commencement address at the University of Notre Dame last weekend, The Hill reports. The Republican lawmakers -- Reps. James Sensenbrenner (Wis.), Chris Smith (N.J.) and John Fleming (La.) -- said Obama"s speech indicated to them that he would reinstate the HHS provider "conscience" rule, which expanded the ability of health workers to refuse to provide services or information they objected to on moral or religious grounds and prohibited federal funding for health entities that do not comply.In March, Obama began the process for rescinding the Bush-era rule, and it is currently undergoing a White House review. In the letter, the representatives said that they "agree with [Obama] that pro-life health care providers should have the right to refuse to participate in procedures that they find morally reprehensible." Smith said he has "renewed hope, hopefully not false" that Obama will "completely forgo the rescinding of this rule" after his remarks during Sunday"s speech (Hooper, The Hill, 5/19).
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Los Angeles County Health Officials Retract Report About HIV Cases In Adult Film Industry
Los Angeles County public health officials on Tuesday said that they cannot confirm that the 16 cases of HIV they reported last week were in fact active adult film industry workers at the time of their diagnoses, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials contend that they mistakenly labeled all cases of individuals who tested positive from the Adult Industry Medical Foundation (AIMF) clinic since 2004 as "adult performers," even though AIMF also serves clients who are not in the industry. In addition, officials increased the total number of cases of HIV reported by the clinic since 2004 from 16 to 18 (Yoshino/Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6/17).
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FDA Approves SAMSCA(TM) (tolvaptan), The First And Only Oral Vasopressin Antagonist To Treat Patients With Clinically Significant Hypervolemic
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (OPC) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SAMSCA(TM) (tolvaptan) as the only oral selective vasopressin antagonist for the treatment of patients with clinically significant hypervolemic and euvolemic hyponatremia (serum sodium less than 125 mEq/L, or less marked hyponatremia that is symptomatic and has resisted correction with fluid restriction) including patients with heart failure, cirrhosis, and the syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone (SIADH). Patients requiring urgent treatment to raise serum sodium to prevent or to treat serious neurological deficits should not be treated with SAMSCA. Additionally, it has not been established that raising serum sodium with SAMSCA provides a symptomatic benefit to patients. SAMSCA, an oral vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist, will be commercialized in the United States by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI).
Mental Health

HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Release Of $6 Billion In New CHIP Funds To Insure Children

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that $6 billion in new federal funds will be made available to states and U.S. territories for fiscal year 2009 to provide health care to millions of children across America through their Children"s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). The new funds for CHIP were made available by the Children"s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 4. CHIPRA provides additional funding that will help states and territories maintain existing CHIP enrollment and expand their programs. "We are taking an important step to provide quality, affordable health care to millions of children," Secretary Sebelius said at the Bergen Family Center in Englewood, N.J. "Through CHIPRA, states and territories will receive additional funds to provide health insurance to 11 million children, including 4 million who were previously uninsured. Parents now have more help if their children fall ill." "In these difficult economic times, more and more families will turn to CHIP to assure their children"s continued access to critical health care services," Secretary Sebelius said. "To ensure our nation"s future, we must insure our children now." Secretary Sebelius was joined by New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and other officials who have led the efforts to gain health insurance coverage for all the children of the Garden State and our nation. "Thanks to our partners in Washington and through New Jersey"s hardworking Congressional delegation, the struggle to secure children"s health legislation in our state is finally over," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "At a time when our state and nation are facing substantial economic challenges, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to provide access to quality health insurance for our uninsured children. I"m pleased that through our successful NJ FamilyCare program and new Express Lane option, we will continue to make great strides in reaching and enrolling every eligible child in New Jersey." Of the $6 billion in new funding under CHIPRA, HHS has released more than $1 billion and expects to allocate the remainder to the states and territories by the end of September. CHIP provides health insurance for children of working families whose incomes are too high for traditional Medicaid, but too low for either employer-sponsored family plans or other private coverage. While CHIP is optional, each state and every territory operates a program. Similar to Medicaid, CHIP is jointly funded by states and the federal government. However, the federal government pays states a higher share of their CHIP costs than for their Medicaid programs. A list of funding by state for CHIP programs can be viewed at: http://www.insurekidsnow.gov. HHS


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