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President Calls For Medicare Payment Rate Revisions
President Obama reiterated his call to adjust Medicare reimbursement rates as a part of his broad push for health reform in a meeting with nine reporters, including writers from local newspapers, Wednesday. "While steering clear of details, Obama indicated that revised reimbursement rates helpful to areas [where reimbursement rates are low] should be part of a comprehensive healthcare reform package now in the works," McClatchy reports. "The reforms should also help steer more physicians to medically underserved regions, he said," achieve better quality, and lower government payments. The news service notes that the meeting was "part of [Obama"s] effort to rally political support for a healthcare rewrite. The package is still a work in progress, as key congressional committees already have missed their self-imposed legislative deadlines" (Doyle, 7/1).

Combating Blood Flukes By Using Gene Map
The first microsatellite-based genetic linkage map has been published for Schistosoma mansoni, a blood fluke that is known to infect over 90 million people in Africa, the Middle East and the New World. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Genome Biology hope the map will stimulate research and open doors to new advances in combating this neglected human pathogen.
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Greater Manchester Roofing Companies Urged To Put Safety First After Worker Falls Through Roof
Roofing companies in Greater Manchester are being urged to make safety one of their top priorities after a man fell through the roof of a Swinton factory.
Health Insurance

Clinics Report Rise In Egg, Sperm Donations During Recession

More men and women are seeking to donate sperm and eggs as a way to make money during the continuing recession, according to sperm banks and egg donation agencies, USA Today reports. Compensation for donations varies by region, state and donor agency, according to USA Today. David Battaglia, lab director for Oregon Health and Science University Fertility Consultants, said that sperm donors receive $100 per collection and can donate twice per week, while egg donors -- who undergo an outpatient extraction process -- can receive $5,000 for a donation. Battaglia said his lab has seen "easily a 25%-30% increase in calls in the last nine months." Kim Springfield, vice president of sales for donor referral service Health News, said that the company"s donations have seen "a definite spike" of about 40% since February. Robin van Halle, president of Alternative Reproductive Res, which works with egg donors, said, "Our calls have just about doubled." However, she noted, "It"s not a quick buck."Springfield said that many prospective donors choose not to begin the process once they learn that medical and psychological screening can take weeks or months and rules out most interested people. Egg donors must be screened for mental and physical health, then chosen by prospective parents. Battaglia said that OHSU Fertility Consultants require that egg donors are between ages 21 to 32 and that sperm donors are between ages 20 to 39 to improve fertility odds. Von Halle noted that the rise in donors is giving infertility patients more choices. However, because in vitro fertilization can cost thousands of dollars, economic concerns are forcing many to postpone their plans, she said (Keen, USA Today, 7/7). 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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