Health

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Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield unveils new mobile app

Insurance cards going paperless

Having to sift through your wallet or purse to find your insurance card during a visit to the doctor or hospital emergency room may soon become a memory. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield has unveiled an enhanced Wellmark mobile app with new features. Users can connect to myWellmark.com for claims status, coverage details and [...]

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The planned University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, looking south, is seen in a rendering from January. An underground parking garage will be located underneath the green space shown. (image via University of Iowa)

University of Iowa ranks in Best Children’s Hospitals categories

Only Iowa hospital ranked nationally for children's health care

The University of Iowa Children’s Hospital ranked in seven specialty categories in the latest U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings. The 2013-14 list, released Tuesday, ranked the UI Children’s Hospital 30th in cancer; 34th in cardiology and heart surgery; 43rd in diabetes and endocrinology; 25th in nephrology; 30th in neurology and neurosurgery; [...]

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Dog owners seeking to socialize their pets unleash rise in dog parks

Luke, a 1- year-old golden retriever, trots along the dog park walking trail on a sunny Saturday morning, stopping occasionally for a greeting sniff from a Labrador or corgi that gallop up to him. His owners, Leslie and Mike Buscher, are a few paces behind with their grandchildren and golden retrievers, 5-month-old Daisy and 3-year-old [...]

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Gary Black (right) reads his wedding vows as he marries Michelle Cox in the meditation chapel at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, in Iowa City, Iowa. Michelle was diagnosed with leukemia in May and decided to move the wedding to today instead of keeping it in July since she was starting chemotherapy. Rev. Ron Lashmit of Tipton officiated. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cancer patient exchanges wedding vows at hospital

Michelle Cox was diagnosed with leukemia in May

In sickness and in health is something most newlyweds hear. Michelle Cox, who on a drizzly afternoon was sitting on a hospital bed with her soon-to-be husband, Gary Black, at her side, already knows a thing or two about the sickness part. But she was optimistic Wednesday. “It’s good luck to have rain on your [...]

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Rep. Tyler Olson, D-Cedar Rapids, and his clerk, Greg Hauenstein, shoot a video on the mezzanine at the Iowa Capitol in April 2012. (James Q. Lynch/The Gazette)

Democrats delivered for Iowa’s middle class, Cedar Rapids representative says

Compromises on health care, education, tax policy will help working families

DES MOINES – Iowa Democrats kept their promise to help middle-class Iowans during the just-completed 2013 session, party leaders said Wednesday. “Democrats delivered,” said Rep. Tyler Olson, a Cedar Rapids Democrat who also serves as chairman of the state Democratic Party. That was especially true on issues related to health care, education and tax policy,’ [...]

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(Steve Pope/The Gazette)

Mental health bill could become a casualty

Ironically, it had unanimous, bipartisan support

WASHINGTON _ Nearly six months after the mass murders in Newtown, Conn., one more casualty is looming in Congress. Ironically, it’s the one idea that had unanimous, bipartisan support — help for the mentally ill. When the Senate voted to defeat a bill last month that would have expanded background checks to Internet and gun [...]

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Iowa Governor Terry Branstad addresses the Linn Eagles at the Cedar Rapids Country Club on Friday, Jan. 13, 2011, in Cedar Rapids. Branstad and Reynolds are bringing the Condition of the State address to communities across Iowa in a statewide tour. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Branstad commends Legislature for 2013 work

Property tax relief, education reform, health care expansion among landmark achievements

Gov. Terry Branstad today is hailing the members of split-control Legislature for their landmark session achievements. The five-term GOP governor says lawmakers succeeded in approving significant property tax relief, transformational education reform, and meaningful health modernization that focuses on quality outcomes for low-income patients while modernizing of the Medicaid system. The governor noted that the [...]

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(The Gazette)

Branstad, Iowa legislators reach health-care expansion accord

"We want to embark on a new system that will truly revolutionize"

DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad and legislative negotiators have hammered out a bipartisan agreement to use federal money to expand health-care coverage to needy Iowans by financing insurance premiums for participants who help manage their costs with healthy choices. The newly named Iowa Health and Wellness Plan contains elements that meets the desires of [...]

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People walk by the Westward mural in the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines on Tuesday February 1, 2011. (Stephen Mally/Freelance)

Iowa Legislature 2013 adjournment in sight, leaders say

Work on education reform plan, other outstanding issues could be completed Wednesday, leader say

The split-control Legislature inched toward adjournment on its 18th day of overtime session Tuesday. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said progress on the outstanding issues holding up the session’s end was “excellent” and he told reporters “I think that there’s a very real possibility that we are done tomorrow.” Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council [...]

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Iowa’s top political leaders are taking strikingly different views on how the health care reform law’s early provisions have affected the state.

Iowa Legislature health care negotiators hopeful of compromise

'Nobody's going to get their way totally'

Key legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad expressed optimism Monday that progress was being made to forge a “hybrid” health care compromise that would merge elements of the governor’s “Healthy Iowa” plan with Senate Democrats’ desire to expand Medicaid to cover low-income, uninsured Iowans. “If we’re going to get something resolved, nobody’s going to get their [...]

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