
Health law leads to defeats. Many House Democrats are asking themselves if their vote for the healthcare reform law was worth their sacrifice this week. Almost every House Democrat from a swing district who voted for healthcare reform ended up losing on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.
What to do about healthcare? Fewer than 24 hours after Republicans won control of the House, soon-to-be-speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) renewed his vow to try to repeal the new healthcare law. So Kaiser Health News posed a question to health industry leaders: “If you ended up in an elevator with Rep. Boehner, what single thing would you urge him to do about healthcare in this country?” They got some interesting responses.
It’s all in your brain. Biogen Idec is returning to its biotech roots, according to Xconomy Boston. The Mass.-based company is getting there through job cuts, facility closures and selling its oncology and cardiovascular pipelines to refocus on neurology.
Calling AT&T. AT&T has launched AT&T ForHealth, which aims to accelerate the delivery of innovative wireless, networked, and cloud-based solutions for the healthcare industry, such as remote patient monitoring and wound treatment, mobihealthnews reports.
Saying ‘no’ to ads. Several billboard companies that do business in Indianapolis, where drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. is headquartered, have refused to accept an ad from advocacy group Breast Cancer Action that reads: “Eli Lilly is making us sick. Tell them to stop,” according to Pharmalot.
McSleepy, meet DaVinci. Doctors at McGill University Health Centre, Canada, have recently performed the world’s first all-robotic surgery, according to MedGadget.