MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Oprah has been making her way into political headlines, leading many healthcare advocates to hope the media queen will put her weight behind Obamacare before insurance exchanges open for business Oct. 1.
Rumors abound with Oprah’s recent political activity, but her network has kept quiet about any endorsements. Oprah recently accepted the presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to a civilian, and announced plans to visit to the White House later this year.
Marketing experts agree that her endorsement would spur enrollment in the insurance exchanges, according to TheHill.com. However, the former talk-show host seems to be taking a cautious approach, especially after she lost viewers with her 2008 campaign supporting Obama’s election.
N.J. salesman guilty of kickbacks, money laundering
A N.J. man fessed up to his role in a massive kickbacks scheme orchestrated through the Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services, a shady lab now known to have raked in more than $100 million from Medicare and other insurers. In Newark’s federal court this week, the salesman, Len Rubinstein, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes for medical referrals. He is the 14th person to admit wrongdoing connected to the laboratory’s massive kickbacks scheme.
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New brain scan will help ID dyslexia before children begin learning to read
Dyslexia is traditionally diagnosed when children learn to read in the 2nd grade, but brain scans may be able to pin down the disorder at a younger age. MIT researchers put 40 children through an MRI to measure differences in tracts of white matter in the brain associated with reading skill. They compared the brain images to current pre-reading dyslexia tests, such as name games and sound awareness. Researchers saw a promising correlation between brain patterns and children’s performance on these simple tests, and plan follow them into the 2nd grade to measure the predictive value of brain scans.
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UMass toxicologist digs up dirt on a 1950s scientific agenda
In the 1950s, researchers adopted a model to quantify radiation exposure, called the linear no-threshold dose-response. However, new evidence has emerged that 2 geneticists repressed an alternative threshold model. University of Massachusetts at Amherst toxicologist Edward Calabrese dug up this evidence of what he considers a clear agenda, presenting his findings in 2 reports. He is now accusing Nobel-prize winning radiation geneticist Hermann Muller, along with long-time colleague Curt Stern, of deceiving the world by skewing key publications in early genetic mutation literature.
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HHS pressed to reveal premium rates for insurance exchanges
The Obama administration fielded questioning from Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) about the precise premium rates for private insurance coverage through the pending exchanges. The Health & Human Services Dept. will be monitoring insurance exchanges in 34 states, and plans to release the rates next month. Blunt wants the administration to reveal all of the HHS’s dealings with private insurance companies participating in the exchanges, including any rate haggling and specific rate proposals.
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