Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and Web.

Iowa News

Orange City auxiliary contributes $60,000 to health system
The Orange City Area Health System Auxiliary gifted a record $60,000 to the health system as its annual contribution for 2010. The money — which comes from auxiliary fundraising events and Gift Garden hospital gift shop sales — directly benefits patients and families. (Sioux City Journal)

Hancock hospital to receive Mercy skilled nursing patients
Skilled nursing patients from Hancock, Winnebago and Wright counties will soon be referred to Hancock County Memorial Hospital rather than Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, Mercy officials announced. (Mason City Globe Gazette)

Flood warnings continue across Iowa
Ice jams along the Des Moines, Iowa, Winnebago, Shell Rock and Cedar Rivers and their tributaries may lead to flash flooding across north central Iowa through the early part of the weekend. Rapid fluctuations in stage levels are possible with little or no warning. Des Moines received .65 of an inch of rain by 7 a.m. today; Marshalltown .20 ; Denison .45 and Carroll .68. (Des Moines Register)

U.S. News

Senate-passed health care bill would cut deficit
Congressional budget referees say Senate legislation that’s now the foundation for President Barack Obama’s health care plan would cut the federal deficit by $118 billion over 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office says the $875 billion, 10-year plan would provide coverage to 31 million people who’d otherwise be uninsured. (Associated Press)

Employers plan to shift more health-care costs to workers, survey reports
Many employers say they may charge more to cover spouses, tighten eligibility standards for their health plans and dispense financial rewards or penalties based on the results of certain lab tests. At some companies, employees who are overweight could be excluded from the most desirable plans. (Washington Post)

Carrot-and-stick health plans aim to cut costs
Workers at a Portland, Ore., steel mill soon will be able to pick a new type of insurance that offers free care for some illnesses, such as diabetes or depression, but requires hefty extra fees for treatments deemed overused, including knee replacements, hysterectomies and heart bypass surgery. (Kaiser Health News)

Va. lawmakers 1st in US to pass bill banning mandatory health insurance coverage
Virginia’s General Assembly became the first in the nation Wednesday to approve legislation that bucks any attempt by President Barack Obama and Congress to implement a national health care overhaul in individual states. (Associated Press/Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Few drug studies meet comparative effectiveness definition
Comparing the effectiveness of different medical treatments, including their safety and their cost, is a cornerstone of health policy espoused by the Obama administration and funded by $1.1 billion in last year’s economic stimulus package. Two Cambridge Health Alliance doctors explored the state of current research to see how helpful drug studies might be to doctors trying to prescribe the best medications for their patients. (Boston Globe)

200 mental health jobs to be cut in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Human Services plans to cut 200 full-time positions from a program that provides direct care for people with mental illness, and will close mental health facilities in Cold Spring, Mankato and Eveleth. (St. Cloud Times)

Kentucky hospital cuts 500 jobs, citing declining patient load, rise in uninsured
Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare is eliminating 500 jobs, citing lower patient volume and a growing number of uninsured patients brought on by the lingering recession. The cuts announced Wednesday — which represent about 6 percent of the Jewish’s workforce of 8,100 — are the first large-scale job reductions in a Louisville hospital system since the economic downturn. (Louisville Courier-Journal)