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	<title>Health News Florida &#45; Editorials</title> 
	<link>http://www.healthnewsflorida.org/</link> 
	<description></description> 
	<dc:language>en</dc:language> 
	<dc:creator>Health News Florida</dc:creator> 
	<dc:rights>Copyright 2012</dc:rights> 
	<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:38:55 GMT</pubDate> 
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	<item> 
		<title>It&#8217;s campaign season, so here come the Medicare scare ads</title> 
		<link>http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/no&#45;cure&#45;for&#45;medicare&#45;lies&#45;2358004.html</link> 
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		<description><![CDATA[Now it&#39;s Sen. Bill Nelson&#39;s turn to complain about dishonest campaign ads about his Medicare votes, but no one&#39;s hands are clean when it comes to the ugly tactic of frightening the elderly.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:38 GMT</pubDate> 
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	<item> 
		<title>New leadership needed at FAMU</title> 
		<link>http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012&#45;05&#45;13/opinion/os&#45;ed&#45;famu&#45;band&#45;scandal&#45;051312&#45;20120511_1_james&#45;ammons&#45;band&#45;members&#45;famu</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012&#45;05&#45;13/opinion/os&#45;ed&#45;famu&#45;band&#45;scandal&#45;051312&#45;20120511_1_james&#45;ammons&#45;band&#45;members&#45;famu#id:9571#date:13:35</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Florida A&amp;M&#39;s Marching 100 is probably the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of FAMU. And because of the hazing scandal, the band&#39;s reputation is in tatters. FAMU president James Ammons is either out of touch or over his head and needs to be replaced.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 13:35 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Medicaid waiver program may be too labor intensive</title> 
		<link>http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/monitor&#45;ibudget&#45;closley</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/monitor&#45;ibudget&#45;closley#id:9566#date:12:56</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[The state&rsquo;s new Medicaid waiver program is ambitious, but given the state&#39;s poor track record, we wonder how effectively this new system will operate.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 12:56 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>PIP loophole needs to be closed</title> 
		<link>http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/pip&#45;bill&#45;dinged&#45;but&#45;fixable&#45;2348725.html</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/pip&#45;bill&#45;dinged&#45;but&#45;fixable&#45;2348725.html#id:9558#date:15:34</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[One purpose of the new PIP bill is to block payment to shady providers, but many legitimate providers don&#39;t need to be licensed. Two parts of the bill dealing with licensing conflict have created a loophole.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 15:34 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Higher costs, more confusion, less coverage</title> 
		<link>http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/may/10/naopino1&#45;obamacares&#45;threat&#45;to&#45;the&#45;nations&#45;employer&#45;ar&#45;401869/</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/may/10/naopino1&#45;obamacares&#45;threat&#45;to&#45;the&#45;nations&#45;employer&#45;ar&#45;401869/#id:9552#date:14:17</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[The health-care law creates additional costs for American employers and uncertainty for an already staggering economy.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 14:17 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Pain pill abuse leaves its mark on children</title> 
		<link>http://www.news&#45;journalonline.com/opinion/editorials/n&#45;j&#45;editorials/2012/05/06/children&#45;increasingly&#45;bear&#45;brunt&#45;of&#45;drug&#45;abuse&#45;crisis.html</link> 
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		<description><![CDATA[A child born with drug dependency isn&#39;t necessarily scarred for life. But the immediate and short-term dangers are very real and life threatening.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 13:56 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Employers axing coverage long before health law</title> 
		<link>http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120504/OPINION/305049996?p=1&amp;tc=pg</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120504/OPINION/305049996?p=1&amp;tc=pg#id:9515#date:13:55</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Opponents of the Affordable Care Act claim it would cause employers to drop insurance coverage, but data show work-related coverage had been shrinking anyway.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 13:55 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>State stuck counties with Medicaid mess</title> 
		<link>http://www.theledger.com/article/20120503/EDIT01/120509865/1036/edit?p=all&amp;tc=pgall</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theledger.com/article/20120503/EDIT01/120509865/1036/edit?p=all&amp;tc=pgall#id:9505#date:13:54</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[A new state law calls for counties to pay 85 percent of disputed Medicaid costs, hardly a fair share. Tallahassee has taken an unacceptable top-down approach toward solving disagreements with local governments.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 13:54 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Parents who say no to shots put everyone at risk</title> 
		<link>http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120503/OPINION01/120509892/1076/opinion?p=all&amp;tc=pgall</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120503/OPINION01/120509892/1076/opinion?p=all&amp;tc=pgall#id:9504#date:13:40</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[A recent chickenpox outbreak has shown how quickly a virus can spread when children are not immunized. Those parents who decline immunizations not only put their own children at risk but others as well.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 13:40 GMT</pubDate> 
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	<item> 
		<title>Veterans deserve better treatment</title> 
		<link>http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1228093.ece</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1228093.ece#id:9503#date:13:22</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Veterans enduring a 30-day wait to be placed on yet another waiting list for treatment is bad enough. Extending that wait to 120 days is unfair.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 13:22 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>The crisis of overuse</title> 
		<link>http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120429/OPINION01/120429600/1076/opinion?p=all&amp;tc=pgall</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120429/OPINION01/120429600/1076/opinion?p=all&amp;tc=pgall#id:9486#date:14:54</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Nine medical-specialty boards identified 45 common tests and procedures that are used too frequently. This is needed and long overdue real health reform.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:54 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Medicare Advantage bonus pilot needs to be scrapped</title> 
		<link>http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1227290.ece</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1227290.ece#id:9485#date:14:14</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[There is no excuse to continue the Medicare Advantage bonus pilot program. It is a waste of taxpayer money and a disservice to the reforms President Obama worked so hard to pass.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:14 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Keep banning dangerous synthetic drugs</title> 
		<link>http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/apr/26/editorial&#45;bad&#45;news&#45;keeps&#45;getting&#45;worse&#45;for&#45;now/</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/apr/26/editorial&#45;bad&#45;news&#45;keeps&#45;getting&#45;worse&#45;for&#45;now/#id:9472#date:14:38</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[As long as unscrupulous people sell&nbsp;dangerous products such as&nbsp;&quot;bath salts&quot;&nbsp;on open store shelves,&nbsp;authorities must hustle to update the laws.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:38 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Gov. Scott needs to forget drug testing</title> 
		<link>http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1227085.ece</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1227085.ece#id:9467#date:13:17</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[A federal court ruled that drug testing state employees is unconstitutional. Scott didn&#39;t learn the first time around, with welfare applicants.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:17 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Health law penalties may give businesses a headache</title> 
		<link>http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/apr/24/naopino1&#45;obamacare&#45;headaches&#45;ahead&#45;ar&#45;395775/</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/apr/24/naopino1&#45;obamacare&#45;headaches&#45;ahead&#45;ar&#45;395775/#id:9462#date:14:06</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Many businesses are worried about the looming costs of the new health care law. Taxes and fines are sure to hurt some businesses, lower profits, reduce employment, and even result in less total insurance coverage.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:06 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Cities stepping up for fluoridation</title> 
		<link>http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1225934.ece</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1225934.ece#id:9439#date:14:42</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[While cities in Pinellas County continue to add fluoride to their drinking water, it would take only one vote to put that fluoride back in the county drinking water for the benefit of 700,000 Pinellas residents whose dental health has been sacrificed.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:42 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>A game&#45;changer in Munroe&#8217;s financial future</title> 
		<link>http://www.ocala.com/article/20120422/OPINION/120429971/1008/OPINION?p=all&amp;tc=pgall</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ocala.com/article/20120422/OPINION/120429971/1008/OPINION?p=all&amp;tc=pgall#id:9438#date:14:20</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[A referendum on the November ballot will ask voters to approve a 1-mill property tax to fund a 10-year, $130 million bond to improve Munroe Regional. The potential loss, should the tax fail, is huge. But there&#39;s a game-changer: a new law that would give half of any proceeds from a lease or sale of the hospital to the County Commission.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:20 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>At&#45;risk students left behind in new plan</title> 
		<link>http://www.pnj.com/article/20120422/OPINION/204220303/Editorial&#45;Many&#45;child&#45;left&#45;behind?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Opinion</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pnj.com/article/20120422/OPINION/204220303/Editorial&#45;Many&#45;child&#45;left&#45;behind?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Opinion#id:9431#date:13:10</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[State-mandated inclusion of ESE (Exceptional Student Education) students into general-education classes will radically change how those children are educated. And It has no blueprint for success.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:10 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Health reform is long overdue</title> 
		<link>http://www.theledger.com/article/20120419/EDIT01/120419278/0/FRONTPAGE?p=all&amp;tc=pgall</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theledger.com/article/20120419/EDIT01/120419278/0/FRONTPAGE?p=all&amp;tc=pgall#id:9422#date:09:54</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Regardless of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, controlling costs is crucial to America&#39;s economic health.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:54 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Gov. Scott deserves &#8216;Muzzle&#8217; award</title> 
		<link>http://www.nwfdailynews.com/opinion/scott&#45;48988&#45;gov&#45;approval.html</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.nwfdailynews.com/opinion/scott&#45;48988&#45;gov&#45;approval.html#id:9413#date:13:14</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[A free-speech group that makes fun of officials who try to block free speech has singled out Florida&#39;s governor for backing last year&#39;s law gagging doctors.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:14 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Medicaid billing mess shows governor&#8217;s wrong</title> 
		<link>http://www.pnj.com/article/20120417/OPINION/204170301/Editorial&#45;Governor&#45;s&#45;bad&#45;medicine?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7COpinion</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pnj.com/article/20120417/OPINION/204170301/Editorial&#45;Governor&#45;s&#45;bad&#45;medicine?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7COpinion#id:9412#date:12:54</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Gov. Rick Scott claims that the federal government can&#39;t handle health care, that it should be left to the states. Well, the Florida Medicaid program&#39;s billing errors show how wrong he is.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:54 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Gun&#45;rights law goes too far for corporate backers</title> 
		<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/opinion/embarrassed&#45;by&#45;bad&#45;laws.html?_r=1&amp;src=rechp</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/opinion/embarrassed&#45;by&#45;bad&#45;laws.html?_r=1&amp;src=rechp#id:9410#date:01:55</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Florida&#39;s &quot;Stand-Your-Ground&quot; law, pushed by a right-wing group, blew up to embarrass its corporate backers. They&#39;re fleeing for the exit.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:55 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>Even doctors complain about wasteful spending</title> 
		<link>http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/16/2752575/better&#45;health&#45;fewer&#45;tests.html</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/16/2752575/better&#45;health&#45;fewer&#45;tests.html#id:9409#date:01:01</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Nine medical societies recently named five tests apiece that they said are common but aren&#39;t needed, waste money and can even be harmful. Pay heed, America.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:01 GMT</pubDate> 
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	<item> 
		<title>Gov. Scott wrong to veto drug&#45;treatment bill</title> 
		<link>http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/13/2747051/veto&#45;trumps.html</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/13/2747051/veto&#45;trumps.html#id:9397#date:13:33</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[Gov. Scott vetoed a bill that would have let inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes who have drug problems to enter treatment programs after completing half their sentences. Drug offenses account for more than 25 percent of the inmate population, and this bill would provided better outcomes.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:33 GMT</pubDate> 
	</item> 

 

	<item> 
		<title>FL officials could end up looking silly</title> 
		<link>http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012&#45;04&#45;04/opinion/os&#45;ed&#45;health&#45;reform&#45;supreme&#45;court&#45;040412&#45;20120403_1_health&#45;reform&#45;health&#45;care&#45;reform&#45;health&#45;care&#45;system</link> 
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012&#45;04&#45;04/opinion/os&#45;ed&#45;health&#45;reform&#45;supreme&#45;court&#45;040412&#45;20120403_1_health&#45;reform&#45;health&#45;care&#45;reform&#45;health&#45;care&#45;system#id:9335#date:12:49</guid> 
		<description><![CDATA[If the Supreme Court ruling upholds&nbsp;the Affordable Care Act, state officials will have given up hundreds of millions of dollars in grants, for nothing.]]></description> 
		 
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:49 GMT</pubDate> 
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