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Provision to eliminate lifetime benefit caps in medical insurance allows life-saving heart-lung transplant

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law March 23, 2010, with the aim of extending medical coverage to more Americans. The law has been a political football, and arguments continue to rage over whether it's good or bad for the country. This, however, is simply the story of how it affected one person.

14 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 13, 2011

Today's headlines detail the next moves in the ongoing budget discussion, including a "last-choice option" proposed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and reports about how the health industry is lining up against possible cuts.

13 Jul 2011

New gonorrhea strain resistant to all antibiotics isolated in Japanese woman

A new strain of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea that is resistant to all known antibiotic treatments has been isolated from a female sex worker in Japan, according to Magnus Unemo of the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Reuters reports. Unemo is set to present his findings at a conference of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research in Quebec on Monday.

11 Jul 2011

Senate to keep working next week on debt talks

The Senate abandoned plans for a July 4 break as time dwindled for lawmakers to strike a compromise on avoiding a government default and reducing mammoth federal deficits. In a challenge to President Barack Obama, the chamber's top Republican invited him to the Capitol to discuss the impasse with GOP lawmakers.

2 Jul 2011

Workers who take mental health leave more likely to have second episode sooner

The recurrence of an employee's medical leave of absence from work tends to happen much sooner with a mental health leave than a physical one, a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) study shows.

30 Jun 2011

IOM report can set the stage for improvements in pain care, says APS

The American Pain Society (APS) said that "Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Treatment, and Research, the report submitted to Congress today by the Institute of Medicine, is a major step forward in addressing the nation's leading public health problem - untreated and undertreated chronic pain.

30 Jun 2011

Christie signs law to cut health benefits; Conn.'s Malloy also seeks trims

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has approved broad cuts to health benefits for the state's 750,000 government workers. The new law requires state and local employees and retirees to pay a much bigger share of their health insurance costs and eliminates their right to collective bargaining on health issues.

30 Jun 2011

NPR examines maternal, child health in Mozambique

NPR's All Things Considered reports on efforts to improve maternal health in Mozambique. The piece, which is part of a summer series, looks at the challenges involved with getting pregnant women to hospitals and shortages of trained health worker (Block, 6/27).

29 Jun 2011

Fidgeting contributes to cardiorespiratory fitness

Walking to the photocopier and fidgeting at your desk are contributing more to your cardiorespiratory fitness than you might think.

29 Jun 2011

Experienced North Korean aid worker says hunger crisis imminent

North Korea has significantly cut public food aid and could be heading toward a hunger crisis, said Katharina Zellweger, head of a Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation's office in Pyongyang and "one of the most experience aid workers" in the country, according to Agence France-Presse.

29 Jun 2011

Christie poised to sign bill that will increase costs of benefits for state employees

The New Jersey state Senate on Monday approved the bill, which will raise pension and health benefit expenses for more than 500,000 state workers. Meanwhile, in Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn will sign today a measure to overhaul the state's workers' compensation system.

29 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 28, 2011

Today's headlines include reports from the states about action on public employee benefit reforms and Planned Parenthood funding.

28 Jun 2011

N.J. Assembly approves changes to state workers' benefits

Gov. Chris Christie is expected to sign the landmark legislation into law quickly. It will require state workers to pay more for health and pension benefits.

24 Jun 2011

Health law implementation progress, issues continue to draw attention

For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure's health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow.

24 Jun 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation awards grants to empower African American women with type 2 diabetes

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today awarded five grants totaling $1.5 million to organizations that will empower African American women with type 2 diabetes to better manage their disease while also leveraging their standing as leaders in their families and communities to influence the health of those around them.

24 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 24, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that Republicans have quit the debt-ceiling negotiations and details about how the Supreme Court sided with drug makers in two decisions.

24 Jun 2011

Sexually transmitted infection and reinfection rates 'unacceptably high' among adult film performers

Rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection among adult film performers in Los Angeles County are "unacceptably high," according to a paper in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

24 Jun 2011

CHW interventions linked to increased rates of mammography screening

Education, referrals, support and other interventions by community health workers improve rates of screening mammography in the United States - especially in medical and urban settings and among women whose race and ethnicity is similar to that of the community health workers serving them.

24 Jun 2011

Scientists analyse factors that influence development of burnout syndrome

Being over-burdened with work, monotony and the perception of lack of recognition can all be catalysts for burnout syndrome. A team of scientists has analysed the factors that influence the development of the three sub-types of this condition - 'frenetic', 'under-challenged' and 'worn out'.

24 Jun 2011