Poverty News and Research

RSS

Viewpoints: Shortages of drugs persist; number of Medicare doctors is growing; Obamacare undermines health savings accounts

As was the case during the last debt-ceiling debacle, in 2011, playing politics with the nation's creditworthiness is irresponsible and unnecessary. Leave aside the ObamaCare obsession, because Republicans have zero chance of persuading the president to kill one of his defining achievements.

4 Sep 2013

Researchers identify origin of human TB

Tuberculosis remains one of deadliest infectious diseases of humans, killing 50% of individuals when left untreated. Even today, TB causes 1-2 million deaths every year mainly in developing countries. Multidrug-resistance is a growing threat in the fight against the disease.

2 Sep 2013

California releases ads for insurance marketplace; Aetna pulls out of N.Y. exchange

Many of the California advertisements will be in Spanish to persuade consumers unfamiliar with the law to sign up, the Los Angeles Times reports. Meanwhile, Aetna did not give many details about its decision to not compete in New York's exchange.

31 Aug 2013

Poor people in at least 21 states to face Medicaid coverage gap

McClatchy reports that in most states opting against the health law's Medicaid expansion, millions will be stranded without insurance: They will make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to get subsidies to help buy coverage on the new insurance marketplaces.

30 Aug 2013

A fundraising cause: Abortion access

Sarah Tuttle led her bowling team to a fourth-place finish in a nationwide tournament this April that raised $553,133 to help low-income women seeking abortions. "Some people fundraise to fight breast cancer; I fundraise for abortion access," said Tuttle, a hot line operator and board member for the Lilith Fund, a Texas nonprofit that helps women pay for abortions.

27 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the ongoing battles between those who support the implementation of the health law, and those who oppose it.

26 Aug 2013

Research roundup: Moving kids onto Medicaid; competitive markets

Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

26 Aug 2013

Mentors International, Co-Diagnostics HBDC to lower real-time PCR test prices in developing world

Mentors International and Co-Diagnostics HBDC signed an agreement to lower real-time PCR test prices in the developing world, starting with tuberculosis. Under the agreement, Co-Diagnostics HBDC will provide low-cost testing reagents and Mentors International will leverage its international connections to set up low-cost testing facilities.

23 Aug 2013

DFID awards 5-year grant to DNDi to advance research and development for neglected diseases

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has announced its renewed support to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), allocating a total of - 30 million (- 35 million) over the coming five years (2013-2018) to DNDi's Research & Development (R&D) portfolio to fight neglected diseases.

22 Aug 2013

Nearly 8M young adults enrolled in parent's health plan gain coverage under Affordable Care Act

An estimated 7.8 million of the 15 million young adults who were enrolled in a parent's health plan last year likely would not have been eligible for this coverage without the health reform law's dependent coverage provision, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey.

21 Aug 2013

'Bully-victims' are at greatest risk for health problems in adulthood

A new study shows that serious illness, struggling to hold down a regular job, and poor social relationships are just some of the adverse outcomes in adulthood faced by those exposed to bullying in childhood.

20 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: George will assails 'illegal' delay of employer mandate; Cohn reminds conservatives that subsidies will be important

Barack Obama's increasingly grandiose claims for presidential power are inversely proportional to his shriveling presidency. Desperation fuels arrogance as, barely 200 days into the 1,462 days of his second term, his pantry of excuses for failure is bare, his domestic agenda is nonexistent and his foreign policy of empty rhetorical deadlines and redlines is floundering. And at last week's news conference he offered inconvenience as a justification for illegality.

16 Aug 2013

Gene variant linked with Mediterranean diet pattern prevents stroke

A gene variant strongly associated with development of type 2 diabetes appears to interact with a Mediterranean diet pattern to prevent stroke, report researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and from the CIBER Fisiopatolog-a de la Obesidad y Nutriciόn in Spain.

14 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Obama overlooking legal constraints on employer mandate delay; Bush's 'unnecessary' heart procedure; discrimination against people with mental illnesses

In his Friday remarks, Mr. Obama also claimed that he had the "executive authority" for the mandate delay. But if he really believes that, then why did he say he would normally ask for a legislative "tweak." Either the fix requires legislation or it doesn't. His comments are certainly revealing about his attitudes on Presidential power and the constraints of the U.S. Constitution. Article II, Section 3 instructs him to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, not merely what he thinks is "the essence" of laws (8/10).

13 Aug 2013

Obama's health law promises put to the test

The Hill checks up on five health law promises from the president as implementation continues. Meanwhile, Kaiser Health News examines how some low-income people might gain insurance if their state doesn't expand its Medicaid program, but the strategy will carry risks.

13 Aug 2013

First Edition: Aug. 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about state action on the health law's implementation and other news from the health insurance marketplace.

12 Aug 2013

Adolescents who have half-siblings with different father are more likely to use drugs

Adolescents who have half-siblings with a different father are more likely to have used drugs and had sex by age 15 than those who have only full siblings. That's according to new research from Karen Benjamin Guzzo, an assistant professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University, and Cassandra Dorius, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Iowa State University.

12 Aug 2013

Mother's perceived social status predicts child's brain development, stress indicators

A mother's perceived social status predicts her child's brain development and stress indicators, finds a study at Boston Children's Hospital. While previous studies going back to the 1950s have linked objective socioeconomic factors—such as parental income or education—to child health, achievement and brain function, the new study is the first to link brain function to maternal self-perception.

9 Aug 2013

Research links high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the American South with economic conditions

The strikingly high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the American South can be partially traced to rapid economic growth between 1950 and 1980, new research suggests.

6 Aug 2013

Prospective health of the Hispanic/Latino population in the US: an interview with Dr. Martha Daviglus, University of Illinois at Chicago

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among Hispanic/ Latino adults living in the US and this population is known to have high rates of obesity and diabetes.

5 Aug 2013