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Survey: States make progress on Medicaid modernization, but much still remains to be done

According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, states are hustling to prepare for coverage changes whether or not they participate in the health law's expansion.

25 Jan 2013

Opinion Pieces address launch of 'IF Campaign' against global hunger

A coalition of 100 U.K. development charities and faith groups on Wednesday launched the IF campaign, aimed at addressing global hunger. The following is a summary of opinion pieces published in response to the campaign's launch.

25 Jan 2013

Madagascar faces challenges in vaccinating children

"In Madagascar, pneumonia is responsible for 21 percent of deaths among children under five years old -- making it the leading cause of death for this age group," but "[t]he recent introduction of a vaccine to protect against pneumococcal disease, the leading cause of severe childhood pneumonia, is attempting to reduce the thousands of child deaths that occur every year in" the country, IRIN reports.

24 Jan 2013

Obama's vision includes safety net programs

Drawing on language from his re-election campaign, President Barack Obama used his inaugural address to set out a promise to preserve programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

23 Jan 2013

Do not 'give up' on successful anti-hunger initiatives

"As an anti-hunger advocate, ... I am hopeful about the global change that President Obama could make in his second term, especially when it comes to reducing poverty, but I worry Congress might toss the hungry off the fiscal cliff," Katie Campbell, senior policy analyst with ActionAid U.S., writes in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

23 Jan 2013

Roundup: Ariz. Gov. proposing hospital tax for Medicaid expansion as Nev. ponders options; Vt. hospitals form ACO

Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer, who has become something of a conservative icon for her aggressive opposition to Mr. Obama's policies, surprised many Legislature watchers at her State of the State address last week by saying she wanted to expand the state's Medicaid program to include anyone who makes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, or $14,856 for an individual.

23 Jan 2013

As Obama takes oath again, health law's fate rest with others

Obamacare is going into effect next year for real - but what happens with President Barack Obama's signature achievement in his second term is largely out of his hands. The biggest piece of the law - the expansion of coverage to as many as 30 million uninsured Americans - will begin in 2014. Obama may not say a word about that in his inaugural address.

21 Jan 2013

Paying medical expenses, raising hopes, triggering fears ...

USA Today and Marketplace report on ways in which the cost of health care, especially regarding a serious illness, causes patient anxieties, challenges for the health system and new approaches within the marketplace.

21 Jan 2013

Study: Good sleep fosters psychological well-being, gratitude

We all know that getting a good night's sleep is good for our general health and well-being. But new research is highlighting a more surprising benefit of good sleep: more feelings of gratitude for relationships.

21 Jan 2013

Link between air pollution and people's happiness

Researchers in Canada have found a correlation between air pollution and people's happiness. Their deep analysis, reported in the latest issue of the International Journal of Green Economics, suggests that air pollution may lead to unhappiness while the converse is also true, the unhappier the citizens of a country the more air pollution.

19 Jan 2013

New report highlights links between NTDs and socio-economic prosperity

A recently released report, entitled "Social and Economic Impact Review on Neglected Tropical Diseases," highlights links between neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and socio-economic prosperity.

19 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Obama 'wise' to add mental health focus to gun initiative; Calif. considers giving localities responsibility for expanded Medicaid

President Obama's sweeping proposals to combat gun violence represent a sound response to the mass shootings that have horrified the country. In his legislative proposals and executive actions announced Wednesday, the president and Vice President Biden showed a willingness to confront a difficult problem head-on -- a problem that is not only about laws but also about culture and mental-health care.

17 Jan 2013

WHO reports unprecedented progress against 17 neglected tropical diseases

WHO reports unprecedented progress against 17 neglected tropical diseases, thanks to a new global strategy, a regular supply of quality assured, cost-effective medicines and support from global partners.

17 Jan 2013

Aid transparency 'critical' for effective project design & implementation in Haiti, elsewhere

"Saturday marked the third anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti that claimed between 230,000 and 300,000 lives," Vijaya Ramachandran and Julie Walz of the Center for Global Development write in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog," adding, "The grim landmark has prompted much discussion about the struggles surrounding reconstruction and also some hope about what may come next."

16 Jan 2013

State highlights: Calif. governor earmarks money for Medi-Cal expansion; Mental health reforms take shape in Kan., Colo.

Brown earmarked $350 million in his spending plan to help enroll more Californians in Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the poor. Under the proposal, enrollment rules would be simplified to cover residents who are currently eligible but not enrolled.

15 Jan 2013

Federal officials scale back Maine's plan for Medicaid cuts

The Obama administration has denied Republican Gov. Paul LePage's idea to cut health coverage for more than 20,000 low-income residents, but let stand provisions that would cut benefits for another nearly 13,000 residents.

11 Jan 2013

Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than others

On average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. The report finds that this health disadvantage exists at all ages from birth to age 75 and that even advantaged Americans -- those who have health insurance, college educations, higher incomes, and healthy behaviors -- appear to be sicker than their peers in other rich nations.

11 Jan 2013

First Edition: January 9, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Ankita Rao reports: "While most health-related deals on sites like Groupon and Living Social are for cosmetic procedures like Botox, providers also offer everyday medical, vision and dental services. Health and medical deals make up about 5 to 10 percent of the online coupon industry, according to Unaiz Kabani, data product manager at Yipit, a service that aggregates companies' daily deals"

9 Jan 2013

Study shows troubling racial disparities in completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs

Roughly half of all black and Hispanic patients who enter publicly funded alcohol treatment programs do not complete treatment, compared to 62 percent of white patients, according to a new study from a team of researchers including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Jan 2013

Overall cancer death rates continue to decline in the U.S.: Report

The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2009, shows that overall cancer death rates continued to decline in the United States among both men and women, among all major racial and ethnic groups, and for all of the most common cancer sites, including lung, colon and rectum, female breast, and prostate.

9 Jan 2013