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Federal court weighs Calif. progress on mental health care for prisoners

California's bid to end court oversight of the care it gives about 33,000 mentally ill inmates was heard Wednesday by a federal judge who voiced concern that he had only days to weigh thousands of pages of contradictory claims and issue a decision (St. John, 3/27).

30 Mar 2013

Capsules: Tight Medicaid eligibility leads to more adults delaying care; Audit finds shortcomings in Minn. verifications of income, other information

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Ankita Rao reports on research related to tight Medicaid eligibility and the incidence of delayed medical care: "The research letter in the March 28 issue of the journal found this number to vary significantly across the country and to be lower in places with less restrictive eligibility criteria for Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for low-income citizens" (Rao, 3/27).

30 Mar 2013

Study examines dialysis survival among racial and ethnic subgroups

Among kidney failure patients on dialysis, Hispanics tend to live the longest and Whites the shortest, with Blacks' survival time in between these two, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

29 Mar 2013

Global community failing to address health inequalities

"The goal of the WHO -- amplified ... in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- is to ensure the attainment by the entire world's people of the highest possible level of health," Calum Macpherson, director and vice president of the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, writes in a Devex opinion piece.

29 Mar 2013

Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act introduced in Senate

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) last week introduced the Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act, which "would set standards for humane conditions [in prisons globally], require the Secretary of State to report on prison conditions in at least 30 countries receiving U.S. assistance or under U.S. sanctions, engage governments in recognizing and remedying human rights abuses behind bars and open the door to foreign aid to assist in bringing improvements,"

29 Mar 2013

Diarrhea incidence higher in dry seasons, study shows

"Diarrhea, killer of 1.5 million children annually, is likely to become more prevalent in many developing countries as the climate changes, a report says,"

29 Mar 2013

Doctors renew lobbying to change Medicare payment formula

The American Medical Association is pushing hard to get Congress to make a permanent "doc fix," The Hill reports.

29 Mar 2013

Majority of consumers lack awareness on new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act

In a series of nationwide focus groups conducted by Intuit TurboTax®, a majority of consumers who participated lacked awareness of their new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as "Obamacare". In addition, a most of them did not know if they would qualify for financial assistance to help cover the cost of health insurance.

29 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 29, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of renewed interest between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans to find ways to cut Medicare costs:

29 Mar 2013

South Africa to host third global forum on TB vaccines

"This week more than 250 scientists, researchers, and tuberculosis (TB) advocates from all over the world will gather in Cape Town, South Africa, at the Third Global Forum on TB Vaccines to share findings and look to the future of TB vaccine research and development,"

29 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Budget woes leave Democrats with painful choices; David Kessler on health hazards of antibiotics in meat; the pros and cons of not hiring smokers

USA Today: Entitlements Or Investment? Democrats Must Pick Democrats therefore face a fundamental and inescapable choice: they can support funding current consumption, especially by older Americans who are not working, or future investment, particularly in scientific research and innovation.

29 Mar 2013

Shriners Hospitals for Children -- Twin Cities become the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network

Mayo Clinic today announced that Shriners Hospitals for Children -- Twin Cities (Shriners) will build on the decades-long collaboration between physicians in both organizations and become part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

29 Mar 2013

Study: Heart failure medications highly cost effective in saving lives

A UCLA study shows that heart failure medications recommended by national guidelines are highly cost effective in saving lives and may also provide savings to the health care system.

29 Mar 2013

Study suggests children of deployed parents face increase risk for alcohol and drugs usage

In 2010, almost 2 million American children had at least one parent in active military duty. A new University of Iowa study suggests that deployment of a parent puts these children at an increased risk for drinking alcohol and using drugs.

29 Mar 2013

State roundup: Calif. report card shows improved care for kids

The latest developments in health policy from California, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Texas.

29 Mar 2013

Appointment of former British MP to head IRC will affect autonomy of humanitarian agencies

The appointment of David Miliband -- who on Wednesday resigned his seat as Member of Parliament for South Shields -- as president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) "is another nail in the coffin to claims of humanitarian independence," Michiel Hofman, senior humanitarian specialist for the Humanitarian Innovation Team of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), writes in The Guardian's "Comment is Free" blog.

29 Mar 2013

Examining non-traditional development assistance

"A new aid landscape is emerging that increasingly involves a smaller role for traditional donors like the U.S. government and the World Bank,"

29 Mar 2013

How much will the health law cost? Depends on whom you ask

Some restaurant chains now say the health law may not cost them so much after all -- mostly because many employees either won't qualify for coverage or may decline it. Meanwhile, analysis continues of a Society of Actuaries projection of big increases in medical claims costs for insurers in the individual market. And the Associated Press examines President Barack Obama's promises regarding health care.

29 Mar 2013

Another date night on tap for Obama, GOP Senators

With budget issues -- including changes to Medicare and Medicaid -- still very much in play, President Barack Obama is planning another outing with Republican lawmakers in an effort to build relationships and smooth the path for possible negotiations this summer.

29 Mar 2013

How will immigration reform intersect with Medicare?

In this pair of stories, news outlets examine whether immigration reform will stress the Medicare program as well as what hospitals are doing to address the health law's Medicare Wage Index.

29 Mar 2013