Health Care News and Research

RSS

Sebelius: Some insurance costs could increase when health law is implemented

The HHS secretary's remarks came as insurers are becoming increasingly jittery about how sweeping health law changes will impact the marketplace and on the same day that the Society of Actuaries released a study that predicted increased medical claims costs.

28 Mar 2013

Congress passes, President signs continuing resolution for FY 2013

Funding for HIV through PEPFAR "took a hit while the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria got a boost last week when the House and Senate passed a Continuing Resolution bill to avoid a government shutdown and continue funding the government through Oct. 1, the end of fiscal year 2013," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports (Aziz, 3/26).

28 Mar 2013

Humanitarian response to Syrian conflict 'half-hearted at best'

"The massacre in Syria rages on and yet we stand idle. We must realize that, to millions of Syrians trapped in the country, the virtual absence of humanitarian relief is nearly as arbitrary and cruel as the war itself," Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of Cape Town and a Nobel peace laureate, writes in The Guardian's "Comment is Free" blog.

28 Mar 2013

New report from ONE reviews agricultural development in Africa over past decade

"In a report launched [on Tuesday] -- a valuable yardstick called, 'A Growing Opportunity: Measuring Investments in African Agriculture' -- ONE reviews the past decade and finds some notable successes in terms of mustering money and political commitment, and the impact of agricultural development," Roger Thurow, senior fellow on global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, writes in the group's "Global Food For Thought" blog.

28 Mar 2013

IRIN examines Lancet series on TB

IRIN examines The Lancet series on tuberculosis, saying that authors writing in the collection of articles note that investments in TB since 1993, when the WHO declared the disease a global emergency, "have led to the most promising pool of new tuberculosis drug and vaccine candidates in more than 40 years, with several new drugs and drug regimens poised to enter late-stage clinical trials throughout the next few years."

28 Mar 2013

Urban Institute: Medicaid expansion will benefit veterans

Overall, the health law could help as many as 40 percent of uninsured veterans gain access to health coverage. News outlets also report on Medicaid expansion news from Tennessee, Missouri and Louisiana.

28 Mar 2013

Va. Gov. offers amendment to bar abortion coverage from the federal exchanges that will serve the state

Gov. Bob McDonnell added the provision Monday to recently passed legislation. Meanwhile, in other news, the Maryland Senate could vote as early as today on a bill that implements the state's new insurance marketplace and Louisiana insurers and nonprofits form group to help consumers understand new insurance options.

28 Mar 2013

Roundup: Court to hear Calif. inmate mental health case; La. health secretary a no-show at hearing

News outlets report on health care developments in California, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Texas.

28 Mar 2013

Tecfidera gets FDA approval for adults with relapsing forms of MS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) capsules to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

28 Mar 2013

Federal agency issues 'fraud alert' about physician-owned distributorships

The Health and Human Services Inpector General said these commercial ventures, which are widespread in the fields of orthepedic and spine surgery, are "inherently suspect."

28 Mar 2013

North Dakota governor signs nation's most restrictive abortion law

Gov. Jack Dalrymple, a Republican, signed three anti-abortion bills Tuesday, one of which bans abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detectable, which could be as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

28 Mar 2013

Examining 'a glitch' in the health law's tax credits

Reuters reports on a health law consequence that Families USA says needs to be fixed: that millions of "modest earners" could be priced out of health insurance. The Fiscal Times analyzes the current state of play regarding the measure's new taxes and other moving parts.

28 Mar 2013

Actuaries' study projects health law will boost claims costs 32 percent

Although some states would see claims costs decline, the study by the Society of Actuaries forecasts that a majority will experience double-digit increases in the individual health insurance market. Officials in some states disputed the analysis, saying it was based on flawed data.

28 Mar 2013

Patients taking antihistamines to suppress stomach acid are at greater risk of C. diff infection

Patients receiving antihistamines to suppress stomach acid are at greater risk of infection from Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a common cause of diarrhea, particularly in health care settings, Mayo Clinic researchers have found.

28 Mar 2013

Score can predict risk for hospital readmission

A risk score for hospitalized patients can pinpoint those most at risk of having to be readmitted to the hospital for avoidable reasons.

27 Mar 2013

Researchers examine performance of Africa's expanded programme on immunization

In a paper published in PLoS Medicine last week, researchers from the Vaccines for Africa Initiative at the University of Cape Town's Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine examine the performance of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in Africa since its inception in 1974.

27 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new study estimating how the health law will impact medical claims costs.

27 Mar 2013

Academic performance linked to risky health behaviors in children and teens

Academic performance is linked to risky health behaviors in children and teens, reports a new review in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Health risks that can impact academic success include behaviors tracked by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in young people, such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, violence, inappropriate sexual behaviors, and alcohol, drug or tobacco use.

27 Mar 2013

Lancet series examines tuberculosis

"To commemorate World TB Day 2013, the Lancet Infectious Diseases publishes a series of papers on tuberculosis, a disease that has long plagued human beings and was declared a global emergency in 1993 by WHO," the series homepage states.

27 Mar 2013

Stakeholders see health law benefits, challenges

News outlets explore issues emerging from the health law's implementation, including how the costs of insuring full-time employees could be a boon for temporary staffing agencies, how nurse practitioners are seeking a greater role in primary care and how some clinics are fighting to benefit from the law's changes.

27 Mar 2013