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India's federal cabinet approves food security bill; Parliament to debate proposal

"India approved changes to a bill that grants the nation's poor the right to buy food grains at subsidized rates, meeting a pledge by the ruling Congress party to spread the benefits of growth before elections due next year," Bloomberg reports (Parija/Mishra, 3/20).

21 Mar 2013

GlobalPost, humanitarian agencies examine impact of childhood TB

Noting the WHO and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Monday issued a joint statement calling for an additional $1.6 million a year to fight tuberculosis (TB) in low- and middle-income countries, GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog examines the global impact of childhood TB, writing, "While health officials did not single out the devastating impact of the disease on children ... WHO estimates that at least 500,000 children contract TB each year and that 70,000 die from the disease, largely in Asia and Africa."

21 Mar 2013

Blog reports on Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual conference

The Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog reports on the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual conference held last week, highlighting "a panel hosted by the GHTC, which focused on current fiscal and policy realities in the United States that will impact global health research and development in the coming year and beyond."

21 Mar 2013

Motivating food shoppers to make healthy choices

Researchers at RAND found the result of offering rebates for healthy foods can lead to shifts in diets, which could have public policy implications.

21 Mar 2013

Supreme Court considering generic drugmaker safety liability

The Supreme Court is weighing if generic drugmakers can be sued over the safety of their drugs or if federal regulators' safety approval is enough to block all such legal challenges.

21 Mar 2013

UC San Francisco team develops online cardiovascular study to improve heart health

A UC San Francisco team has developed an ambitious online cardiovascular study using mobile smartphones, with the goal of enrolling one million people from all over the world to improve heart health.

21 Mar 2013

Texas lawmakers consider stricter licensing for abortion clinics

In Texas, a state Senate committee is considering a bill that Democrats say would effectively ban abortion.

21 Mar 2013

Turning three: Progress reports on health overhaul abound

As the law approaches its third birthday, news outlets examine a variety of issues surrounding its implementation.

21 Mar 2013

Determining the right questions for global health research

"Asking the right questions is the first step to generating the 'downstream' evidence needed for the implementation of health policies and practices, as my colleague E. Callie Raulfs-Wang described in her March 12 blog," Kristina Gryboski, technical adviser for the USAID Child Survival and Health Grants Program, writes in a post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," as part of the Global Health Research & Development Blog Series.

21 Mar 2013

Progress slows on spending bill to avert government shutdown

The Senate's consideration of the measure, which protects some programs from sequestration cuts, is taking place against the backdrop of Capitol Hill's broader debate about the deficit.

21 Mar 2013

New apps, social networks shaping doctor delivery of care

Adoption of health information technology is examined as new computer application development and adoption change how doctors deliver care.

21 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: N.D. abortion law is 'repressive and extreme;' States identify 'promising' ideas to overhaul medical malpractice

Late last week, the North Dakota legislature passed a bill that would ban a woman from having an abortion as soon as the heartbeat of the fetus is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

21 Mar 2013

Roundup: Calif. deal allows smaller-than-proposed reduction in home health care; Texas senate panel weighs end of life bills

A selection of health policy stories from California, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Florida, Kansas and Colorado.

21 Mar 2013

Private insurance twist on Medicaid expansion may make 'Obamacare' palatable to conservatives

Some GOP state lawmakers, especially those who do not favor expanding the health insurance program for the poor, appear to be warming to this notion.

21 Mar 2013

Minnesota authorizes online health insurance marketplace

Gov. Mark Dayton has promised to sign the legislation, which enables his administration to move forward on building the infrastructure necessary for the marketplace to begin enrolling people Oct. 1 -- a tight deadline that officials said would require massive work to meet.

21 Mar 2013

Lobbyists update strategy to repeal health law medical device tax

The New York Times reports on that industry lobbyists are courting Democrats. Meanwhile, in other congressional news, two House lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to improve Medicare's Recovery Audit Program.

21 Mar 2013

Database offers national overview of hospital violation reports

Stateline reports that information about hospital errors dating back to January 2011 will be available to the public on a new website. Meanwhile, a report by the Robert Wood Johnson draws parallels between the nation's most unhealth counties and those that have the highest rates of preventable hospital stays.

21 Mar 2013