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N.Y. Times poll finds majority of Americans say taxes will exceed benefits

A majority of Americans say they expect to pay more in federal taxes over their lifetime than they will ever receive in benefits from the government, according to a recent New York Times poll. At the same time, the taxes Americans pay today are not keeping pace with the growing costs of government. Medicare is the program projected to add the most to federal spending over the next decade, likely increasing the government's annual budget deficits. But only one in five Americans surveyed named Medicare as the fastest-growing benefits program.

14 Feb 2012

The U.S. debates the contraception rule

A selection of opinions and editorials on the controversy surrounding the administration's regulation mandating insurance coverage for women of birth control.

14 Feb 2012

Fair trade agreement between E.U., India could impede access to medicine for world's poor

"Current negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union and India are causing serious concern in many quarters over future access to cheap generic medicines used to treat some of the world's great public health threats: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and also cancer," Philippe Douste-Blazy, U.N. special adviser on innovative financing for development and chair of UNITAID, and Denis Broun, executive director of UNITAID, write in this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog."

14 Feb 2012

Obama's budget demonstrates his strong commitment to end HIV

"The budget President Obama outlined today yet again demonstrates his strong commitment to ending HIV by increasing funding for prevention and lifesaving care and treatment for those who cannot afford it in the United States," commented Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute.

13 Feb 2012

Internet addiction, shyness, defiance and grief on bereavement could be mental disorders – Debate on proposed DSM-5

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has attracted a lot of debate on its proposed amendments to its newest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) the outlines psychiatric symptoms in the mental-health industry.

13 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 13, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations preview President Barack Obama's budget, which will be released today, and examine the lingering controversy over mandates on contraceptive coverage.

13 Feb 2012

Benin's government fighting malaria with free treatment, cadre of community health workers

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" examines how the government of Benin "is making headway in attempts to reduce deaths from malaria" by cracking down on counterfeit treatments, offering malaria treatment free-of-charge in public clinics and hospitals, and creating "an army of ordinary citizens in the battle against preventable diseases like malaria."

13 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Predicting the health law's effects on small business, uninsured, disparities

Using a RAND assessment tool, researchers aimed to "predict the effects of self-insurance and grandfathering exemptions on coverage and premiums available" on policies for small businesses sold in the insurance exchanges.

13 Feb 2012

Water and sanitation sector must speak up to be included in NTD eradication efforts

Applauding the signing of the so-called "London Declaration on NTDs" by a consortium of public and private partners last week, Ned Breslin, CEO of Water For People, writes in this Huffington Post "Impact" opinion piece, "I am saddened by the emphasis on vaccines and medicines as the seemingly only vehicles to eradicate NTDs by London Declaration signatories. And I wonder where water, sanitation and hygiene are in this mix, as by all accounts it is not anywhere to be seen in the NTD eradication initiative."

10 Feb 2012

Administration officials announce new initiatives to promote innovations in global development

In a White House briefing on Wednesday, "senior Administration officials announced a series of new initiatives to promote game-changing innovations to solve long-standing development challenges" in response to President Obama's "call to harness science technology, and innovation to spark global development," Gayle Smith, special assistant to the president, and Tom Kalil, senior adviser for science, technology, and innovation, write in this post in the White House Blog.

10 Feb 2012

Experts discuss benefits of combining deworming, school feeding programs at meeting with U.K. Parliament

This post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog reports on an event held on Wednesday in London during which John Kufuor, former president of Ghana and winner of the 2011 World Food Prize, addressed the U.K. Parliament "about how school feeding programs can help millions of people currently living in poverty."

10 Feb 2012

Eye clinics in India use tiered pricing to provide affordable service to poorest patients

"An expanding network of eye clinics has found an innovative way of providing quality, affordable treatment to millions of blind and visually impaired poor people in India," the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog reports.

9 Feb 2012

New survey highlights health insurance gaps faced by poor

According to the Commonwealth Fund, low-income adults who were surveyed were less likely to have insurance and to receive medical care including preventive screenings.

8 Feb 2012

Major international event focuses on responses to global sustainability challenges

The forthcoming Planet under Pressure conference is a major international event focusing on responses to global sustainability challenges.

8 Feb 2012

DMPA intake may increase risk of periodontitis, gingivitis in women

Injectable progesterone contraceptives may be associated with poor periodontal health, according to research in the Journal of Periodontology. The study found that women who are currently taking depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injectable contraceptive, or have taken DMPA in the past, are more likely to have indicators of poor periodontal health, including gingivitis and periodontitis, than women who have never taken the injectable contraceptive.

7 Feb 2012

New report on state of health insurance in California

Hard hit by one of the worst recessions in nearly a century, hundreds of thousands of Californians lost insurance coverage across the state as employers shed jobs and the health plans that came with those jobs, according to a new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

6 Feb 2012

Sharp rise in incidence of children hospitalizations due to physical abuse

In one year alone, over 4,500 children in the United States were hospitalized due to child abuse, and 300 of them died of their injuries, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study. The findings are published in the March 2012 issue of Pediatrics.

6 Feb 2012

Early parenting intervention holds promise for childhood obesity prevention

Programs that support parents during their child's early years hold promise for obesity prevention, according to a new study in the online February 6 issue of Pediatrics.

6 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Safety-net hospitals stack up well against others

This study compares ER performance at safety-net hospitals (those with a disproportionate share of Medicaid and uninsured patients) to non-safety net hospitals to see if proposed pay-for-performance measures could have a negative impact.

6 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Komen takes a lashing; Is the safety net really intact?; Romney assails HHS' rule on contraception

With its roster of corporate sponsors and the pink ribbons that lend a halo to almost any kind of product you can think of, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has a longstanding reputation as a staunch protector of women's health. That reputation suffered a grievous, perhaps mortal, wound this week from the news that Komen, the world's largest breast cancer organization, decided to betray that mission.

5 Feb 2012

Poverty News and Research

N.Y. Times poll finds majority of Americans say taxes will exceed benefits

The U.S. debates the contraception rule

Fair trade agreement between E.U., India could impede access to medicine for world's poor

Obama's budget demonstrates his strong commitment to end HIV

Internet addiction, shyness, defiance and grief on bereavement could be mental disorders – Debate on proposed DSM-5

First Edition: February 13, 2012

Benin's government fighting malaria with free treatment, cadre of community health workers

Research roundup: Predicting the health law's effects on small business, uninsured, disparities

Water and sanitation sector must speak up to be included in NTD eradication efforts

Administration officials announce new initiatives to promote innovations in global development

Experts discuss benefits of combining deworming, school feeding programs at meeting with U.K. Parliament

Eye clinics in India use tiered pricing to provide affordable service to poorest patients

New survey highlights health insurance gaps faced by poor

Major international event focuses on responses to global sustainability challenges

DMPA intake may increase risk of periodontitis, gingivitis in women

New report on state of health insurance in California

Sharp rise in incidence of children hospitalizations due to physical abuse

Early parenting intervention holds promise for childhood obesity prevention

Research roundup: Safety-net hospitals stack up well against others

Viewpoints: Komen takes a lashing; Is the safety net really intact?; Romney assails HHS' rule on contraception

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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