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Study shows major link between physical and mental health

People who experience a physical health problem, from diabetes and back pain to cancer or heart disease, are three times more likely to seek mental health care than patients who report having no physical ailment, according to a new study by Oregon State University researchers.

18 Jul 2012

Administration moving the 'right way' by emphasizing global health coordination at country levels

The recent announcement "that the Administration's signature Global Health Initiative (GHI) was being replaced by a new Office of Global Health Diplomacy at State was greeted with withering criticism from many in the global health community," PSI CEO Karl Hofmann writes in this post in the organization's "Healthy Lives" blog.

18 Jul 2012

Advocates in Sri Lanka call for change to laws that criminalize, stigmatize sex work, same-sex relationships

"Sri Lanka has long enjoyed a low 0.1 percent HIV prevalence but, as the number of fresh infections rises steadily, experts are calling for a change in the country's archaic laws that make sex work illegal and criminalizes homosexual activity," Inter Press Service reports.

18 Jul 2012

Preventable hospital deaths: An interview with Dr Helen Hogan

In 2007/8 when we were thinking about the study, there wasn’t a clear picture of the number of preventable deaths in English hospitals. There had been an important report by the chief medical officer of the NHS in 2000 (An Organisation with a Memory) and he talked of the possibility of between 60,000 and 250,000 cases of severe disability or death arising in hospitals.

18 Jul 2012

Patient autonomy crucial to achieving health goals

Supporting patient autonomy in healthcare leads to positive health outcomes, suggesting that self-determination theories should become the foundation for developing interventions in healthcare promotion, say UK researchers.

17 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Calif. could take a lesson from Wis. reforms; Republican advocates a 'Nixon to China' embrace of Medicare for all

The state's teachers union, Wisconsinites learned, had used its power to collectively bargain for healthcare benefits to demand that local school districts provide coverage through a nonprofit insurer affiliated with the union. Once the state ended bargaining on healthcare, school boards began competitively bidding out their health insurance. By the opening of the new school year in September, just two months after the budget bill went into effect, 23 districts had rebid their contracts, saving $16 million, or an average of $211 per student.

17 Jul 2012

Johnson & Johnson second quarter sales decrease 0.7% to $16.5B

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $16.5 billion for the second quarter of 2012, a decrease of 0.7% as compared to the second quarter of 2011. Operational results increased 3.5% and the negative impact of currency was 4.2%.

17 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 17, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that concludes that few Americans will pay more as a result of the health law.

17 Jul 2012

China should abandon family planning policy

In this post on the Council of Foreign Relations' "Asia Unbound" blog, Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the council, argues that China should abandon its so-called "one-child policy," writing, "Despite the relaxation of the law, China is increasingly suffering the consequences of a draconian policy that was put in place in the early 1980s."

17 Jul 2012

States are fertile ground for Health IT opportunities

What the decision won't do, however, is trigger a new round of federal technology spending. Some of the major contracts associated with the legislation have already been awarded, and work has already begun.

17 Jul 2012

Health law continues to be challenge for Romney campaign

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney continues to confront issues about the similarities between the health reform he signed while Massachusetts governor and the 2010 federal health law. Meanwhile, The Associated Press reports about some of Romney's potential running mates and key issues in the campaign.

17 Jul 2012

Repeal strategies take shape -- though none will likely be easy

Yes, if Mitt Romney wins the White House and his Republican allies retake the Senate, he could shred most of President Barack Obama's health care law without having to overpower a Democratic filibuster. But it won't be as easy as some Republicans portend, and it certainly won't be quick. Why? Because any realistic effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- as opposed to last week's quixotic vote in the GOP-controlled House -- is sure to get jumbled together with lots of other issues, including Medicare, taxes, food stamps and defense spending.

17 Jul 2012

Governors stake out political and policy positions on Medicaid expansion

During the National Governors Association meeting this past weekend in Williamsburg, Va., the nation's state executives continued to wrestle with what to do in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision.

17 Jul 2012

Health benefits: Different circumstances for public- and private-sector workers

The Wall Street Journal examines the benefits gap between state and local government employees and their counterparts in the private sector. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Consolidated Edison has reinstated health insurance for New York workers locked out during contract negotiations.

17 Jul 2012

African leaders reaffirm commitment to eliminate malaria at African Union summit

"African leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to efforts to eliminate malaria, after they were informed that unprecedented success in scaling up malaria control interventions resulted in one-third reduction of malaria deaths in African in the last decade," PANA/Afriquejet reports.

17 Jul 2012

Penn. Medicaid enrollees face reductions in dental coverage

Medicaid, a program funded jointly by the federal government and the states, covers the poor and disabled, and coverage varies by state. Most states don't pay for any dental care. Now, in Pennsylvania, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has reduced Pennsylvania's 2 million adult Medicaid patients to basic dental care -- eliminating root canals, periodontal disease work and limiting the number of dentures a patient can receive. The plan now covers little more than cleanings, fillings -- and extractions."

17 Jul 2012

Commitments announced at London summit show power of family planning evidence

"High levels of unmet need for contraception around the world have a very negative impact on women's and children's health and survival as well as on the prosperity of communities and nations," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

17 Jul 2012

Cuba cholera outbreak sickens more than 150 people; Government says number of cases dropping

"Cuba's health ministry on Saturday reported 158 cases of cholera, nearly three times as many as previously disclosed, but said there were no new deaths and the outbreak appears to have been contained and on the wane," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

17 Jul 2012

Preventive Services Task Force makes waves

And it seems nobody these days loves the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Few Americans had even heard of it until three years ago, when the advisory board with the 10-syllable name challenged convention by saying women under 50 might not benefit from mammograms, just as the debate over health care was coming to a boil.

17 Jul 2012

U.S. FDA approves Gilead’s Truvada to minimize risk of sexually-acquired HIV infection

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), the first drug approved to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals who are at high risk of HIV infection and who may engage in sexual activity with HIV-infected partners. Truto reduce the risk of sexually-acquired HIV infection in adults at high risk.

17 Jul 2012