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Health exchange deadlines, other implementation issues come into focus

With Thursday's Supreme Court ruling upholding the health law, debate has shifted to whether deadlines key to the law's goal of expanding coverage to tens of millions of Americans will be pushed back. Some say states and the federal government are facing such complex technical and political realities that there will be a need to push back some deadlines, including the Jan. 1, 2014, opening of new online marketplaces where individuals and small business will shop for coverage.

3 Jul 2012

Dems say it is time to change the subject, but GOP has different plan

Republicans already are demonstrating their strategy to use the health law decision in the upcoming campaign season. Meanwhile, both parties are raising money on the issue.

3 Jul 2012

IRIN examines antibiotic resistance, efforts to discover new drugs

IRIN examines a global increase in resistance to antibiotics, writing, "Almost one in every five deaths worldwide occurs as a result of infection, but many bacterial illnesses will become incurable as the efficacy of current antibiotic drugs wanes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)."

3 Jul 2012

CBS News: Roberts shifted view on constitutionality of individual mandate

CBS News reports that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. initially sided with conservatives before he changed his mind and formed an alliance with liberals to uphold most of the health care law. Other news outlets scrutinize Roberts's historic decision.

3 Jul 2012

'Saving Mothers, Giving Life' initiative aims to reduce maternal mortality

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, reports on the "Saving Mothers, Giving Life" (Saving Mothers) initiative, launched by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a health conference in Norway in June.

3 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 3, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that continue to delve into the policy-oriented and political repercussions of last week's high court decision on the health law.

3 Jul 2012

GHTC blog reviews recent congressional actions with global health implications

In this post on the Global Health Technologies Coalition's (GHTC) "Breakthroughs" blog, GHTC Senior Policy Associate Ashley Bennett reviews recent action "on the federal budget and other pieces of legislation that could have implications for global health research and development (R&D)" and discusses "what the next several weeks could bring."

3 Jul 2012

What's ahead on the post-SCOTUS decision landscape

After the Supreme Court's decision last week upholding the health law, news outlets analyze what comes next in terms of the law's implementation, the obstacles it faces and its impact on various parts of the health system.

3 Jul 2012

Obama's health law legacy still not settled; Romney faces health policy pressure

An Associated Press analysis points out that if Obama loses in November, he risks losing the law and his legacy. But Romney is also facing pressure.

3 Jul 2012

Federal judge temporarily blocks law aimed at closing Mississippi's only abortion clinic

The judge set a July 11 hearing on the state law, which would force physicians at the facility to have admitting rights at a local hospital.

3 Jul 2012

Cutting funding for international food aid 'not the best answer' to saving money in U.S. budget

In order to "fill food gaps in the 70 most food deficient countries, ... the U.S., through the Food for Peace program and other food aid programs, provides approximately two million tons of American-grown food donations to 50 million starving people every year," James Henry, chair of USA Maritime, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

3 Jul 2012

Philippines to spend nearly $12M on contraceptives to bolster family planning, reduce maternal mortality rate

The government of the Philippines plans to spend nearly $12 million on contraceptives this year in an effort to "save its 'failed' family planning program and drastically cut maternal deaths," according to the Department of Health, IRIN reports.

3 Jul 2012

Bacterial vaginosis associated with increased risk of HIV transmission from women to men, study shows

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition characterized by a disruption in normal vaginal bacteria, is associated with a more than three-fold increased risk of HIV transmission from an infected woman with the condition to her uninfected male partner, according to a study published June 26 in PLoS Medicine, VOA News reports.

3 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Pressure on states to move on exchanges; Roberts' decision holds off new calls for public option

Now that the health care reform law has been ruled constitutional, it is imperative that as many states as possible move aggressively to establish a centerpiece of the reform structure: new insurance policy exchanges for people who lack affordable coverage through an employer. Federal subsidies will be available for those with low or moderate incomes.

3 Jul 2012

Critical Diagnostics showcases Presage ST2 Assay at AAHFN annual meeting

Critical Diagnostics, makers of the Presage ST2 Assay, participated in the annual meeting for the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses in Chicago, considered the premier meeting in heart failure nursing.

3 Jul 2012

GSA becomes home to Coordinating Center for National HCGNE

Effective July 1, The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) has become home to the Coordinating Center for the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (HCGNE), also known as the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Initiative.

3 Jul 2012

Caffeinated coffee intake may reduce risk of basal cell carcinoma

Increasing the number of cups of caffeinated coffee you drink could lower your risk of developing the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Jul 2012

Latest vaccine indications available through ACP Immunization Advisor app

The latest vaccine indications are available for doctors and other clinicians through the ACP Immunization Advisor app currently available for iPhone and iPad at http://immunization.acponline.org/app.

3 Jul 2012

LTC acquires skilled nursing property in Brownwood, Texas

LTC Properties, Inc. announced today that it acquired a skilled nursing property with 90 licensed beds for $6.5 million. The property is located in Brownwood, Texas and was built in 2011.

3 Jul 2012

HHS announces 2012 HPP and PHEP funding

The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded more than $971 million to continue improving preparedness and health outcomes for a wide range of public health threats within every state, eight U.S. territories, and four of the nation's largest metropolitan areas.

3 Jul 2012