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Running down the varied state reaction to the health law decision

State leaders reacted to the Supreme Court health law decision in varied ways: Some hailed the decision as a victory for everyday Americans while others warned the decision will harm citizens. Still others, however, including Va. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, saw a mixed bag.

30 Jun 2012

Under-performance of small bowel biopsy a major reason behind underdiagnosis of celiac disease

Under-performance of small bowel biopsy during endoscopy may be a major reason that celiac disease remains underdiagnosed in the United States, according to a new study published online recently in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Investigators at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) found that the rate of small bowel biopsy is low in this country.

30 Jun 2012

London Summit on Family Planning poised to provide 'staggering' results

The "groundbreaking" London Summit on Family Planning, scheduled for July 11, "aims to provide an additional 120 million women ... lifesaving contraceptives, information, and services by 2020," Gary Darmstadt, who heads the Family Health Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

30 Jun 2012

House Foreign Relations Authorization Act only includes state department operations

"[T]he House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) [on Wednesday] approved the FY 2013 Foreign Relations Authorization Act [.pdf] that it hopes will be the first authorizing bill to pass Congress in a decade," Casey Dunning of the Center for Global Development (CGD) writes in this post in the center's "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance" blog.

30 Jun 2012

Most health care firms expect to benefit from health law

The court's decision to uphold the law is expected to help nearly every corner of the health care industry, The Associated Press reports. But other outlets also note that insurers are concerned about new rules.

30 Jun 2012

Melinda Gates discusses access to contraceptives on 'The Colbert Report'

"As a young woman, I felt confident in my future because I knew I had the power to plan my family," Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in this post in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

30 Jun 2012

Medicaid piece of high court decision creates questions for states

The element of the ruling that allows states to "opt out" of the health law's Medicaid expansion without losing current program funding immediately changed state-level implementation dynamics.

30 Jun 2012

What does ruling mean for election politics? Dems, GOP seek to energize bases

Supporters of President Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney are using the Supreme Court health law ruling as motivation ahead of November's presidential election.

30 Jun 2012

New study lessens concerns about dengue vaccine production costs

"Research funded by the Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI) involving an economic analysis of producing a tetravalent dengue vaccine shows that the cost could be as low as $0.20 per dose with an annual production level of 60 million doses packaged in 10-dose vials," a Sabin Vaccine Institute press release reports.

30 Jun 2012

Stress during pregnancy increases children's risk for abnormal health conditions at birth

Expectant mothers who dealt with the strain of a hurricane or major tropical storm passing nearby during their pregnancy had children who were at elevated risk for abnormal health conditions at birth, according to a study led by a Princeton University researcher that offers new insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy.

30 Jun 2012

Inclusion of water, sanitation in Rio+20 discussions 'refreshing'

In this post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog, Helen Hamilton, policy adviser for neglected tropical diseases at Sightsavers, reflects on the Rio+20 conference, "which took place last week in Brazil to discuss how the world can develop more sustainably."

30 Jun 2012

Ruling on health care roils the markets

Hospital stocks surged but insurance stocks fell.

30 Jun 2012

House Foreign Affairs Committee approves FY13 Foreign Relations Authorization Act

"The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved a $16.2 billion State Department authorization bill after reaching bipartisan consensus," The Hill's "Global Affairs" blog reports, adding, "The bill passed by voice vote in under a minute, in stark contrast with last year's record 30-hour markup where Democrats and Republicans battled on everything from funding for abortion providers to aid to Pakistan".

30 Jun 2012

How the High Court's decision contributes to Obama's legacy

News outlets report on how the health law, and the Supreme Court's review of it, will be important parts of President Barack Obama's place in history.

30 Jun 2012

Unfazed, Republicans ready repeal Redux post-SCOTUS decision

Republicans on Thursday vowed to repeal the health care law after the Supreme Court ruling affirming the constitutionality of the law and are planning a repeal vote in the House on July 11. In the meantime, some states, including Georgia for instance, will hold off on implementing key parts of the law to see if the GOP is successful.

30 Jun 2012

How the Medicaid ruling is playing in the states

State officials offer views on their newfound options regarding the health law's Medicaid expansion. Also, news outlets report on how many people might become eligible for Medicaid and at what cost.

30 Jun 2012

Health system changes move forward

Press reports detail the steps that might happen next in terms of the health law's implementation as well as what the decision might mean for consumers.

30 Jun 2012

Supreme Court lets most of health law stand

In a decision that surprised many observers, the high court allowed the measure's individual mandate to survive as a tax but set limits on the law's Medicaid expansion.

30 Jun 2012

Immediately after the Decision: Confusion

Because two cable TV networks initially were wrong in their reports about the court's verdict, lawmakers, candidates and even the president were confused about the court's findings.

30 Jun 2012

New Lancet issue focuses on HIV ahead of AIDS 2012 conference

This week's issue of the Lancet "has an HIV theme ahead of the International AIDS Society meeting in Washington, D.C., ... on July 22-27," a Lancet editorial states, noting, "The issue of antiretrovirals for prevention, specifically pre-exposure prophylaxis, is presently under intense debate."

30 Jun 2012