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Medicaid still taking toll on state budgets

Even as state revenues are showing signs of recovering, health costs remain a budget drain, according to a new report.

13 Jun 2012

Millions suffer chronic food shortages in North Korea, U.N. report says

"Millions of North Koreans suffer chronic food shortages and dire health care ..., and there are no immediate signs of reforms to spur economic growth, the United Nations says" in a report released Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Jun 2012

Relief groups appeal for aid to tackle worsening food crisis in West Africa

"Relief groups are stepping up their appeals for aid to tackle the worsening food crisis in West Africa, where more than 18 million people face hunger," the Guardian reports. "Relief agencies have been sounding the alarm for months about the effects of drought on the Sahel -- a region stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea," the newspaper writes.

13 Jun 2012

Lawmakers push to protect health care programs in Calif. budget plan

Lawmakers set to move a budget through the California legislature are pushing back against a plan by Gov. Jerry Brown to cut health care benefits -- notably for in-home care, kids, the elderly and the disabled.

13 Jun 2012

Obama administration warns about what's at stake in health law decision

Federal officials and health policy experts forecast what the future might hold if the Supreme Court overturns, or upholds the health law. Also, surveys highlight how employers plan to react to the decision, and how the law might help stabilize certain aspects of the insurance market.

13 Jun 2012

Child Survival Call to Action event signals a 'hopeful moment' in global health

"Helping mothers give birth to HIV-free children is an essential piece of the puzzle of ending preventable child deaths," U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby writes in this post in the AIDS.gov blog, adding, "Yet 390,000 infants around the globe were born with the virus in 2010."

13 Jun 2012

Report makes recommendations for improving allocation of scarce health funding

In this episode of the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Global Prosperity Wonkcast," Lawrence MacDonald, vice president for communications and policy outreach at the CGD, interviews Amanda Glassman, a research fellow and director of CGD's global health program, about her recent report, Priority Setting in Health: Building Institutions for Smarter Public Spending, which "draws on the expertise of a CGD working group to offer recommendations for improving the allocation of scarce health funding, despite political and bureaucratic constraints."

13 Jun 2012

African-led innovation 'imperative' to overcoming health issues on the continent

In this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog, Carel IJsselmuiden, executive director of the Council on Health for Development Group, writes that "Africa must turn its health research into treatments for African people," noting, "Despite large investments being made by donors in health products and delivery of health services, a large percentage of Africans still have limited access to sufficient and quality healthcare -- especially in rural areas."

13 Jun 2012

Think tank calls for new federal office to simplify health insurance administration

Health insurers, however, raise concerns and suggest other parts of health economy must also be considered.

13 Jun 2012

Despite progress, efforts to end HIV/AIDS epidemic must be redoubled, U.N. officials say

"Despite the tremendous progress that has been achieved in the response to HIV/AIDS, it is urgent that efforts be redoubled to end this global epidemic, top United Nations officials stressed Monday, highlighting in particular the need to expand services and scale up resources," the U.N. News Centre reports.

13 Jun 2012

Type 1 diabetes on the rise among young people in the U.S.

Jeffrey Brewer, president and CEO of JDRF, the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, issued the following statement today in response to a new study showing an increase in T1D among young people in the United States.

13 Jun 2012

Investment in global health programs protects national security, promotes economic growth

"Investment in global health programs protects our national security, promotes economic growth, and upholds humanitarian values," Jenny Eaton Dyer, executive director of Hope Through Healing Hands and a member of the Tennessee State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, writes in this opinion piece in the Tennessean.

13 Jun 2012

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

New York lawmakers unanimously approved legislation Monday that will require doctors to issue drug prescriptions electronically within three years, meanwhile establishing tighter restrictions on painkillers and other addictive drugs on the state list of controlled substances.

13 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Praise for insurers' move to keep consumer protections; Supreme Court's reputation falters

UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation's largest health insurers, announced this week that it would keep some of the popular benefits and consumer protections required by the federal health care law even if the Supreme Court strikes down all or part of it. ... But such voluntary actions are not a substitute for the broader mandatory reforms that will take effect after 2014 under the law.

13 Jun 2012

Newborn babies account for 40% of preventable child deaths, see little global health funding, report says

"Newborns now account for 40 percent of preventable child deaths worldwide, but only a tiny fraction of international aid targets newborns, according to" Save the Children's new report on newborn survival, to be published in the medical journal Health Policy and Planning Tuesday, USA Today reports.

13 Jun 2012

Insurers propose rate hikes for Calif. small businesses; New survey finds interest in expanding small biz coverage

Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California propose raising health insurance rates up to 24 percent. Meanwhile, the poll finds that one in three small businesses now offer health coverage and 44 percent said they would likely do it if an insurance exchange opens.

13 Jun 2012

Children with ASD pay more for health care: Study

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) require an array of specialized health care services. With these services come higher costs for parents and insurance providers. University of Missouri researchers compared costs and types of services for children with ASD to costs and services for children with other conditions like asthma or diabetes.

12 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 12, 2012

Today's headlines include news about the pressure health costs are placing on state budgets.

12 Jun 2012

Secrets and electronic health records: A privacy concern

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, David Schultz reports: "The issue of how to ensure that psychotherapy notes remain private, even from other doctors, was one that troubled many at the second annual Health Privacy Summit in Washington last week. ... 'Psychotherapists are often the canaries in the coal mine' when it comes to health privacy, said James Pyles, an attorney who specializes in health law."

12 Jun 2012

Getting to the bottom of hospital bills' 'gross charges'

Robert D'Amicodatri had two strokes, complicated by seizures, and rang up $374,741 in charges at Crozer-Chester Medical Center early in 2009. Three years later, in February, the Delaware County hospital sued him for $241,321, the balance after an insurance policy paid $20,998 and the hospital reduced his bill by $112,422 for a reason it has declined to explain.

12 Jun 2012

Health Care News and Research

Medicaid still taking toll on state budgets

Millions suffer chronic food shortages in North Korea, U.N. report says

Relief groups appeal for aid to tackle worsening food crisis in West Africa

Lawmakers push to protect health care programs in Calif. budget plan

Obama administration warns about what's at stake in health law decision

Child Survival Call to Action event signals a 'hopeful moment' in global health

Report makes recommendations for improving allocation of scarce health funding

African-led innovation 'imperative' to overcoming health issues on the continent

Think tank calls for new federal office to simplify health insurance administration

Despite progress, efforts to end HIV/AIDS epidemic must be redoubled, U.N. officials say

Type 1 diabetes on the rise among young people in the U.S.

Investment in global health programs protects national security, promotes economic growth

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

Viewpoints: Praise for insurers' move to keep consumer protections; Supreme Court's reputation falters

Newborn babies account for 40% of preventable child deaths, see little global health funding, report says

Insurers propose rate hikes for Calif. small businesses; New survey finds interest in expanding small biz coverage

Children with ASD pay more for health care: Study

First Edition: June 12, 2012

Secrets and electronic health records: A privacy concern

Getting to the bottom of hospital bills' 'gross charges'

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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