Health Care News and Research

RSS

Quarter of Medicare drug plans get poor ratings

Federal officials gave negative assessments to more than 25 percent of these prescription drug plans. In the Washington area, that number is even higher. Also in the news, Medicare's database comparing hospital patient safety.

27 Oct 2011

Opinion pieces respond to U.N. special rapporteur's report on reproductive health policies

Several opinion pieces respond to a report presented on Monday to the U.N. General Assembly by Arnand Grover, U.N. special rapporteur for the Right to Health, that "considers the impact of criminal and other legal restrictions on abortion; conduct during pregnancy; contraception and family planning; and the provision of sexual and reproductive education and information," according to the report summary.

27 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: The health law and Wal-Mart; congressional probe into Planned Parenthood; trimming Medicare

When Wal-Mart endorsed President Obama's health care plan in 2009, CEO Mike Duke said it did so "to remove the burden that is crushing America's businesses and hampering our competitiveness in the global economy." That doesn't seem to be working out too well - for all Americans, and especially for Wal-Mart's employees.

27 Oct 2011

The unvaccinated population contributing to the measles outbreak

As the US faces its largest outbreak of measles in 15 years - affecting 214 children so far – new research suggests too many unvaccinated U.S. children could be the reason. Experts speculate that unfounded fears regarding safety of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine leading to many children bring missed out could have led to this situation.

24 Oct 2011

Your medical privacy – Another Obamacare casualty

It was a sad day recently when a married menopausal woman learned that her recent Pap test was positive for human papilloma virus (HPV). “How could this happen?” she asked. “I have not had relations with anyone but my husband since we married 30 years ago.”

24 Oct 2011

UNICEF warns of possible polio resurgence in Madagascar amid outbreak involving three children

"An outbreak of polio in three children from the south of Madagascar has raised concerns over a possible resurgence of this crippling disease," BBC News reports, adding, "UNICEF spokesman Daniel Timme says three cases of polio without symptoms have been identified ... during UNICEF's Mother and Child Health week following tests and urine samples".

24 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Health law curbs savings from OTC meds; Calif. wrestles with managing medical marijuana

[Over-the-counter] medicines play an important role in our nation's health care system, with almost 90 percent of physicians recommending patients try to address many ailments with self-care interventions, including the use of OTC medication, before seeking professional care.

24 Oct 2011

Opinion pieces address World Polio Day

Though the number of new polio cases has dropped by 99 percent over the past 20 years, World Polio Day is recognized "because we haven't done enough yet," Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in his blog, "The Gates Notes."

24 Oct 2011

Political cartoon: 'Parts And Labor'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh perspective on health policy developments with "Parts And Labor".

24 Oct 2011

Global Polio Eradication Initiative not on track to end transmission by 2012, report says

The latest quarterly report (.pdf) by an independent board that monitors the progress of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), released in mid-October, warned that "unless the program addresses 'fundamental problems,' there is a 'substantial risk' that stopping polio transmission will not be achieved by end-2012," AlertNet reports.

24 Oct 2011

Number of cholera cases to reach 500,000 by year's end, WHO says

The WHO on Friday "said the number of cholera cases in Haiti is expected to reach 500,000 by the end of the year" if current trends continue, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Oct 2011

Older adults with glaucoma at increased risk of falls

Older adults with glaucoma are at increased risk of falls resulting in injury, reports a study in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

24 Oct 2011

Scientists, WHO warn of public health implications of proposed mercury ban due to its use in vaccines

"Scientists are warning officials negotiating a global treaty on mercury that banning the deadly chemical completely would be dangerous for public health because of the chemical's use in vaccines," the Associated Press reports.

24 Oct 2011

Some states limit Medicaid hospital coverage; Food stamp, benefit systems revamped

States, facing budget shortfalls, look for ways to save money on their Medicaid programs, including limiting hospital stays for enrollees. Wisconsin is holding hearings on plans to alter the programs there, and California is looking at restructuring the way health care is delivered to people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Stateline reports that a number of states are using new technology to run their benefits programs.

24 Oct 2011

Using spousal communication to increase family planning in Africa

Helen Epstein, author of "The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight Against AIDS," examines the implications of the world's growing population for Africa in this New York Times opinion piece, writing, "Before this century ends, there could well be 10 billion of us, a billion more than previously expected.

24 Oct 2011

Sustained 'vigilance and money' necessary to fight malaria

With the RTS,S malaria vaccine trial results showing "moderate" success, helping to reignite "optimism about eradicating malaria entirely," "there are other big hurdles still to surmount," a New York Times editorial states.

24 Oct 2011

MSF suspends measles vaccination campaign in Mogadishu area because of violence

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) last week cut short a three-week measles vaccination campaign intended to reach 35,000 children in the Daynile area near the Somali capital Mogadishu, after intense fighting erupted between the militant group al-Shabab and forces of Somalia's Transitional National Government, backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia, VOA News reports.

24 Oct 2011

With much at stake, lobbyists stay close to super committee

Politico reports that the high stakes that involve everything from the health industry to Native American tribes in the deficit panel's deliberations have created a veritable "swarm" of lobbyists.

24 Oct 2011

Tenofovir gel confirmed to be effective against herpes in lab experiment, study shows

Data from lab experiments published online by the journal Cell Host and Microbes last week show that the gel form of the antiretroviral tenofovir, which is being investigated as an HIV prevention method, works to inhibit the reproduction of herpes virus in tonsil and cervical tissue, the New York Times reports.

24 Oct 2011

World Health Summit provides platform to discuss incorporating NTDs into MDGs

In anticipation of next week's 2011 World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, Neeraj Mistry, managing director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease, recaps gains in the treatment and prevention of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) around the world through the commitment of the U.S., the U.K. and other G8 countries and makes the case for a global NTD initiative in the network's "End the Neglect" blog.

24 Oct 2011

Health Care News and Research

Quarter of Medicare drug plans get poor ratings

Opinion pieces respond to U.N. special rapporteur's report on reproductive health policies

Viewpoints: The health law and Wal-Mart; congressional probe into Planned Parenthood; trimming Medicare

The unvaccinated population contributing to the measles outbreak

Your medical privacy – Another Obamacare casualty

UNICEF warns of possible polio resurgence in Madagascar amid outbreak involving three children

Viewpoints: Health law curbs savings from OTC meds; Calif. wrestles with managing medical marijuana

Opinion pieces address World Polio Day

Political cartoon: 'Parts And Labor'

Global Polio Eradication Initiative not on track to end transmission by 2012, report says

Number of cholera cases to reach 500,000 by year's end, WHO says

Older adults with glaucoma at increased risk of falls

Scientists, WHO warn of public health implications of proposed mercury ban due to its use in vaccines

Some states limit Medicaid hospital coverage; Food stamp, benefit systems revamped

Using spousal communication to increase family planning in Africa

Sustained 'vigilance and money' necessary to fight malaria

MSF suspends measles vaccination campaign in Mogadishu area because of violence

With much at stake, lobbyists stay close to super committee

Tenofovir gel confirmed to be effective against herpes in lab experiment, study shows

World Health Summit provides platform to discuss incorporating NTDs into MDGs

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®

Latest News