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House Republicans launch new attacks on health law regulations

The medical-loss ratio requirement is one of the prime GOP targets. Democrats responded that Republicans were trying to roll-back key consumer protections. In other health law implementation news, HHS announced new funding for community health centers, and groups interested in setting up health insurance co-ops are seeking certain HHS "tweaks" in the regulations.

17 Sep 2011

Deficit panel moves deliberations behind closed doors

The 12-member 'super committee' held a private meeting Thursday and emerged with few details, though a co-chair acknowledged that their work won't be easy. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, are signaling the different courses they want to see the panel follow. Also, congressional Democrats are getting increasingly worried about what might become of Medicare and Medicaid.

17 Sep 2011

Afghanistan facing challenges in effort to eradicate polio by end of 2012

"Afghanistan is intensifying efforts to eradicate polio by the end of next year, but security remains a major challenge especially in the southern provinces where the virus is localized, says" Arshad Quddus, head of the WHO polio program in Afghanistan, IRIN reports.

17 Sep 2011

House members launch first-ever bipartisan Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus

Democratic and Republican House members at a press briefing on Thursday formally introduced the first-ever bipartisan Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, along with its funding proposals, the Washington Independent reports.

17 Sep 2011

Funding for international family planning programs critical for reproductive health efforts

In an opinion piece in Population Service International's "Impact" magazine, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) writes, "Unfortunately, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives has empowered extremists with zeal for both broad, haphazard budget cuts and a commitment to rolling back women's health rights,"

17 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Support for HPV vaccinations; Compassion and GOP debates

Imagine that scientists invented a vaccine that was proved to safely prevent cancer. Imagine that it was licensed and recommended in the U.S. for all preadolescent girls and available to boys as well, yet five years later only 11 percent of children were receiving the full course of shots.

17 Sep 2011

Harvard’s own ‘Healthy Eating Plate’ as an improvement upon USDA’s MyPlate

A few months earlier the United States Department of Agriculture unveiled ‘MyPlate’, the replacement for the food pyramid. Now the Harvard School of Public Health says that MyPlate doesn't offer enough about good nutrition, and they have offered their own version.

16 Sep 2011

Georgia reminds adults to get vaccinated

Vaccines aren't just for kids, adults need protection too! September 18 kick starts National Adult Immunization Awareness Week and the Georgia Department of Public Health reminds Georgians that you never outgrow the need for vaccines.

16 Sep 2011

General Electric establishes two new joint ventures in Russia

Today, GE expanded its position in one of the world's fastest growing markets by finalizing agreements to set up two new joint ventures in Russia which could drive $10 - $15 billion in sales. Under the new JVs, we anticipate orders of energy-efficient heavy-duty gas-fired power generation turbines with total capacity of up to 5 gigawatts of power as well as thousands of high-tech medical diagnostic units in Russia.

16 Sep 2011

Follow-up study of HIV vaccine trial provides clues for continued research

"After two years of analyzing the results of the largest AIDS vaccine clinical trial ever held -- called RV144 -- researchers say they have found two ways the immune system can respond, which could predict whether those inoculated will be protected or are more likely to become infected with HIV," CNN's health blog "The Chart" reports.

16 Sep 2011

Advocates ramp up efforts to protect Medicaid from 'super committee' trims

State Medicaid directors as well as patient and consumer advocates are detailing the harms that would result from various Medicaid changes under discussion.

16 Sep 2011

Scientists, policymakers meet to present recent AIDS vaccine developments

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Jose Esparza, deputy director of vaccines and HIV at the Gates Foundation, reports on AIDS Vaccine 2011, a conference being held this week in Bangkok, Thailand, that is expected to draw more than 800 scientists and policymakers from around the world.

16 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 16, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that, despite dire predictions by health law opponents about the Medicare Advantage program, its premiums are falling and its enrollment is rising.

16 Sep 2011

India sees increase in malaria deaths despite global decline reported by WHO

While the number of malaria deaths has fallen by one-fifth over the past decade globally, according to a report released by Roll Back Malaria on Monday, "India is still recording high numbers of deaths, which some experts say are underestimated," Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Sep 2011

Combination of prasugrel plus ASA can treat acute coronary syndrome

In order to better prevent blood clots, the drugs clopidogrel or prasugrel can be prescribed to patients with acute ischaemia of the heart muscle, in addition to acetylsalicylic acid.

16 Sep 2011

PEPFAR shows how working across 'political spectrum' can prove successful

"Thirty years since the first case of AIDS was diagnosed in the United States, the world finds itself at a tipping point in the fight against this deadly disease," U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby and George W. Bush Inaugural Global Health Fellow Ambassador Mark Dybul, who served as global AIDS coordinator from 2006 to 2009, write in a Huffington Post opinion piece.

16 Sep 2011

Report urges integrated aid approach to tackle poverty, disease

Action Against Hunger, Action for Global Health, End Water Poverty, PATH, Tearfund and WaterAid on Wednesday released a report that "provides clear and compelling evidence that a new combined approach to tackling poverty and disease that brings together work on water and sanitation, health, education and nutrition achieves better results for the world's poorest," according to a joint press release.

16 Sep 2011

Democrats hold on to Medicare message despite special election losses

Despite two bad losses in Tuesday's House special elections in Nevada and New York, Democrats vowed Wednesday to continue to focus their message on a House GOP plan to overhaul Medicare - an issue that was central to Democrats' campaign efforts in the early part of this year, but which faded as the debate over the country's debt ceiling took precedence during the summer.

16 Sep 2011

Calif. and Texas face big challenges, take different health reform approaches

The LA Times reports that California, because of its budget issues and need to slash state safety net programs, could become a trouble spot for the health law.

16 Sep 2011

PEPFAR announces $45M, four-year initiative to study combination HIV prevention

PEPFAR on Wednesday "announced awards for a new initiative totaling $45 million over four years to examine the effectiveness of combination approaches to HIV prevention. These evaluations of combination prevention will be the largest and most robust to date. Data gathered will help partner countries to strengthen their efforts to prevent new infections and save lives," according to a State Department press release.

16 Sep 2011