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Deficit panel has 'extraordinary power' but will face 'bumpy' start

The LA Times reports on some of the challenges ahead for the "super committee" and explores the panel's chances for success. Meanwhile, one GOP member of this select group vows that there will be no cuts to entitlement benefits.

20 Aug 2011

Trend of hospitals hiring doctors could drive up health care costs

According to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change, the pattern isn't new but is picking up speed in the quest to increase market share and revenue.

20 Aug 2011

U.S. offers North Korea flood assistance, considering food aid separately

"The United States has offered North Korea up to $900,000 in emergency flood assistance but has made no decision yet on a broader request for humanitarian food aid for the isolated country, the State Department said on Thursday," Reuters reports.

20 Aug 2011

South Africa should heed recommendations of HRW report on maternal abuses

"If the moral test for a society is the way in which it treats its most vulnerable citizens, then the release of a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) marks a sad day for South Africa," a Lancet editorial states.

20 Aug 2011

Violence and displacement in Yemen exacerbate child malnutrition

UNICEF has warned that "continuing fighting in various parts of Yemen, which has recently displaced thousands of people especially in Abyan Governorate and the Arhab District of Sana'a, could compromise the nutritional status of those affected … potentially increaseing morbidity and mortality rates, especially among children under five," IRIN reports.

20 Aug 2011

Disease mapping could help control and eliminate loiasis, other NTDs, study says

In this End the Neglect blog post, Linda Diep, communications and grassroots assistant with the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, discusses how "mapping of Loa Loa Filariasis could help in the innovation of new strategies to eliminate and control onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF), according to a recently released article from the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases."

20 Aug 2011

Planned Parenthood to cut back abortion services in Ariz.

Planned Parenthood, the state's largest abortion provider, announced a sweeping cutback of abortion services in Arizona on Thursday, saying it will no longer offer the procedure in communities outside metro Phoenix and Tucson. The organization had been offering abortions at 10 of its 13 Arizona locations. Starting today, that will drop to three.

20 Aug 2011

WHO spokesperson addresses health, medical needs for Libya on PBS NewsHour

The WHO "is rushing to secure medical supplies for Libya" after the Dutch government on Monday released nearly $145 million in frozen assets from Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi's regime in response to a direct WHO appeal, PBS NewsHour reports.

20 Aug 2011

Guardian Focus podcast examines unfolding crisis in Somalia

In this month's Guardian Focus global development podcast, the newspaper looks at the unfolding crisis in the Horn and focuses in on Somalia, where conflict and political instability pose steep challenges for short-term relief and long-term development.

20 Aug 2011

White House holds call to discuss famine in the Horn of Africa

A post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog highlights a White House call "with faith-based organizations Wednesday afternoon to discuss efforts in the Horn of Africa to combat the extensive famine brought on by a severe drought in the region, the worst seen in decades."

20 Aug 2011

Employers predict big increases in health care costs

Based on responses to a survey conducted by the National Business Group on Health, large employers are bracing for cost increases and will likely pass the added burden on to their employees.

20 Aug 2011

States grow anxious for federal exchange guidance

State policymakers are growing increasingly anxious in the face of administration signals that key guidance on federal exchanges may not be coming until late 2011 or early 2012 — if they're coming at all. The administration appears to have decided that it does not need to issue a rule outlining the operation of a federal fallback exchange, according to sources familiar with the administration's thinking.

20 Aug 2011

Outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease kills 81 children in Vietnam

"Vietnam's prime minister has put the country on alert as an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease continues to surge, killing 81 children and sickening more than 32,000 people nationwide so far this year, officials said Friday," the Associated Press reports.

20 Aug 2011

PBS NewsHour examines polio eradication efforts in India's Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states

PBS NewsHour reports on polio eradication efforts underway in India's Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states, which "have been the source of all the polio viruses that have crippled children in India, … one of four countries in the world where polio is still endemic, though it appears it may be on the cusp of finally halting transmission," according to the news service.

20 Aug 2011

World Humanitarian Day honors workers' service

August 19 is recognized worldwide as World Humanitarian Day, when "we honor … those who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and those who continue to bring assistance and relief to millions," a Manila Bulletin editorial states.

20 Aug 2011

Managed care plans can effectively reduce Medicare market costs

Medicare managed health care plans can be effective in reducing costs and encouraging appropriate care, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Arizona State University, the University of California, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

20 Aug 2011

Canada's Minister of Health to fund 25 policy-relevant research projects across six provinces

In support of the Government of Canada's commitment to strengthening Canada's healthcare system, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today funding for 25 policy-relevant research projects across six provinces.

20 Aug 2011

Medicare cost growth slows

Medicare costs grew at their slowest pace in six years, according to Standard & Poor's Healthcare Economic Indices.

20 Aug 2011

Report: Major gains in effort to enroll children in public health care programs

The report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services found that the number of children eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program fell. Meanwhile, HHS also awarded $40 million in grants for more outreach.

20 Aug 2011

VOA News examines new drug compound that shows broad-based efficacy in lab tests

VOA News looks at a new drug compound developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that they say has so far "killed every virus it's been tested on in the laboratory." "The drug - known by the acronym DRACO - works by chemically targeting viral-infected cells and prompting them to self-destruct, eliminating the disease in the process," VOA writes.

20 Aug 2011