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U.N. issues appeal for air cargo space, warns about rising child mortality among Somalis in Kenya

UNICEF on Tuesday "appealed to the air transport sector to provide free and discounted cargo space to bring emergency food supplies into the region," the U.N. News Centre reports.

4 Aug 2011

New leadership at HHS insurance exchange office

Steve Larson, who oversees the office at the Department of Health and Human Services that includes planning for the exchanges, will join forces with another HHS official to take on this effort. Meanwhile, KHN's Julie Appleby provides an exchanges primer and from Minnesota, an update on the state's progress.

4 Aug 2011

Conn. and Calif. lower premiums in high-risk pools

The state has received federal approval to set a flat premium for its Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, allowing anyone who qualifies to get coverage for $381 a month, the governor's office announced Tuesday.

4 Aug 2011

Nursing homes struggle to bounce back from Medicare cuts

Nursing-home companies Sun Healthcare Group Inc. and Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. said Tuesday they are aiming to cut expenses to help offset the impact of a severe Medicare reimbursement cut coming in two months.

4 Aug 2011

Mich. physicians group seeks standing in Kan. abortion case; Mass. anti-abortion group pushes to overturn health law

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists is seeking to appeal a federal court ruling that temporarily blocked the Kansas law, the Kansas City Star reports. Meanwhile, the effort by abortion opponents in Massachusetts could be a complication for presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

4 Aug 2011

Accurate, non-invasive and inexpensive test can detect Alzheimer's

Scientists from Durin Technologies, Inc., and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Osteopathic Medicine have developed a blood test that uses human protein microarrays to detect the presence of specific antibodies in the blood that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease with unprecedented accuracy.

4 Aug 2011

AMIA expresses concerns about HHS proposed rule

AMIA, the association for informatics professionals in biomedicine and health care, expressed its concerns to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about a proposed rule that would modify the HIPAA Privacy Rules for accounting of disclosures.

4 Aug 2011

Scientists to develop fast, portable and inexpensive urine test for TB

Scientists are reporting an advance toward a fast, inexpensive urine test to detect and monitor the effectiveness of treatment for tuberculosis (TB), which is on a rampage in the developing world.

4 Aug 2011

Insurance rate reviews pick up momentum

Regulators in 38 states last year reviewed all health insurance companies' planned increases in premiums before the rates took effect, according to a Government Accountability Office survey that also found the reviews ranged from detailed examinations to a cursory glance at rate justifications.

4 Aug 2011

State roundup: Moving vets off Medicaid; San Fran. grapples with loophole

About 9,500 veterans were removed from the Medicaid rolls under the Washington state initiative since the program began in 2003, saving the state $27 million, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. And now Oregon is taking baby steps toward imitating the success

4 Aug 2011

Bad teeth in Ozzie kids worries dental health experts

According dental health experts, changes in diet, un-flouridated bottled water and the habit of “constantly bathing” ones teeth in sugary drinks is to blame for the rising number of decaying and rotten teeth found in children

4 Aug 2011

ICORE Healthcare receives URAC Accreditation for Specialty Pharmacy

Magellan Health Services Inc. has announced that ICORE Healthcare, its Specialty Pharmaceutical division, has been awarded the Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, D.C. based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

4 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Geithner, Bowles, Simpson, Ryan, Vladeck, Wilensky on health spending and the deficit

The agreement sets up a powerful mechanism for agreement on tax reforms to strengthen growth, and entitlement reforms to strengthen programs such as Medicare. A congressional committee with fast-track authority will have a Nov. 23 deadline to recommend a balanced package of long-term reforms to produce $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction.

4 Aug 2011

RACGP urging the government to restore mental health rebates

In its submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs regarding the Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) strongly argued for the restoration of GP mental health services. The College is gravely concerned regarding the proposed cuts to the Better Access program and the subsequent impact on mental health delivery for every patient age group, demographic and geography throughout Australia.

3 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 3, 2011

Today's headlines showcase continuing reports about the impact the debt deal might have on health care providers, as well as how the agreement's "super committee" will be charged with finding spending reductions in Medicare, Medicaid and a range of other government programs.

3 Aug 2011

Gender-based violence may increase lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in women

Women who reported experiencing gender-based violence, such as rape, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking, had an associated higher lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders, dysfunction and disability, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.

3 Aug 2011

Famine will spread in Somalia unless 'massive' response mounted, U.N. says

The drought and hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa is getting worse, and unless there is "a massive increase in the response, the famine will spread to five or six more regions" in Somalia, Valerie Amos, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told reporters on Monday, Reuters reports.

3 Aug 2011

Study: Advanced practice nurse care as effective as physicians

Today's primary care physicians in the U.S. are too few in number to meet the healthcare needs of a burgeoning population; healthcare reform will only amplify the problem. That's where nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and other advanced practice nurses enter the picture.

3 Aug 2011

Hospitalist care does not reduce overall costs: Study

Inpatients cared for by hospitalists have higher Medicare costs in the 30 days after discharge than those whose personal physicians oversee their care. This is partly because hospitalists' patients are more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation or nursing facility than to their homes and more likely to have subsequent emergency room visits and readmissions.

3 Aug 2011

PBS NewsHour profiles projects competing in saving lives at birth challenge

PBS NewsHour on Monday profiled five projects to improve maternal and child health that are competing for a share of $14 million in research grants through the Saving Lives at Birth challenge.

3 Aug 2011