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Washington Post examines access to maternal and child health care in Sierra Leone

The Washington Post examines access to maternal and child health services in Sierra Leone after the government dropped fees for such services last year, a move that "appears to have sharply cut into mortality rates for pregnant women and deaths from malaria for small children."

18 Jul 2011

Health experts continue to react to CIA's use of vaccine program to hunt Bin Laden

Health experts continue to react to the CIA's use of a vaccine campaign to hunt Osama bin Laden:

18 Jul 2011

WHO to warn against use of TB blood test

The WHO on Sunday said it will release a guidance later this week on widely used blood tests for tuberculosis (TB) warning "against using such tests for the infectious lung disease that affects some 14 million people worldwide" because they can produce incorrect results, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

18 Jul 2011

Capitol Hill prepares for politically charged votes on debt limit

With the deadline just about two weeks away, lawmakers continue to struggle to reach an agreement surrounding the effort to raise the nation's borrowing limit.

18 Jul 2011

Caregivers carry huge burden

A new study by the AARP estimates that for the more than 40 million Americans caring for an elderly or disabled loved one, the value of their work is $450 billion a year.

18 Jul 2011

Partners can help advance global HIV/AIDS fight

In a post on the State Department's "DipNote" blog, Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, highlights recent findings that help reduce the risk of HIV transmission. He writes, "In order for us to fulfill the promise of these findings, we will continue to foster shared responsibility among all parties.

18 Jul 2011

Researchers closer to developing meningitis B vaccine

"New research may bring scientists one step closer to developing a vaccine that protects against hundreds of strains of meningococcus B, the most common cause of bacterial meningitis," according to research published last week in Science Translational Medicine, HealthDay News reports.

18 Jul 2011

$100 million spent on New Orleans hospital project

The Times-Picayune examines the initial state costs for the new Charity Hospital. Meanwhile, a proposed hospital sale in Denver continues to bring criticism and the Dallas Morning News looks at the financial health of hospitals in north Texas.

18 Jul 2011

Health programs among moving parts in debt-deal negotiations

President Barack Obama has signaled that he is open to changes in Medicare and Social Security. Meanwhile, hospitals raise the ire of some lawmakers because of ads designed to protect health program spending, and drug makers are put on notice.

18 Jul 2011

IPAB continues to draw repeal talk

Health exchanges, accountable care organizations, high-risk pools and waivers are among health law hot topics also attracting headlines.

18 Jul 2011

Medicaid 'vulnerable' in deficit talks

The latest GOP proposal being floated in the House exposes Medicaid to heavy cuts because of the plan's cap on federal spending. Meanwhile, some advocates question the commitment of some Democrats to defending the program.

18 Jul 2011

Minorities get help accessing mental health care

Summer Blast, held July 9, addressed a key challenge — getting minorities to seek treatment for mental illness. So important is the issue that in 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives designated July as National Minority Mental Health Month, thanks in part to the efforts of author Bebe Moore Campbell, an advocate for greater mental health awareness among minority communities.

18 Jul 2011

Upsher-Smith initiates USL261 ARTEMIS1 Phase III study for seizure clusters in epilepsy patients

Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. announced today the initiation of a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of USL261, an investigational intranasal midazolam, for the rescue treatment of seizures in patients on stable anti-epileptic drug (AED) regimens who require control of intermittent bouts of increased seizure activity, frequently referred to as seizure clusters. USL261 has been granted orphan drug designation for this use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

18 Jul 2011

States grapple with reduced federal Medicaid match

Stateline looks at the effect to states of the loss of extra federal matching funds for Medicaid. In addition, other news outlets explore the difficulty of finding physicians who accept Medicaid patients, a financial analysis of cuts in Medicaid funding being considered as part of the debt talks in Washington and the fight in Florida over moving enrollees to a managed care style plan.

18 Jul 2011

Aetna enters agreement to acquire account-based health plan administrator, PayFlex

Aetna today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire PayFlex Holdings, Inc., one of the nation's largest independent account-based health plan administrators, with approximately 1 million accounts and approximately 3,300 direct employer customers.

18 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 18, 2011

Today's health policy headlines include the latest news on the debt-ceiling talks as well as reports on IPAB and health exchanges.

18 Jul 2011

Debt-ceiling debate's effect on Medicare, Medicaid likely to have election consequences

Heading into another week of debt-ceiling negotiations, Democrats and Republicans continue to tussle over Medicare and Medicaid. News outlets covered the Sunday talk shows, where the arguments for the next few days were laid out.

18 Jul 2011

Higher rates of falls can occur very early in Alzheimer's disease

Falls are more common among individuals with the earliest signs of Alzheimer's, according to a study presented at the Alzheimer's Association® International Conference 2011.

18 Jul 2011

FDA warns consumers not to drink raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy

The FDA is working with officials in North Carolina and South Carolina to investigate an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in three people who consumed raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy in York, S.C. The three confirmed cases and another five probable cases are from three different households and each case reports that prior to becoming ill they consumed raw milk that was obtained from Tucker Adkins Dairy on June 14, 2011.

18 Jul 2011

Free, drop-in childcare service centers launched at three VA medical centers

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the launch of free, drop-in childcare service centers at three VA medical centers to an audience of more than 700 participants attending the Fifth National Summit on Women Veterans' Issues July 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

18 Jul 2011