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African health experts visit Capitol Hill to discuss family planning

The Global Health Council's "Global Health" blog published two articles on Wednesday examining family planning in West Africa.

1 Jul 2011

Health law's cost and coverage issues draw attention

In an exclusive report, the Associated Press notes an unintended consequence of that health law — some older adults could pay sharply different amounts for private health insurance. Meanwhile, CQ HealthBeat reports on some recent developments in the policy debate over the health law's maintenance-of-effort provisions.

1 Jul 2011

Longer looks: A Medicare compromise; improving mental health policies

Sen. Joe Lieberman has found an ally for the middle-of-the-road Medicare reform proposal he laid out a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, the independent Senator from Connecticut and conservative Republican Tom Coburn unveiled a tweaked version of Lieberman's plan.

1 Jul 2011

USA Today: New study shows wide variation in health costs

Patients pay as much as 683 percent more for the same medical procedures, such as MRIs or CT scans, in the same town, depending on which doctor they choose, according to a new study by a national health care group.

1 Jul 2011

Health care reform eligibility restrictions will lead to exclusion of 220,000 children in California

Restrictions on eligibility for health care reform programs will result in the potential exclusion of up to 220,000 children from affordable health care coverage in California, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

1 Jul 2011

White House backs boost in COBRA, health insurance premium subsidies

The Obama administration is backing a temporary boost in federal subsidies of health insurance premiums, such as COBRA coverage, for workers who lose their jobs due to foreign competition and older retirees in failed pension plans.

1 Jul 2011

Bloomberg: Ryan Medicare vouchers save little

In the background, political ads are heating up related to the debate over Medicare cost savings and plans to revamp the health insurance program for seniors.

1 Jul 2011

Panel advises FDA to reject Avastin as breast cancer drug

The unanimous recommendation by this committee of cancer experts increases the likelihood that the drug will no longer be widely available for the treatment of breast cancer. Avastin, however, will continue to have the Food and Drug Adminstration's approval for use in treating certain other cancers.

1 Jul 2011

Take next step on food hedging plan

"We are thrilled that the G-20 is taking the issue of financial risk management (i.e., hedging) seriously. … The next step is to translate this vision into operational reality," Ben Leo and Vijaya Ramachandran of the Center for Global Development write on the CGD's "Global Development: Views from the Center" blog.

1 Jul 2011

Fast track protocol reduces hospital costs and infections in total hip replacement surgery

Generally healthy patients who undergo total hip replacement (THR) can be fast tracked to be discharged in two days compared with the standard three to six days, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. The study could help cut down on hospital-acquired infections, reduce hospital costs and improve patient satisfaction.

1 Jul 2011

Federal appeals court upholds health law

The majority decision, issued by a three-judge panel from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, included the support of a Republican appointee to the federal bench -- the first to affirm the individual mandate's constitutionality.

1 Jul 2011

Minnesota nears government shutdown

Minnesota would face a massive government shutdown under a court ruling released Wednesday, with all but critical services stopping by Friday.

1 Jul 2011

Multinational drug companies' scam

In an Al Jazeera opinion piece, the first in a two-part series, Khadija Sharife, a journalist and visiting scholar at the Center for Civil Society, examines how multinational drug companies control markets.

1 Jul 2011

State roundup: Calif. braces for budget cuts; Mass. weighs premium freeze

Poor people will receive less medical care and welfare, disabled people will see fewer services, state parks will close and public university students will pay more in California under the budget that takes effect Friday. But also Friday, the state sales tax will decrease from 8.25 percent to 7.25 percent and vehicle licensing fees will drop by almost half. Combined with the taxes that expired in January, an average California family will pocket about $1,000 this year.

1 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Abortion law debates; Medicare cost examinations; state reform building blocks

The Susan B. Anthony List's Pro-Life Leadership Pledge has garnered praise from a number of Republican presidential candidates, including Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty, each of whom has signed the pledge. It has also faced some misinformed criticism, however, not only from the media but from other presidential candidates who refuse to sign on to the pledge's four basic principles.

30 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 30, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about yesterday's decision from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the health law.

30 Jun 2011

Workers who take mental health leave more likely to have second episode sooner

The recurrence of an employee's medical leave of absence from work tends to happen much sooner with a mental health leave than a physical one, a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) study shows.

30 Jun 2011

IOM report can set the stage for improvements in pain care, says APS

The American Pain Society (APS) said that "Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Treatment, and Research, the report submitted to Congress today by the Institute of Medicine, is a major step forward in addressing the nation's leading public health problem - untreated and undertreated chronic pain.

30 Jun 2011

Senate resolution supporting World Malaria Day

The Senate on Monday night unanimously passed the Senate World Malaria Day Resolution, S. Con. Res. 15, a concurrent resolution with the House of Representatives, according to a post on the Malaria Policy Center blog.

30 Jun 2011

Improving health vital to good governance in Nigeria

In a Daily Independent opinion piece, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Terence McCulley writes that after "truly historic" elections in April, "the Nigerian Government faces complex challenges in the post-election environment. Security, electricity, good roads, education and reliable health care top most people's lists of immediate concerns."

30 Jun 2011