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WHO launches Decade of Action for Road Safety

The WHO on Wednesday in Geneva officially launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 to raise awareness of and reduce the number of traffic-related deaths and injuries worldwide, the Washington Post reports (Brown, 5/11).

13 May 2011

Pro-gun interests, doctors clash over gun discussions

Three states are considering laws that would penalize doctors and other health care providers for asking patients or their parents whether they have a gun at home.

13 May 2011

Research roundup: Medicare costs in nursing homes; Docs reluctant to adopt EHRs; Health law to improve access to care

Medicare Expenditures Among Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia -- Researchers followed 323 dementia patients in 22 nursing homes for up to 18 months and found that over an 18-month period, "total mean Medicare expenditures were $2303 per 90 days but were highly skewed; expenditures were less than $500 for 77.1% of the 90-day assessment periods and more than $12 000 for 5.5% of these periods.

13 May 2011

Obama, Senate Republicans meet in search of budget compromises

President Barack Obama opened the private session by asking all parties to look for common ground, but the entrenched positions in play will make that difficult to achieve. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for instance, laid out specific conditions that must be met in order to gain GOP support. These included immediate budget caps on discretionary spending followed by eligibility changes to Medicare and Medicaid.

13 May 2011

Two Congressmen launch caucus to improve aid effectiveness

Reps. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) on Thursday launched "a bipartisan group that aims to improve aid effectiveness to further U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives," Devex's blog "Obama's Foreign Aid Reform" reports.

13 May 2011

U.S., Egyptian officials launch report documenting results from USAID health assistance in Egypt

U.S. and Egyptian officials on Thursday gathered for the launch of Egypt's Health and Population Legacy Report, which documents the results of USAID health sector assistance in Egypt, Daily News Egypt reports.

13 May 2011

HHS: Health law saves Medicare $120 billion

The administration credits the significant savings to changes in the Medicare program that were put in place by the health law combined with other steps to cut down on fraud and abuse, quality of care incentives, and efforts to streamline care for people with disabilities.

13 May 2011

Minnesota GOP lawmakers file brief in health care lawsuit

Republican legislators ... have filed an amicus brief supporting 26 states that are claiming that federal health care reforms signed into law last year are unconstitutional. ...

13 May 2011

Milliman study finds health costs really are increasing

[T]he latest report from the green-eyeshade experts at Milliman does include a few surprises about what is — and isn't — driving [health care] costs higher. ... Last year, health costs rose by 7.3 percent, which is the slowest rate of increase in more than a decade. By comparison, though, the Consumer Price Index rose only about 1.5 percent last year.... So what's driving the increases?

13 May 2011

Medicaid flexibility bill approved by House Energy and Commerce subcommittee

The measure, which Medicaid advocates say would "devastate the program," would repeal the maintenance of effort provision in the health law which prevents states from cutting eligibility rules before 2014. GOP backers argue it is the best way to give states more flexibility to deal with the program as they face budget shortfalls.

13 May 2011

House Energy and Commerce Committee approves malpractice legislation

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday passed new limits on lawsuits against doctors after defeating Democratic amendments to preserve more lenient state laws.

13 May 2011

Census data: The age gap is growing, sharpening political divide

The age gap among regions in the U.S. has grown to its widest in decades. In some areas, the trend will increase pressure on already stretched budgets that provide services for the aging.

13 May 2011

First Edition: May 13, 2011

Today's headlines include details of Mitt Romney's major health care speech as well as the latest updates on the debt limit and budget talks and the outlook for Medicare's future.

13 May 2011

More than 1,100 women raped every day in the Congo, study finds

More than 1,100 women are raped every day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a study published on Tuesday in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 May 2011

Comprehensive report finds many U.S. children lack insurance duration, quality health care

A comprehensive report based on the National Survey of Children's Health conducted by children's health researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau finds insurance duration, consistency and adequacy, and the corresponding access to health care, are lacking for many U.S. children and have a detrimental effect on their health and well-being.

13 May 2011

HHS dual-eligible program seeks to lower states' Medicaid costs

The centerpiece of the program, which HHS says could result in savings of billions of dollars a year, would give states access to data detailing how Medicaid populations use Medicare services.

13 May 2011

Jamaican organizations will receive PEPFAR grants to fight HIV/AIDS stigma

Five Jamaican organizations on Tuesday signed agreements with the U.S. Ambassador's HIV Program to receive PEPFAR-funded grants totaling $58,000 for projects aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma, the Jamaica Observer reports.

13 May 2011

Next stop for health law appeal includes two GOP-appointed judges

The next appeals court to hear challenges to the law will be the 6th Circuit Court in Cincinnati on June 1. The judges have a much different ideological make-up than the Richmond trio: While Circuit Judge Boyce Martin, Jr. was appointed by Jimmy Carter, Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton is a George W. Bush appointee and District Judge James Graham was appointed by Ronald Reagan.

13 May 2011

Debt talks continue with Medicare losing prominence in discourse

But GOP plans for the 2012 federal budget set the stage for significant cuts in health discretionary spending — which are among the programs that make up the core of President Barack Obama's domestic agenda.

13 May 2011

Increase in public health spending linked with reduction of pandemic influenza mortality

Pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 mortality rates exhibited wide diversion between countries. Based on data from a total of 30 European countries, a study published in the journal PLoS ONE found that the greater the state financial "generosity" to health sector the lower the pandemic influenza mortality.

13 May 2011