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Forbes examines efforts to bring clean drinking water to India, Kenya

Forbes examines efforts currently under way to help people living in India and Kenya access clean drinking water through a partnership between Acumen Fund, "a nonprofit global venture fund focused on alleviating poverty" and the design firm IDEO. Called the Ripple Effect, the partnership received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

11 Sep 2009

Post-speech debates: Illegal immigrant coverage, tort reform, abortion funding

President Obama's speech opened the door for experts and lawmakers to examine his proposed health reforms, with questions ranging from how reforms affect illegal immigrants' coverage to abortion funding.

11 Sep 2009

President Obama's proposed changes are not what an already-indebted country needs: BestHealthcareRates.com

The team from BestHealthcareRates.com is less than reassured with the presidential reassurances on the far-reaching effects of health care reform during his September 9th talk on the status of healthcare reform. With more than 46.3 million Americans not having medical insurance the need for changes is long overdue, but many of those proposed by Obama are not what an already-indebted country needs.

11 Sep 2009

Number of uninsured grows even as government programs cover more Americans

Kaiser Health News reports: "More children had health insurance last year, partially offsetting a growing number of adults who lacked coverage as the troubled economy helped push insurance out of reach for many workers. New Census Bureau numbers show the total number of uninsured rose to 46.3 million in 2008, up from 45.6 million in 2007. The percentage of uninsured remained at 15.4 percent."

11 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 11, 2009

Today's headlines are full of second-day stories about the policies and politics involved in President Obama's Wednesday night address to Congress.

11 Sep 2009

New uninsured number: Up to 46.3 million in mid-2008

The Associated Press: "The Census Bureau reports that the number of people lacking health insurance rose to 46.3 million in 2008. That's up from 45.7 million in 2007, due to a continuing erosion of employer-provided insurance. Still, the level remained just below the peak of 47 million who were uninsured in 2006, because of the growth of government insurance programs such as Medicaid for the poor" (Yen, 9/10).

11 Sep 2009

Obama highlights new uninsured census numbers during meeting with nurses

Almost 6 million more Americans were uninsured during the last year when the economy worsened, President Obama, citing new census data, told a group of nurses at the White House on Thursday, the New York Times reports.

11 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: PEPFAR in Swaziland; GSK HIV patent pool; Pediatric ARVs in Uganda; PNG declares health emergency; Israeli, ECOWAS agreement; Somali children

PEPFAR on Wednesday donated eight computers to Swaziland's Ministry of Health to aid in the country's ability to track the progress of the nation's HIV/AIDS programs, the Swazi Observer reports. According to the newspaper, the computers will be distributed to regional clinics across the country (Masilela, 9/10).

10 Sep 2009

Drought, food shortages lead Guatemala to declare 'state of public calamity'

"Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared 'a state of public calamity' late Tuesday to help mobilize funds and resources to confront a food shortage that will affect thousands of families," the Associated Press reports (9/9).

10 Sep 2009

Preventive-care TB therapy is cost-effective for patients

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers have found that the cost of preventive antibiotic tuberculosis (TB) therapy for patients infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is generally less expensive than the reported cost of treating newly confirmed TB cases.

10 Sep 2009

Report from The Physicians Foundation highlights several oversights in the health care discussion

A report commissioned by The Physicians Foundation, a national health care organization that represents the interests of physicians, raises new questions about the role of socioeconomic determinants as they relate to access, quality, and cost of medical care in the United States.

9 Sep 2009

Newspapers across the country cover state health issues

Newspapers across the country report on health issues at the state level. Stories include the loss of health insurance for working parents in Arizona, a rise in the number of uninsured seeking help at nonprofit clinics in Kansas, the expansion of a program for children's insurance in Alabama, a decline in the number of uninsured in New York City, fears about a financial blow for health providers in Louisiana and union activism for the uninsured in Florida.

9 Sep 2009

Democrats are tightening the belt for health reform

KHN reports: "Over the weekend, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., proposed a health care overhaul "framework" for committee consideration that would cost under $900 billion over the next decade, according to a source close to the negotiations.

9 Sep 2009

Baucus plan details released; Grassley says Bipartisan bill 'up in the air'

According to CQ Politics, Chairman Max Baucus' is circulated a proposal to the Finance Committee Gang Of Six over the weekend that would "establish a system of consumer-owned insurance cooperatives in lieu of a ... 'public plan' and would expand Medicaid to millions more Americans."

9 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 8, 2009

It's going to be a big week as Congress returns to work and President Obama readies his speech to a joint session. High on everyone's list: health reform.

8 Sep 2009

Illegal immigrants may benefit from new health care reform bill

As President Obama addresses the nation on health care reform, a new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 6.6 million uninsured illegal immigrants could receive benefits under the House health reform bill (H.R. 3200). While the bill states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the new taxpayer-funded affordability credits, there is nothing in the bill to enforce this provision.

8 Sep 2009

Screening rates for colorectal cancer are lower in safety net health system, study reveals

Colorectal cancer screening rates are much lower among those in a safety net health system compared to the national average, and the number one predictor of screening is a combination of regular visits and insurance access.

8 Sep 2009

£560,000 grant awarded to set up UK International Health Links Centre

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health (LATH) have received a £560,000 grant from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) to set up and deliver a UK International Health Links Centre (IHLC).

7 Sep 2009

Proposed subsidies to expand coverage may miss some families

Democrats' reform proposals would attempt to expand health coverage to uninsured middle and low-income families with new premiums to help buy insurance plans, Kaiser Health News reports. But for many families, those efforts may not go far enough.

5 Sep 2009

Recent releases: PEPFAR in Zimbabwe; dengue in Thailand; blogs on improving U.S. foreign aid; examining allocations of health aid

The U.S. plans to support efforts to develop a sustainable health system in Zimbabwe and increase its capacity to treat people, Eric Goosby, U.S. global AIDS Coordinator for PEPFAR, said on Wednesday after a visit to the country with USAID and CDC officials, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe. Goosby said he is "optimistic" that the Zimbabwe PEPFAR team's experience will be used "to develop a response that fits the existing health infrastructure, supports it and reinforces it in a way that creates a durable and lasting response" (9/2).

5 Sep 2009