Forecasting News and Research

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Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

So this is what socialism looks like: Private companies competing for people's business in an open marketplace. Californians got their first glimpse Thursday of what insurers plan to charge for coverage to be offered next year to about 5 million state residents who don't receive health insurance from employers (David Lazarus, 5/23).

27 May 2013

Health law could require some American Indians to buy insurance or pay penalties

The Associated Press reports that the overhaul's definition of "American Indian" only includes those tribes that are recognized by the federal government, though more than 100 tribes are recognized by state governments but not that U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Other outlets report on insurance rates under the ACA, doctor-owned hospitals and the much lamented "doc fix" in Congress.

15 May 2013

WHOI deploys new robotic sensor in Gulf of Maine coastal waters to monitor HABs

A new robotic sensor deployed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Gulf of Maine coastal waters may transform the way red tides or harmful algal blooms are monitored and managed in New England.

8 May 2013

State roundup: Medicaid contractor sues La. over canceled deal

A Maryland-based company whose nearly $200 million Medicaid contract was canceled amid an ongoing federal investigation sued Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration Monday for terminating the deal (5/6).

8 May 2013

Forecasting outbreak of dengue fever with warning system

With the help of a warning system which measures the risk of dengue incidence using precipitation and air temperature, it is possible to forecast the outbreak of dengue fever up to 16 weeks in advance.

29 Apr 2013

New survey shows health-care industry's supply chain lags behind retail industry supply chain

A new survey by researchers at the University of Arkansas indicates that the health-care industry's supply chain lags behind the retail industry supply chain and could benefit significantly from adopting several of retail's best practices.

15 Apr 2013

Innovative device predicts sugar levels

An EU-funded project has developed a device which can predict sugar highs and lows for people with diabetes and provide them with advice on how to manage their glucose levels.

18 Mar 2013

Global food prices held steady in February, FAO food index shows

"Global food prices held steady in February as falling wheat prices offset higher oils and dairy prices, the United Nations' food agency said on Thursday, forecasting increased wheat output in 2013," Reuters reports, noting, "The FAO Food Price Index, which measures monthly price changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 210 points in February, unchanged from January."

11 Mar 2013

New tool can accurately forecast malaria epidemics in northwestern India

Sea surface temperatures in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean can be used to accurately forecast, by up to four months, malaria epidemics thousands of miles away in northwestern India, a University of Michigan theoretical ecologist and her colleagues have found.

5 Mar 2013

Study identifies 12 important postoperative complication signs in colorectal surgical patients

Colorectal surgical patients are often discharged from the hospital with vague guidance on how to recognize complications, but researchers at the Michael DeBakey Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, aim to change that scenario.

11 Feb 2013

House Republicans keep target on health law's insurance subsidies

Meanwhile, a new GOP lawmaker from Texas renews his pledge to undo "ObamaCare" while a senator focuses on workforce issues.

31 Jan 2013

State roundup: Texas, Ga. companies forming ACOs

College student Emily Howell depended on her local Planned Parenthood clinic. Now, she and nearly 50,000 other Texas women will have to find a new place to get free breast cancer screenings, pap smears and birth control.

16 Jan 2013

State roundup: Mo. lawmakers look to cap malpractice awards

A selection of health policy stories from California, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Texas, Illinois and North Carolina.

8 Jan 2013

QweCI and HEALTHY FUTURES project to host symposium on links between climate, VBDs

The HEALTHY FUTURES (Health, environmental change and adaptive capacity) and QWeCI (Quantifying Quantifying Weather and Climate Impacts on Health in Developing Countries) projects will jointly host a symposium on links between climate and vector-borne diseases (VBDs) at the upcoming 4th East African Community Health and Scientific Conference, scheduled for 27th-29th March 2013 in Kigali, Rwanda.

20 Dec 2012

Scientists adapt modern weather prediction techniques to generate local flu outbreak forecasts

Scientists at Columbia University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research have adapted techniques used in modern weather prediction to generate local forecasts of seasonal influenza outbreaks.

28 Nov 2012

New system can predict timing and severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks

Scientists have developed a system to predict the timing and severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks that could one day help health officials and the general public better prepare for them. The system adapts techniques used in modern weather prediction to turn real-time, Web-based estimates of influenza infection into local forecasts of seasonal flu.

27 Nov 2012

Malaysia hopes to solve nutrition transition problem

With health problems like obesity and diabetes on the rise due to changing diets in emerging economies, Malaysia is forging new linkages between domestic and international scientists and institutions in hopes of mitigating the problem.

3 Nov 2012

Forecasting health policy for the post-election landscape

Various news stories examine how the outcome of the presidential election could lead to very different courses for the health law's implementation and approaches to Medicare reform.

3 Nov 2012

CBO: Medicare spending growth slower than expected

The Congressional Budget Office released new projections for the country's economic outlook Wednesday, forecasting that despite slower-than-anticipated spending growth, Medicare will account for an even larger share of the economy in the next decade.

24 Aug 2012

Declining circumcision rates in the US raise healthcare costs and disease risk

A team of disease experts and health economists at Johns Hopkins warns that steadily declining rates of U.S. infant male circumcision could add more than $4.4 billion in avoidable health care costs if rates over the next decade drop to levels now seen in Europe.

21 Aug 2012