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Obama adopting a more partisan tone on health care

"In sharp contrast to how he got elected, President Barack Obama is bashing Republicans this week while urging Democrats to unite behind his effort to reform the nation's healthcare system," The Hill reports. "Months after some Democrats on and off Capitol Hill were suggesting that healthcare reform could attract 70 to 80 votes in the Senate, Obama and congressional leaders are focused on uniting their party and picking up, at most, a couple GOP defectors to help clear the 60-vote hurdle in the upper chamber."

23 Oct 2009

Senate Dems still debating public option in health bills

Senate Democratic leaders are tracking the support of a government-run public option in health care reform legislation.

23 Oct 2009

Leaders confident they have support for a public option in final House health bill

There are 256 Democrats in the House, but some moderates have balked at inclusion of a public plan, "especially one linked to Medicare rates," CQ Politics reports (10/21).

23 Oct 2009

Obama signs veterans' medical bill into law

President Barack Obama "signed a bill [on Thursday] designed to keep funding for veterans' medical care steady during future budget negotiations," the Associated Press reports. Obama said the bill will guarantee predictable funding for the Department of Veteran Affairs.

23 Oct 2009

Adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted H1N1 vaccines safe for pregnant women, say Canadian experts

After discussion with the Public Health Agency of Canada, and based on the evidence for other adjuvanted vaccines as well as experience around the world to date with the adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine, Canadian experts say that both the adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted H1N1 vaccines are safe for pregnant women.

23 Oct 2009

Health care lobbyists spend big to win big, consumer groups fight industry deals

Health care lobbyists are on track to set new spending records this year, with some individual companies nearly doubling their investment compared to previous periods, USA Today reports. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent almost as much by September as it did in the entire year in 2008. America's Health Insurance Plans has spent $1 million more so far this year than over the same period last year (Schouten, 10/21).

23 Oct 2009

News outlets examine challenges with expanding global child immunization campaigns

Wednesday's release of the WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank joint report on childhood vaccines highlighted gains in recent global vaccination campaigns and also found that nearly 24 million infants worldwide don't get the recommended first-year vaccination.

23 Oct 2009

Also in global health news: Somali IDPS; MDR-TB elimination; Chagas; Zimbabwe disease, hunger

At the conclusion of a week-long visit to the region, Walter Kalin, a top U.N. human-rights official "says the international community is failing in its duty to internally displaced persons in Somalia. More than 1.5 million people in Somalia are believed to be IDPs," VOA News reports (Boswell, 10/21).

23 Oct 2009

House Committee votes to remove antitrust protection from insurance companies, Senate may follow

Bloomberg: "The U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted to repeal the insurance industry's federal antitrust exemption in a move aimed at spurring competition and controlling the cost of premiums. The panel, in a 20-9 vote, approved legislation to ban companies from engaging in price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation.

23 Oct 2009

House Republicans find many angles for opposition to health bills

"A coalition of pro-life groups, accompanied by several House Republicans outside the U.S. Capitol, delivered a petition signed by 137,000 Americans Wednesday voicing disapproval with current health care reform legislation," FOX News reports.

23 Oct 2009

Crossover vote or lost cause? Maine Sen. Collins reform vote examined

Sen. Susan Collins, Maine's junior senator, has a lot of people asking her which way she's leaning on supporting health care reform. And she's remaining mum.

23 Oct 2009

45% of American adults not inclined to get vaccinated against seasonal flu

Two in five at-risk American adults who would benefit from vaccination against seasonal flu are missing out on the protective shots because they believe they do not need them and are not inclined to be vaccinated. And among those who say they do intend to take up the vaccine, nearly half get around to it, according to Dr. Katharine Harris from the RAND Corporation in Arlington, USA, and her team.

23 Oct 2009

Ethiopia requests emergency food aid for 6.2m people

Ethiopian Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Mitiku Kassa on Thursday asked the international community for more than $121 million for emergency food aid for 6.2 million people, the Associated Press reports (10/22).

22 Oct 2009

Health reform changes could increase costs to states

Today's state news round-up includes the cost of health reform to New York, immigrants in California, a possible new mental health overhaul in Arizona and a delay in expanding the children's health program in Iowa.

22 Oct 2009

AFP examines recent HIV vaccine findings

Agence France-Presse examines how two recent studies have "boosted morale" among HIV vaccine researchers who have struggled for decades to develop a viable vaccine to protect people from the virus. "On September 3, researchers in the United States discovered two potent antibodies -- the frontline troops in the immune system -- that expose what may prove to be a viral Achilles' heel," the news service writes.

22 Oct 2009

Americans split on Obama's health care proposals, new poll finds

Americans are split evenly on President Barack Obama's proposals for health care reform, according to a new poll released Wednesday. Still, a "CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey indicates that a majority say (sic) it would be better to pass some sort of reform legislation than to leave the current health care system unchanged," CNN reports.

22 Oct 2009

Metro Health Village implements Wyse Technology's healthcare IT solutions

Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing and client virtualization, today announced another successful customer implementation. Metro Health Village, located near Grand Rapids, Michigan, is one of the most comprehensive health care providers in west Michigan.

22 Oct 2009

Caregiving is a major public health issue in the U.S, says expert

The demand for at-home caregiving will increase dramatically in the United States in the years ahead, said Richard Schulz, Ph.D., an internationally known expert on caregiving from the University of Pittsburgh.

22 Oct 2009

Accredo Health Group announces a 10-year renewal of its headquarters with Memphis

Accredo Health Group Inc. announced a 10-year renewal of its 240,000-square-foot headquarters at Century Center, positioning the nation's largest specialty pharmacy and a major fixture of Memphis' health care industry for future growth. The General Investment & Development Companies and Accredo agreed to renew all leases for Accredo's five-building campus, effective January 1, 2010.

22 Oct 2009

FMWC partners with SOGC and SCC to launch Pap test campaign

The Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) has joined forces with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) and the Society of Canadian Colposcopists (SCC) to launch this year's Pap test campaign during Cervical Cancer Awareness Week. Together, we hope to increase the scope, reach and impact of the campaign. With this collaborative effort, we aim to provide more Pap tests and deal with abnormal results in a more expeditious manner.

22 Oct 2009