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Massachusetts hospital sues state over cost of universal care

"A hospital that serves thousands of indigent Massachusetts residents sued the state on Wednesday, charging that its costly universal health care law is forcing the hospital to cover too much of the expense of caring for the poor," according to the New York Times.

16 Jul 2009

Cost of health care reform emerges as ‘lightning rod’ issue

The cost of health care reform has emerged as a key battle in overhaul efforts. Attention is being paid to how costs will affect specific groups including the middle class and businesses.

16 Jul 2009

Senators seek $100 billion for health reform from insurers

"Key senators say they want to force the health insurance industry to pay as much as $100 billion toward the 10-year cost of the health care overhaul sought by President Obama," CQ Politics reports.

16 Jul 2009

Proposals may limit health insurance choices and squeeze some middle earners

"President Obama and leading Democrats have stressed that people who like their employer-sponsored insurance would be able to keep it, under a health care overhaul. But they haven't emphasized the flip side: That people who don't like their coverage might have to keep it," Kaiser Health News reports.

16 Jul 2009

Lawsuits allege some medical device companies gave kickbacks to surgeons

Whistleblowers allege in lawsuits unsealed Wednesday that some medical device companies gave kickbacks to heart surgeons to get the doctors to use their products to treat a heart condition, The Wall Street Journal reports.

16 Jul 2009

Lobbyists elbow for attention as health reform votes loom

The conservative message on health care is that President Obama's revamp of the health care system in America will produce a costly government-run program that limits patient choice, The Associated Press reports.

16 Jul 2009

Obama administration proposes big changes in Medicare payment oversight

Determined to cut Medicare costs, the White House unveiled a plan that would shift much of the power over Medicare payment rates from Congress to the executive branch.

16 Jul 2009

Insurer, tech vendor plan major 'telehealth' network

A major health insurer, UnitedHealth, and a computer networking company, Cisco Systems, are teaming up to create "a network of virtual clinics to make medical care available in offices, stores and rural areas around the country," Bloomberg reports.

16 Jul 2009

USA Today examines Afghan health sector successes, need for further improvements

When considering an overhaul of "the failure-plagued Afghanistan reconstruction program," U.S. development officials are looking to Afghanistan's health sector, "where more than $1 billion in international aid since 2002 has produced measurable results," USA Today reports.

16 Jul 2009

Daily Trust/allAfrica.com, GlobalPost examine agricultural production, food insecurity in Nigeria, Iraq

The Daily Trust/allAfrica.com examines food security in Nigeria. Despite its agricultural potential, the "food crisis" in Nigeria "poses a big question as to what is responsible for the insecurity in food production, preservation and storage," according to the newspaper. A government committee recently toured the country in an effort to address some of the problems involved with agricultural production and food insecurity.

16 Jul 2009

South American health ministers gather in Argentina to discuss H1N1 preparedness

The health ministers of six South American countries gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday to "coordinate defenses against" the H1N1 (swine flu) virus which has killed nearly 200 people in the region," the AFP/Google.com reports.

16 Jul 2009

IRIN examines efforts to improve sleeping sickness dectection

IRIN examines the efforts of the Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to develop less costly surveillance equipment to improve the ability to detect the parasitic disease trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in endemic countries.

16 Jul 2009

Families struggle in low-, middle-income countries to pay for health care, study shows

IRIN examines a Health Affairs report that found "one in four families living in the world's poorest countries borrows money or sells assets in order to afford health care" (7/15).

16 Jul 2009

Genome sequencing of schistosomiasis parasites could promote drug development

Researchers have sequenced the genomes of two parasites that cause bilharzia or schistosomiasis - a disease transmitted by water-borne snails that affects more than 200 million people worldwide - "revealing potential weaknesses that could be exploited by drug developers," Nature reports (Smith, 7/15).

16 Jul 2009

FDA approves Onsolis pain reliever for cancer patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Onsolis, medication intended for certain patients with cancer to help manage breakthrough pain – severe flares of pain that break through regular pain medication.

16 Jul 2009

Researchers investigate high-risk populations for bladder-cancer screenings

A new study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers sheds light on the challenges involved in identifying which high-risk population would benefit most from bladder-cancer screening.

16 Jul 2009

American Nurses Association stands with Obama in calling for healthcare reform now

American Nurses Association (ANA) members joined President Obama today at a White House press conference, sending a strong message to Congress that the country no longer can wait to reform health care as rising costs threaten the financial stability of families and their ability to access health care services.

15 Jul 2009

Obama on health reform: transcript

President Barack Obama spoke today in the Rose Garden on health care reform. The White House released his remarks.

15 Jul 2009

Obama continues to press the importance of health reform

"Praising and prodding Congress at once, President Barack Obama on Wednesday said a vast reform of the nation's health insurance system is required to head off instability to families, industry and the government itself." He gave his remarks from the White House Rose Garden, where he was surrounded by nurses "to make his point," the Associated Press reports.

15 Jul 2009

Senate HELP Commitee completes health bill

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee "has passed legislation to revamp health care, becoming the first congressional committee to act on President Barack Obama's goal of overhauling the system this year," the Associated Press reports.

15 Jul 2009