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Universal health coverage achieved by Mexico in less than a decade

Mexico has achieved universal health coverage in less than ten years, with more than 50 million previously uninsured Mexicans enrolling on a public medical insurance scheme since 2004.

16 Aug 2012

Poor families fear they are forgotten in Medicaid expansion debate

The Associated Press looks at the dilemma for many poor people who had expected to get health coverage under the 2010 federal law.

16 Aug 2012

How team Romney-Ryan is playing on the campaign trail

The Medicare plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has been tapped by GOP presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney to be his running mate, almost immediately emerged as a campaign flashpoint.

15 Aug 2012

Obama administration urges states to move forward on health exchanges

Administration officials will "try to encourage reluctant states" to move forward with health exchanges, even as time appears to be running out, Reuters reports. Also in the news, consumer representatives from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners offered state and federal officials suggestions about how they should write regulations to implement the health law's key consumer protections.

15 Aug 2012

Democrats hammer GOP candidates over Ryan's plan to overhaul Medicare

Democrats running for seats in the House and Senate are spotlighting Republican plans to refashion the health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.

15 Aug 2012

Budgets, exchanges and rebates: States consider health law's moving parts

States are considering what the different parts of the health law will mean for their budgets, their citizens' budgets and how their residents purchase and keep health insurance.

15 Aug 2012

Under the microscope: Ryan's plans for Medicare, Medicaid and the federal budget

News outlets examine how Medicare and Medicaid fare in the budget blueprint advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick.

15 Aug 2012

Systematic approach to improve colorectal cancer screening rates

Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is cost-effective and saves lives by early detection. The ability to screen large numbers of individuals is especially important for states with tight health insurance budgets dealing with aging populations. However, in 2010 only 65 percent of US adults between ages 50 and 75 got the recommended screening.

15 Aug 2012

Roundup: Abortion-rights groups mostly silent on fetal pain laws; Conn. advocates worry over Medicaid cuts; Examining readmission penalties

When new limits on abortions are proposed, abortion-rights groups usually go all out to stop them. So why haven't they gone all out against state fetal-pain laws, enacted in nine states since early 2010? These laws ban abortion after 20 weeks, based on the controversial assertion that the fetus can then experience pain. They're handing victories to anti-abortion groups, and so far there's only one major challenge from an abortion-rights group: in Arizona, where the 9th Circuit Court early this month temporarily blocked the state law.

15 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's gamble; The return of 'Mediscare;' Klein and Roy offer competing views on differences in Ryan, Obama plans

It doesn't take a political genius to see where the contest between President Obama and Mitt Romney is heading. With Rep. Paul Ryan on the Republican ticket, the campaign is looking at a full-throated debate over the future of Medicare. Are Romney and Ryan ready?

15 Aug 2012

Insurance status affects survival after cardiac event

Patients admitted to hospital with an acute cardiac event have higher rates of mortality if they are underinsured compared with those who have private insurance, show US study results.

14 Aug 2012

On '60 Minutes,' Romney and Ryan defend Medicare plan

The GOP presumptive presidential nominee and his choice for a running mate also went on the offensive by criticizing the Obama administration for cutting Medicare spending.

14 Aug 2012

IRS rule could keep working-class families from affordable coverage

An IRS rule could mean some working-class families may not be able to afford employer-sponsored insurance nor qualify for federal subsidies under the health law, leaving a key part of America uninsured. Childless adults, however, are in line for significant health insurance coverage gains under the health law's Medicaid expansion.

14 Aug 2012

Some Mass. health premiums to rise; Blue Shield of Calif. CEO pay down slightly

The increase in Massachusetts' small business and individual health care insurance premiums is down from increases of 5.5 percent on average last year.

14 Aug 2012

Health law critically important to women; Expanding Medicaid could spur state education cuts; Misuse of antipsychotics in dementia patients

If we can set aside the political wrangling and focus on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, what becomes obvious is its critically important impact on women's health. The fact is while women are the primary coordinators of health care for families and comprise the majority of U.S. health-care workers, they also put their own health-care needs behind those of their children. Cost is too often the reason.

13 Aug 2012

State roundup: Fla. groups ask Gov. for essential benefits hearings

In a reversal of a law passed 4 years ago, physicians in Massachusetts will now be allowed to accept "modest" meals and refreshments provided by pharmaceutical or medical device companies.

13 Aug 2012

Romney-Ryan team hits the campaign trail

GOP presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney will make campaign appearances Monday in Florida, the senior-rich state where Medicare is a key voter concern, and where some predict Paul Ryan's budget proposals could have a negative impact. Meanwhile, the newly anointed Romney vice presidential pick will be in Iowa.

13 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 13, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau reports: "More than 2,000 hospitals - including some nationally recognized ones - will be penalized by the government starting in October because many of their patients are readmitted soon after discharge, new records show".

13 Aug 2012

Medical ethics: an interview with Anita Silvers

Medical ethics assists healthcare professionals to make decisions respectful of persons who happen to be their patients.

13 Aug 2012

State officials look for Medicaid savings in cuts, new payment methods, managed care

Facing budget pressures, state officials in Georgia, Minnesota, Kansas and West Virginia are among those making cuts and switching to new payment methods as well as to managed care to cut the cost of the state-federal health care program for the poor and disabled.

12 Aug 2012