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Multi-drug resistance in first-time TB patients shows 'substantial' transmission of MDR-TB, study says

Nearly half of patients diagnosed with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) at a Chinese hospital had not had the disease before, showing "'substantial' transmission of the deadly superbug," according to a study conducted by researchers from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, Bloomberg reports.

1 Oct 2011

Finally, agreement: Both sides in legal clash over health law petition high court to rule this term

News outlets examine the latest developments related to the challenges to the health law and handicap some of the possible outcomes.

1 Oct 2011

Gingrich unveils new 'Contract With America'

The updated "Contract" makes priorities out of repealing the federal health care law and replacing it with a market-based program that includes tax breaks for those who purchase insurance. Meanwhile, the health care records of GOP presidential hopefuls Rick Perry and Mitt Romney draw a new round of barbs - from each other and the White House.

1 Oct 2011

Patients enrolled in consumer-directed health plans have control over health care spending

The historic RAND Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but a new study shows that this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans.

30 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 30, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about how new and old health policy positions are playing on the campaign trail.

30 Sep 2011

Longer looks: A surgeon examines his professional development

I've been a surgeon for eight years. For the past couple of them, my performance in the operating room has reached a plateau. I'd like to think it's a good thing - I've arrived at my professional peak. But mainly it seems as if I've just stopped getting better. During the first two or three years in practice, your skills seem to improve almost daily. It's not about hand-eye coördination - you have that down halfway through your residency.

30 Sep 2011

Several barriers to providing decent health care to poor people in developing countries

If you want to provide poor people in developing countries with decent health care, you need to overcome several barriers at the same time. That is the conclusion of researcher Bart Jacobs, based on years of research in Cambodia - and on his experience in several other low- and mid-income countries. The local community and existing social networks play an important role, but the authorities also have a role to play.

30 Sep 2011

Obama administration asks high court to rule on health law

The Justice Department's formal appeal puts to rest speculation about the administration's legal strategy. In addition, Republican state attorneys general separately asked the Supreme Court for a verdict early next year. Many observers say the new timeline will make the court's ultimate finding a factor in the presidential election.

30 Sep 2011

Analyzing the health law's tax credits and the CLASS Act's future

This round-up of health law implementation news also includes a report that the comment period for state health exchanges has been extended and news that Catholic organizations have stepped-up their opposition to the measure's requirement that contraceptive services be covered.

30 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Rising health costs and the health law

Even a slow economy can't stop healthcare costs from rising. A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust shows that the cost of employer-provided insurance rose 9% this year - even as workers and their families were cutting back on trips to the doctor's office - and has more than doubled over the last decade.

30 Sep 2011

Gingrich issues new 'Contract with America'; includes health insurance proposal

Republican Newt Gingrich, who has positioned himself as the idea guy in this presidential campaign, will today call for Americans to have new choices in how they buy health insurance, pay their income taxes and save for retirement. In his '21st Century Contract with America' that he shared with The Des Moines Register and will officially release Thursday in Iowa, Gingrich says people should to be able to choose either a tax credit or the ability to deduct the value of their health insurance up to a certain amount.

30 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 29, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that a Supreme Court ruling on the 2010 health law is now likely before the 2012 presidential election.

29 Sep 2011

VHI releases report on HMO quality and satisfaction

Open enrollment is fast approaching for thousands of HMO members in Virginia. Every year during this period, members have the option of selecting a health plan by comparing plan benefits and monthly premiums for the upcoming year.

29 Sep 2011

NFIB asks Supreme Court to strike down all of the 2010 health law

The National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business advocacy organization, will file an appeal today. In it, the group will ask the high court to move beyond the law's individual mandate and strike down the entire measure.

29 Sep 2011

Costs of premiums for employer-provided health insurance jump

A study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average annual premium for family coverage was 9 percent higher in 2011 than in the previous year. Although many benefit analysts say the federal health law's requirements played only a small part in the rise, the results could provide political fodder for the law's supporters and opponents.

29 Sep 2011

Administration seeks quick Supreme Court health law ruling

This Justice Department step is being viewed as a signal that the Obama administration wants the high court to decide the question of the health law's constitutionality before the 2012 presidential election.

29 Sep 2011

Roundup: Calif. legislator's health bill comes under scrutiny; D.C. facing doctor shortage

A few hours earlier, using an obscure parliamentary procedure, the senator had carved the contents out of a bill about local gas taxes and "amended" it into a proposal to warn women about breast cancer risks. It was now speeding through the statehouse so fast, and with so little scrutiny, that Sen. Joe Simitian would later be on the defensive about one significant effect: a possible multimillion-dollar windfall for a medical business in his district.

29 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 28, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the costs of employer insurance plans and the final installment of KHN's "Building Ambitions" series about children's hospitals.

28 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Lots of advice for super committee on Medicare, Medicaid

Obama partisans, you must consider at least two, possibly mixed results - a politically risky legal battle on the individual mandate in the middle of a presidential campaign, and added insurance that Obama administration lawyers will see the case through its final appeal.

28 Sep 2011

Rising health insurance costs shifted to employees, survey finds

An annual employer health benefits survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust found that premiums for employer-provided health insurance jumped in 2011. The survey also found, though, that 2.3 million young adults have gained coverage through their parents' policies as a result of the 2010 health law.

28 Sep 2011