Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

FDA announces new food protection post

Commissioner of Food and Drugs Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach today announced the creation of the position of Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection to provide advice and counsel to the Commissioner on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters.

2 May 2007

Lawmakers have proposed 'witch's brew' of biotech bills

Lawmakers in recent months "have stirred up a witch's brew of initiatives that is cause for some concern -- not only for the biotech industry, but for all Americans," James Mullen, president and CEO of Biogen and chair of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

1 May 2007

HHS should enforce federal law that abstinence education programs teach 'medically accurate' information

American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States and Advocates for Youth on Thursday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt saying that the agency should enforce a federal law that states abstinence education must include "medically accurate" information about condom effectiveness, the Washington Times reports (Wetzstein, Washington Times , 4/27).

1 May 2007

States increasingly expanding SCHIP coverage to middle-class families

Several states are working to raise income eligibility limits for SCHIP, despite White House opposition, AP /Long Island Newsday reports. According to a survey conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, 18 states already have received federal approval to offer SCHIP coverage to families with annual incomes greater than 200% of the federal poverty level -- the income threshold established when SCHIP began a decade ago.

1 May 2007

Health officials urge Nevada legislators to support HIV testing bill aimed at pregnant women

Physicians and health care officials on Wednesday called on Nevada lawmakers to support a bill ( SB 266) that would guarantee all pregnant women in the state have access to an HIV test as part of routine prenatal care, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

1 May 2007

Community leaders engage lawmakers on the value Medicare Advantage

More than three dozen community leaders from across the country have come together to actively engage lawmakers on the value Medicare Advantage provides to vulnerable seniors in their communities.

1 May 2007

Psychotherapeutic drug spending surges

Spending on prescription drugs to treat depression, anxiety, pain, schizophrenia and other conditions climbed from $7.9 billion in 1997 to $20 billion in 2004 - over a 150 percent increase, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

25 Apr 2007

Costs of treating heart disease and cancer have increased substantially

The costs of treating heart disease and cancer rose markedly between 2000 and 2004, from $62 billion to $90 billion and $42 billion to $62 billion, respectively, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

25 Apr 2007

WHO facilitates influenza vaccine technology transfer to developing countries

As part of a concerted effort to ensure more equitable access to a potential pandemic influenza vaccine, six developing countries are being awarded grants to establish in-country manufacturing capacity for influenza vaccine. The countries are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Viet Nam.

25 Apr 2007

SCHIP has been successful in increasing access to health care for low income children

As the debate over reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) heats up in Washington, a new survey of leaders in health policy and health care finds that large majorities feel the program has been successful in increasing access to health care for low income children (71%) and in reducing the rate of uninsured, low-income children (65%).

24 Apr 2007

HHS releases plan for development and purchase of medical countermeasures

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has released for display in the Federal Register the Department's new roadmap for developing and purchasing medical countermeasures against a host of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.

19 Apr 2007

Confidentiality and privacy of personal health information is critical to acceptance of NHIN

"ACP strongly believes in the goal of widespread adoption and use of health information technology to improve quality of care," Michael H. Zaroukian, MD, PhD, FACP, told the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality at their hearing on "Consumer Controls for Sensitive Health Records."

18 Apr 2007

AARP to track Senate vote on Medicare Rx bargaining bill

Today, AARP will be sending the following letter from CEO Bill Novelli to every member of the U.S. Senate alerting them that the association will be recording the upcoming Senate vote on a bill to allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

17 Apr 2007

Should stocks of smallpox virus be destroyed?

Smallpox was eradicated in 1980, but the virus still exists in WHO controlled depositories. In this week's BMJ , two experts go head to head over whether these stocks should be destroyed.

15 Apr 2007

Analysis of Rhesus monkey genome provides new clues to primate biology

An international consortium of researchers has published the genome sequence of the rhesus macaque monkey and aligned it with the chimpanzee and human genomes.

12 Apr 2007

Health care reconsidered: Options for change

The Hamilton Project, an initiative at the Brookings Institution, hosted a forum, "Health Care Reconsidered: Options for Change," today at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. At the event, policy papers on reforming Medicare Part "D" (including closing the "donut hole" gap in prescription drug coverage), improving preventive care and promoting greater affordability through progressive cost-sharing were released by The Hamilton Project.

11 Apr 2007

Full impact of mental health and substance abuse disorders on U.S. community hospitals

Almost one-fourth of all stays in U.S. community hospitals for patients age 18 and older – 7.6 million of nearly 32 million stays – involved depressive, bipolar, schizophrenia and other mental health disorders or substance use related disorders in 2004, according to a new report by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

11 Apr 2007

Conceptualizing and defining public health emergency preparedness

A panel of experts convened by the RAND Corporation has recommended actions that communities around the United States should take to be better prepared to deal with bioterrorist attacks, pandemic flu outbreak and other large-scale public health emergencies.

7 Apr 2007

$1.1 billion funding to low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS in U.S.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced more than $1.1 billion in funding to help states and territories provide care, medications and services for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

7 Apr 2007

Healthy heart behaviors delay onset of heart disease

Most Americans engage in behaviors that can help prevent or delay the onset of heart disease, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2007