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Roundup: Texas insurance regulator pulls out-of-network notice rules; Bay-Area Komen fundraising suffers after flap; Mass.'s Steward pushing to buy Maine hospital

Texas' top insurance regulator has rescinded new rules designed to help consumers avoid a common pitfall when they seek medical treatment -- big bills for out-of-network care -- a move that angers consumer advocates and doctors groups. The rules were meant to give more than 4 million Texans covered by preferred provider organization health plans, or PPOs, more information about whether they'd pay the higher out-of-network costs if they were hospitalized and seen by a specialist.

22 Aug 2012

'Not enough exercise' cited as top children's health concern

Adults across the U.S. rate not getting enough exercise as the top health concern for children in 2012, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

20 Aug 2012

Roundup: States limit Medicaid mental health prescriptions; Mass. to vote on assisted suicide; Insurer earnings drop in Mass.

Medicaid is the largest funder of mental health services in the United States. In 2008, in all 50 states, Medicaid spent a total of $4.5 billion on behavioral health drugs, about a fifth of the $22.5 billion spent by the program on all pharmaceuticals combined. Roughly a third of the participants in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program experience a mental health episode annually, according to a 2010 report by the Mental Health Services Administration.

17 Aug 2012

Microcystin present in Canadian lakes in every province

Nutrient pollution, one of the greatest threats to our freshwater resources, is responsible for the algal blooms that blanket our lakes and waterways in summer months. Large blooms of cyanobacteria ('blue green algae') can cause fish kills, increase the cost of drinking water treatment, devalue shoreline properties, and pose health risks to people, pets, and wildlife. A new paper just published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences shows that microcystin, a toxin produced by cyanobacteria, is present in Canadian lakes in every province.

16 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

Heat wave safety tips from Children's Hospital Los Angeles

With July 2012 on record as being one of the hottest months in U.S. history and the August heat showing no let up in many parts of the country, how can parents protect their children's health during a heat wave? "While kids and teens may think of themselves as invincible, they're prone to heat-related illnesses," says Megan Summers, a registered nurse in the Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Rehabilitation Unit.

12 Aug 2012

Private sector becoming more involved in efforts to reach global health development goals

In a post in the Guardian's "Sustainable Business" blog, Lisa Herman, managing director of the global health practice area at consulting firm FSG, and Mike Stamp, a senior consultant with FSG, discuss "a new guide for companies on how to participate in global action on women and children's health" recently launched at the London Family Planning Summit.

9 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 8, 2012

Today's headlines include a variety of stories that reflect how health policy issues are playing on the campaign trail.

8 Aug 2012

Medicaid and CHIP succeed in providing health insurance coverage for children

Significantly more children get health insurance coverage after increases in federal matching funds to states for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), according to new research from the University of Michigan.

8 Aug 2012

New blog from USAID to feature U.S. Government's action on child survival

Noting more than one month has passed since the Child Survival Call to Action event in Washington, D.C., during which stakeholders came together in support of the UNICEF-led initiative "A Promise Renewed," USAID Senior Adviser Nicole Schiegg introduces a new tumblr blog from the agency that will feature U.S. action on child survival in a post on USAID's "Impact" blog.

8 Aug 2012

Ariz. delays Medicaid expansion decision, states make other health law implementation news

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer won't say until January if her state will expand Medicaid. In the meantime, advocates worry about whether health care for kids in Texas could be cut.

3 Aug 2012

GAO: Proposed IRS rule could leave some children ineligible for health insurance subsidies

The report concludes that some children would fall through the cracks because of the definition of affordable health insurance that the IRS used in a rule implementing the health care law.

26 Jul 2012

Burgess to offer legislation to fund high-risk pools, reinsurance programs

Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, plans to offer the bill before the August recess. Meanwhile, after fighting back a tea-party primary challenge, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, hopes to emerge as a dealmaker on tax and budget issues.

25 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 24, 2012

Today's headlines include news from the campaign season as well as reports from the international AIDS conference currently taking place in Washington, D.C.

24 Jul 2012

HHS issues final rule on essential health benefits data collection

Meanwhile, new research from the Center for Studying Health System Change indicates that more small businesses may be self-insuring -- a step that will reduce their participation in the health law's insurance exchanges.

21 Jul 2012

Medicaid expansion unsettles governors' meeting

Governors express sharp disagreements about whether to expand Medicaid, as mandated by the health law. Meanwhile, a pediatric expert warns congressional staff that state efforts to roll back Medicaid eligibility could cut coverage to millions of poor children.

18 Jul 2012

Kawasaki Disease may increase risk of atherosclerosis in children

Cedars-Sinai researchers have linked Kawasaki Disease, a serious childhood illness that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, with early-onset and accelerated atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease in adults.

18 Jul 2012

c-Kit receptor plays critical role in development and function of insulin-producing beta cells

Scientists from Western University in London, Canada and the Children's Health Research Institute, an Institute within the Lawson Health Research Institute, have identified the critical role of a receptor called c-Kit in the development and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an exciting therapeutic target for the management of diabetes.

18 Jul 2012

Commitments announced at London summit show power of family planning evidence

"High levels of unmet need for contraception around the world have a very negative impact on women's and children's health and survival as well as on the prosperity of communities and nations," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

17 Jul 2012

Opinion pieces, blog posts address family planning issues ahead of London summit

On World Population Day, observed on Wednesday, July 11, the U.K. Government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are co-hosting the London Summit on Family Planning.

12 Jul 2012

Children's Health News and Research

Roundup: Texas insurance regulator pulls out-of-network notice rules; Bay-Area Komen fundraising suffers after flap; Mass.'s Steward pushing to buy Maine hospital

'Not enough exercise' cited as top children's health concern

Roundup: States limit Medicaid mental health prescriptions; Mass. to vote on assisted suicide; Insurer earnings drop in Mass.

Microcystin present in Canadian lakes in every province

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

Heat wave safety tips from Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Private sector becoming more involved in efforts to reach global health development goals

First Edition: August 8, 2012

Medicaid and CHIP succeed in providing health insurance coverage for children

New blog from USAID to feature U.S. Government's action on child survival

Ariz. delays Medicaid expansion decision, states make other health law implementation news

GAO: Proposed IRS rule could leave some children ineligible for health insurance subsidies

Burgess to offer legislation to fund high-risk pools, reinsurance programs

First Edition: July 24, 2012

HHS issues final rule on essential health benefits data collection

Medicaid expansion unsettles governors' meeting

Kawasaki Disease may increase risk of atherosclerosis in children

c-Kit receptor plays critical role in development and function of insulin-producing beta cells

Commitments announced at London summit show power of family planning evidence

Opinion pieces, blog posts address family planning issues ahead of London summit

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