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State and federal officials find way to preserve MinnesotaCare

Officials have been working to preserve -- after the federal health law takes effect -- this health insurance program for lower-income residents who lack coverage through their jobs.

10 Feb 2013

Parity delays, payment snafus, frustrate mental health providers

News outlets anticipate the release of rules regarding the types of mental health care insurers must provide under the federal health care law, as well as the payment fallout from new treatment codes.

10 Feb 2013

Northwestern Medicine expert offers tips to battle seasonal affective disorder

Winter is in full force. With short days and less exposure to sunlight, everyone feels less energetic and more people are vulnerable to depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or winter depression, is a mood disorder related to seasonal variations of light. Symptoms start in late fall and oftentimes last until April or early spring. It affects between 10 to 20 percent of Americans, primarily younger adults and women.

10 Feb 2013

Considering mental health care changes in aftermath of shootings

Missouri and Wisconsin officials suggest moves to expand state mental health services while a Georgia Senate panel approves changes in procedures for involuntary commitments to psychiatric care.

10 Feb 2013

WHO-sponsored meeting discusses post-2015 goals for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) experts gathered in Geneva on Wednesday for a WHO-sponsored two-day meeting "to discuss a consensus on the appropriate post-2015 tuberculosis goals," Nature reports.

10 Feb 2013

HHS turns down Miss. Insurance Commissioner's bid for exchange

Commissioner Mike Chaney wanted to set up a state-based marketplace for insurance to open next year as part of the health overhaul, but federal officials said the Mississippi governor's opposition made it impossible for the exchange to function as required by law.

10 Feb 2013

Chiefs play important role in decreasing maternal mortality in Malawi

If Malawi President Joyce Banda's mission to decrease the country's high maternal mortality rate is to succeed, "it will depend, in part, on her government's ability to harness the country's true power brokers, Malawi's 20,000 village chiefs -- and sensitize them to the dangers of women giving birth with unskilled attendants, while still respecting tribal traditions," author Courtney Martin writes in the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog.

10 Feb 2013

Obama says he will not stop sequester by simply cutting entitlements

In an address to Democratic lawmakers, the president says Republicans want to substitute the impending budget cuts by instead cutting Medicare and Social Security. But, he says closing tax loopholes is a better strategy.

10 Feb 2013

AARP opposes bill that would allow insurers to charge older people more

The powerful seniors lobby says it cannot support proposals that would let premiums go higher for older beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the administration announces that a health program for low- and moderate-income people, which is optional for states, will not be able to start until 2015.

10 Feb 2013

IPS interviews UNFPA director on U.N. efforts to end practice of FGM/C

Noting the United Nations on Wednesday observed the annual International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C), "an act that is shocking and inhumane to much of the world but remains a tradition among a significant minority," Inter Press Service correspondent Marzieh Goudarzi interviews U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin "on UNFPA's role in the global fight against FMG/C."

10 Feb 2013

AHRQ, CMS announce new children's EHR format

The benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) may become more widely available to children through an EHR format for children's health care announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

10 Feb 2013

N.Y. hospitals, nursing homes coping with Sandy, other closure problems

In Superstorm Sandy's wake, health experts and regulators are warning that thousands of nursing homes nationwide are still ill-prepared for a natural disaster. The late October storm was the latest in a string of disasters to reveal gaps in emergency planning, despite an industry-wide effort to improve preparedness in the years since Hurricane Katrina.

10 Feb 2013

Panel at State Department discusses global efforts against practice of FGM/C

"On February 6, 2013, in observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, I had the privilege of leading a panel discussion at the State Department to help bring global attention to a harmful traditional practice that risks the lives, dignity, and well-being of women and girls in far too many places around the world," Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, writes in the State Department's "DipNote" blog.

10 Feb 2013

Global response to possible H5N1 flu outbreak could affect epidemic's course

"It's been a rough flu season this winter in the United States and Europe, but it could be worse. A lot worse," science writer Carl Zimmer states in National Geographic's "Phenomena: The Loom" blog.

10 Feb 2013

Zimbabwe faces challenges in preventing, treating cervical cancer, PlusNews reports

"HIV-positive women are living longer, but are now dying of cervical cancer," and "[i]n Zimbabwe, cervical cancer is now the most common cancer among women, particularly those living with HIV," PlusNews reports.

10 Feb 2013

Africa, Middle East see decline in female genital mutilation/cutting, U.N. data show

"Changing attitudes have resulted in a decline in female genital mutilation in Africa and the Middle East, where the practice is most prevalent, according to United Nations data released on" the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, observed February 6, TrustLaw reports.

10 Feb 2013

Report: The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease will almost triple by 2050

The government-funded report projects the Alzheimer's cases will rise from 5 million to about 13.8 million, thereby straining the nation's health care system.

10 Feb 2013

Blogs discuss India's national 'Call to Action for Child Survival and Development' summit

"At the forefront of the fight against child mortality and morbidity, India is leading the global community in placing a renewed emphasis on this important mission," William Hammink, India mission director, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," adding the country's "Call to Action for Child Survival and Development" summit, taking place this week, "demonstrates leadership and commitment to both the global community and the children of India."

10 Feb 2013

Health law provisions saved seniors $5.7B on Rx drugs

Seniors have saved about $5.7 billion on prescription drugs since January 2011 because of provisions in the 2010 health care law meant to close the Medicare "doughnut hole," the government plans to announce today.

10 Feb 2013

Advocates come together to mobilize resources for Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, malaria

"Over the last two weeks, a series of meetings were held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands -- advocates and people from the communities affected by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis [TB] and malaria came together to strategize and decide on courses of action to take in this critical year of replenishing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," Lucy Chesire, executive director and secretary to the board of the TB ACTION Group, writes in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog.

10 Feb 2013