Healthcare News

RSS

Viewpoints: Romney's 'repeal and replace' pledge; 'Socialized medicine' in the U.S.; Pros and cons of expanding Medicaid

Greg Sargent already took a crack at Mitt Romney's new "Plan for a Stronger Middle Class," but one thing that he didn't get to shouldn't be ignored: Romney is apparently still campaigning on a "repeal and replace" plan on health care reform.

3 Aug 2012

Self-insurance for small businesses goes under the microscope

Politco Pro describes the growing focus on this part of the insurance marketplace as a "sleeper battle to watch." Meanwhile, Reuters reports that a growing number of people are signing up for supplemental insurance coverage.

3 Aug 2012

Science magazine recaps issues discussed at AIDS 2012

Science looks back at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), which ended last week in Washington, D.C., writing, "The battle against HIV is having more success than ever. ... But several presentations made clear that a gulf separates aspirations from reality when it comes to 'ending AIDS,' which [Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton and many other prominent speakers at the conference emphasized was now possible."

3 Aug 2012

Power outage points out how technology can undermine patient care

Dozens of hospitals across the country lost access to crucial electronic medical records for about five hours during a major computer outage last week, raising fresh concerns about whether poorly designed technology can compromise patient care.

3 Aug 2012

Two GAO reports focus on global health issues

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released two reports on issues related to global health.

3 Aug 2012

Panel discussion looks back on AIDS 2012, explores possible topics for AIDS 2014

Devex reports on a panel discussion held in Washington, D.C. Wednesday during which experts "looked back at the main surprises of the just-concluded [XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012)], and offered predictions on what the 2014 follow-up [in Melbourne, Australia] will focus on."

3 Aug 2012

Summer camp pairs 'smores and anti-abortion activism

State news on abortion focuses on a summer camp that trains anti-abortion activists and a Kansas City Planned Parenthood whose charges of performing illegal late-term abortions were dismissed in order to narrow a case against it.

3 Aug 2012

Widespread use of current technologies 'essential' to improve global health

Noting that this week's issue of the Lancet explores the theme of "[a]ccess to beneficial health technology, including essential medicines and medical devices, for those most in need," a Lancet editorial states, "Maximizing use of current health technologies (drugs, devices, biological products, medical and surgical procedures, support systems, and organizational systems) is essential to improving global health."

3 Aug 2012

Science, Lancet articles examine efforts to eradicate polio

In a series of "News Focus" articles in Science, the magazine examines the global effort to eradicate polio. One article examines the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) -- a partnership of the WHO, Rotary International, UNICEF, the CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- and recent reports on the program by an Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), "an oversight body" that provides feedback and guidance.

3 Aug 2012

U.S. announces additional $12M in humanitarian aid to Syria

"The United States announced Thursday it would hike its humanitarian aid to Syria, adding another $12 million to provide food, water, medicine and other necessities for battered and displaced people" affected by violence in the Syrian conflict, the Los Angeles Times blog "World Now" reports.

3 Aug 2012

Research roundup: Massachusetts health reform; Role of race and insurance in kidney transplantation

Access to Care After Massachusetts' Health Care Reform: A Safety Net Hospital Patient Survey -- Policy analysts have long said that Massachusetts and its 2006 health reform law provide great insight into the federal health law and how its expansion of insurance coverage will play out.

3 Aug 2012

Outsourcing trend emerging in health care industry

Outsourcing, an established but fairly static practice in the U.S. health care industry, may grow in scope as the country experiences major shifts in health care delivery.

3 Aug 2012

Gilead Sciences signs deals with 3 Indian pharmaceutical companies to promote low-cost HIV drugs in developing countries

Gilead Sciences Inc. announced Thursday that it plans to partner with Mylan Inc., Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. and Strides Arcolab Ltd. "to promote access to high-quality, low-cost generic versions of Gilead's HIV medicine emtricitabine in developing countries," the Wall Street Journal reports.

3 Aug 2012

Examining the role of collaborative partnerships in global response to HIV/AIDS

In this post in the Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) "Smart Global Health" blog, Rhonda Zygocki, executive vice president of policy and planning at Chevron, responds to questions about Chevron's presence at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington, D.C., last week, writing that such questions "give me an opportunity to talk about the critical role everyone plays in the global fight against this epidemic, including Chevron, as well as the ways collaborative partnerships will lead to the elimination of AIDS."

3 Aug 2012

August issue of WHO Bulletin available online

WHO Bulletin features an editorial on performance-based financing in low- and middle-income countries.

3 Aug 2012

Obama pushes record on women's issues

President Barack Obama's talking points on the campaign trail highlight his positions on women's health issues including his support for Planned Parenthood.

3 Aug 2012

Komen ads overstate benefits of mammograms, professors charge

Two Dartmouth health policy experts criticize the national breast cancer charity for using misleading statistics to promote breast cancer screening.

3 Aug 2012

Highlights: Report finds Mass. Medicaid managed care doesn't reduce fees; Calif. delays nonprofit status requirement for adult day centers

Insurers that contract with the state to manage the care of low-income Medicaid patients are expected to save money, in part by negotiating lower prices with health providers. But a new report by the state inspector general found that the plans pay higher fees to many hospitals and doctors than the traditional Medicaid program pays for the same services.

3 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

Generic drugs saved U.S. $1T over 10 years, industry study finds

Generic drug makers released a study Thursday that found generic pharmaceuticals have saved the U.S. -- through private prescriptions as well as Medicare and Medicaid -- more than $1 trillion over 10 years.

3 Aug 2012