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Penn. Medicaid enrollees face reductions in dental coverage

Medicaid, a program funded jointly by the federal government and the states, covers the poor and disabled, and coverage varies by state. Most states don't pay for any dental care. Now, in Pennsylvania, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has reduced Pennsylvania's 2 million adult Medicaid patients to basic dental care -- eliminating root canals, periodontal disease work and limiting the number of dentures a patient can receive. The plan now covers little more than cleanings, fillings -- and extractions."

17 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

Cuba cholera outbreak sickens more than 150 people; Government says number of cases dropping

"Cuba's health ministry on Saturday reported 158 cases of cholera, nearly three times as many as previously disclosed, but said there were no new deaths and the outbreak appears to have been contained and on the wane," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

17 Jul 2012

Preventive Services Task Force makes waves

And it seems nobody these days loves the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Few Americans had even heard of it until three years ago, when the advisory board with the 10-syllable name challenged convention by saying women under 50 might not benefit from mammograms, just as the debate over health care was coming to a boil.

17 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: 'Tug of War' over Medicaid expansion; Bill Keller debunks 5 'Obamacare' myths

The new health care law's individual mandate - the provision pushing people to buy insurance, and upheld last month by the Supreme Court - has garnered huge attention. But about half the planned expansion of insurance coverage under the new law comes from another source entirely: growth of the Medicaid program. Yet Medicaid has never been especially popular, and when its expanded role becomes more widely understood, it is likely to become less popular still.

17 Jul 2012

Researchers examine YouTube database to find most viewed videos for nurses and nursing

The nursing profession needs to harness the power of the video-sharing website YouTube to promote a positive image of nurses, after research found that many of the top hits portray them in a derogatory way. That is the key finding of research published in the August issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

17 Jul 2012

American women fare worse in health coverage than those in 10 countries with universal care

A new Commonwealth Fund report shows that women in the United States are in much worse shape, health care-wise, than women in 10 nations that have universal health care. Even insured American women are more likely to go without needed health care because of the cost and difficulty paying medical bills. The report was published online July 13. According to the report, the Affordable Care Act has brought coverage to millions of women already and is expected to improve women's health care in coming years.

17 Jul 2012

Drug treatments, scientific advances fuel hope for HIV control as AIDS 2012 conference draws near

"A cure for AIDS remains a distant prospect but a host of drug treatments and other advances have fueled fresh hope that new HIV infections may someday be halted for good," Agence France-Presse reports.

17 Jul 2012

Health law implementation decisions draw state officials' attention, set scene for state-level policy action

Virginia's attorney general outlines his take on the fiscal dangers that the health law's Medicaid expansion will cause. Meanwhile, Michigan lawmakers will consider the creation of a state-based health exchange. Also, in Georgia, a year-long effort to revamp the state's Medicaid program is on hold as one leader says it would be "imprudent" to move forward while so many uncertainties are in play.

17 Jul 2012

MSU nursing researcher’s Wii-Fit program helps lung cancer patients reduce fatigue

With the support of a $379,741 grant from the National Cancer Institute and the Nintendo Wii game system, nursing researcher Amy Hoffman aims to help lung cancer patients reduce fatigue and get more exercise as they transition from the hospital to the home after surgery.

17 Jul 2012

ED patients prefer technology-based interventions for high-risk behaviors

A Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that emergency department patients prefer technology-based interventions for high-risk behaviors such as alcohol use, unsafe sex and violence. ER patients said they would choose technology (ie text messaging, email, or Internet) over traditional intervention methods such as in-person or brochure-based behavioral interventions.

17 Jul 2012

Tips to help minimize risks associated with acid reflux disease

While the overall death rates from several cancers such as breast and lung have gone down, there has been a meteoric rise in cases of esophageal cancer. Studies have shown that from 1975 to 2001, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma rose approximately sixfold in the United States (from four to 23 cases per million), a relative increase greater than that for melanoma, breast, or prostate cancer.

17 Jul 2012

UCLA introduces digital and mobile technology to make more effective neurosurgical training

The neurosurgery residency training program at UCLA has successfully introduced digital and mobile technology—including tablet computers linked to a digital library of resources—to make neurosurgical training more effective and efficient, according to an article in the July issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

17 Jul 2012

Asian-American victims of domestic violence rarely seek help from police or health care providers

Asian-American victims of domestic violence rarely seek help from police or health care providers - "an alarming trend" among the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, says a Michigan State University researcher.

17 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report unveils 23rd annual Best Hospitals rankings

U.S. News & World Report has released its 23rd annual Best Hospitals rankings and a new hospital has seized the No. 1 spot.

17 Jul 2012

Gates Foundation's efforts to improve access to contraceptives will improve health, lives of women, children

"Supporters of women's health ought to cheer the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's plan" to provide $1 billion over eight years to increasing women's access to contraceptives and family planning services because the "effort underscores the critical role of family planning in the international battle to reduce poverty and improve maternal health," a Seattle Times editorial states.

17 Jul 2012

Study looks at effectiveness of parity laws in reducing families' financial burdens

While the causes of autism continue to be debated and bandied about, real families who have children with autism spectrum disorders are left to struggle with expensive health care needs. These costs can be devastating - but they can also be markedly different if the family lives in Massachusetts or Maine.

17 Jul 2012

Pakistan polio immunization campaign might not reach 240,000 children because of militant leaders' bans on vaccine

A national polio vaccination campaign set to begin this week in Pakistan might not reach 240,000 children in the northwest because of a Taliban ban on the inoculations, Agence France-Presse reports. Local militant leaders "have banned polio vaccinations in the northwestern tribal region of Waziristan to protest against U.S. drone attacks" and "have condemned the immunization campaign, which is slated to begin on Monday, as a cover for espionage," the news agency writes.

17 Jul 2012

CDC launches Let's Stop HIV Together campaign

To combat two major obstacles to HIV prevention—stigma associated with the infection and complacency about the epidemic—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched Let's Stop HIV Together, a national communication campaign that gives voice to Americans living with HIV, and to their loved ones.

17 Jul 2012

IBMP delivers 11,000 ounces of donor breast milk to South African infants

The US-based International Breast Milk Project (IBMP), Prolacta Bioscience and Quick International Courier in a joint humanitarian effort delivered 11,000 ounces (2,375 bottles) of donor breast milk to South Africa, this week.

17 Jul 2012

Healthcare News

Penn. Medicaid enrollees face reductions in dental coverage

Commitments announced at London summit show power of family planning evidence

Cuba cholera outbreak sickens more than 150 people; Government says number of cases dropping

Preventive Services Task Force makes waves

Viewpoints: 'Tug of War' over Medicaid expansion; Bill Keller debunks 5 'Obamacare' myths

Researchers examine YouTube database to find most viewed videos for nurses and nursing

American women fare worse in health coverage than those in 10 countries with universal care

Drug treatments, scientific advances fuel hope for HIV control as AIDS 2012 conference draws near

Health law implementation decisions draw state officials' attention, set scene for state-level policy action

MSU nursing researcher’s Wii-Fit program helps lung cancer patients reduce fatigue

ED patients prefer technology-based interventions for high-risk behaviors

Tips to help minimize risks associated with acid reflux disease

UCLA introduces digital and mobile technology to make more effective neurosurgical training

Asian-American victims of domestic violence rarely seek help from police or health care providers

U.S. News & World Report unveils 23rd annual Best Hospitals rankings

Gates Foundation's efforts to improve access to contraceptives will improve health, lives of women, children

Study looks at effectiveness of parity laws in reducing families' financial burdens

Pakistan polio immunization campaign might not reach 240,000 children because of militant leaders' bans on vaccine

CDC launches Let's Stop HIV Together campaign

IBMP delivers 11,000 ounces of donor breast milk to South African infants

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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