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Viewpoints: Romney praises Israeli health care system -- which has an individual mandate; Sebelius and Pelosi hail launch of women's preventive care provisions

At a breakfast fundraiser in Jerusalem on Monday, (Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney) had nothing but nice things to say about our ally. But in flattering Israel, he raised more doubts about his political abilities. ... he also praised Israel's health care system. "Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel?" he asked.

2 Aug 2012

House to vote on D.C. abortion measure

The House is scheduled to vote Tuesday under suspension of the rules on legislation that would limit abortions in D.C. Specifically, the measure would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except when the pregnancy is a danger to the life of the mother.

1 Aug 2012

Exercise reduces symptoms of depression in patients with chronic heart failure

Patients with chronic heart failure who participated in exercise training had modest reductions in symptoms of depression after 12 months, compared with usual care, according to a study in the August 1 issue of JAMA.

1 Aug 2012

Mass. lawmakers unveil bill to cut health costs

Massachusetts lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on long-awaited legislation to rein in health care costs. The effort, which would put the state again at the forefront of health policy, will be watched by other states looking to control spiraling costs. After months of debate, House and Senate leaders filed a bipartisan compromise bill of more than 350 pages Monday night that would seek to contain health-care costs by setting a target at which overall state health spending should rise.

1 Aug 2012

USAID releases newest issue of online newsletter

USAID on Friday released Volume 3, Issue 11 of its online newsletter. The issue highlights the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), held in Washington, D.C., last week, and features a recap of the agency's humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa over the past year.

1 Aug 2012

HIV people with high CD4 counts could work more hours per week

In a first-of-its-kind health campaign in Uganda, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill show that adults with HIV who had less severe infections could work more hours per week, and their children were more likely to be enrolled in school.

1 Aug 2012

Judge allows Ariz. late-term abortion ban to take effect

A federal judge ruled Monday that Arizona's ban on most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy can stand. The judge said the law doesn't stop women from getting abortions, but that it may make some women consider the procedure earlier in their pregnancies.

1 Aug 2012

Medical debt collection company settles suit with Minnesota

Chicago-based Accretive Health agrees to pay $2.5 million and end operations in the state for at least two years to settle charges that it violated federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care even if people cannot afford to pay.

1 Aug 2012

IPS examines efforts to reduce maternal mortality ratio in Laos

Inter Press Service examines efforts Laos is taking to improve its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 470 deaths per 100,000 live births, especially among rural populations that do not have access to health care services.

1 Aug 2012

APA Convention to highlight new research in personality and social psychology

From how relationships affect our health to the psychology of an awkward party moment to why we often choose ignorance over information - a guide to some talks with new research in personality and social psychology at the APA Convention in Orlando, Aug. 2-5, 2012.

1 Aug 2012

IRIN examines HIV prevention efforts among IDUs in Thailand

IRIN reports on HIV prevention efforts aimed at injecting drug users (IDUs) in Thailand, noting HIV prevalence among Thai IDUs is "among the highest in the Southeast Asia region, according to the Global AIDS Response progress report by" UNAIDS.

1 Aug 2012

In response to increasing Medicare costs Humana reduces 2012 forecast

Humana Inc., the second-biggest provider of Medicare benefits, cut its 2012 profit forecast as enrollees in the U.S. health insurance program visited the doctor in higher numbers than the company expected.

1 Aug 2012

Study: 5 percent of Americans responsible for half of health care spending

A new issue brief from the National Institute of Health Care Management adds grist to the mill of those who rebelled against the universal insurance mandate. The study showed that in 2009 half the population – fully 150 million people – spent an average of just $236 per person on health care.

1 Aug 2012

Cost of future post office retirees' health benefits driving possible default

The U.S. Postal Service is bracing for a first-ever default on billions in payments due to the Treasury, adding to widening uncertainty about the mail agency's solvency as first-class letters plummet and Congress deadlocks on ways to stem the red ink.

1 Aug 2012

U of I professor develops new algorithm for dietitians

If you've consulted with a nutrition educator about how best to lose weight or manage your diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, you may not have learned as much as you could have, said a University of Illinois professor of nutrition extension.

1 Aug 2012

Keeping orphans in communities 'won't end AIDS' but 'will help AIDS orphans'

"The International AIDS Conference [AIDS 2012] was full of talk of hope and best practices, but no one was giving details on how to reach an 'AIDS-free generation,'" GlobalPost correspondent John Donnelly writes in this post in the "Global Pulse" blog.

1 Aug 2012

Devex assesses HIV/AIDS funding, initiatives of 5 leading donor countries in 2011

Highlighting a recently released UNAIDS and Kaiser Family Foundation report (.pdf) on the financing of the global response to HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries in 2011, Devex assesses the HIV/AIDS initiatives and funding levels of the five leading donor governments for that year.

1 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 1, 2012

WBUR's Martha Bebinger, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, reports: "The Massachusetts Legislature Tuesday passed the next phase of its ongoing attempt to reform the health care system: sweeping cost control legislation. Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, hailed the lawmakers' work saying, 'This is more than a good bill, a great bill.'"

1 Aug 2012

Cervical cancer screening product from DySIS Medical recommended by NICE

DySIS Medical Ltd, the medical devices company in female health, announces that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (‘NICE’) has today published positive diagnostics guidance recommending its DySIS cervical cancer screening product to be considered in procurement plans.

1 Aug 2012

How the Republicans might reshape Medicaid if they win the White House and Congress

The Los Angeles Times reports on how the GOP is readying a push to scale back the health insurance program for the poor if it takes control of the White House and Congress next year. Meanwhile, the insurance industry is paying $1.1 billion in rebates to consumers under the health care law, and eying congressional efforts to overhaul the tax code next year as its best chance to roll back a new health insurance tax.

1 Aug 2012