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Viewpoints: America's mixed views on health; Contraception and political 'excesses'; Colorado Medicaid debate

Most people tell pollsters they like the parts of the law that have gone into effect: health insurance for people with preexisting conditions, a clause that allows children to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26 and discounts for prescription drugs on Medicare. And, as time goes by, Americans seem less worried that the law will have a negative effect on their own medical care ... But the law itself isn't any more popular than the day it passed.

12 Mar 2012

Study reveals significant variation in use of head computed tomography

Imaging has been identified as one of the key drivers of increased healthcare costs. A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School has found significant variation in the use of head computed tomography (CT), even within a single emergency department. Strategies to reduce such variation in head CT use may reduce cost and improve quality of care.

12 Mar 2012

Officials examine Medicaid coverage, quality in context of burgeoning costs

Growing demand for Medicaid services puts a burden on states as they wrestle with tight budgets and patient quality issues.

12 Mar 2012

Partner reduction strategies essential to reversing spread of HIV

"The rising enthusiasm for providing more medicines threatens to come at the expense of promising initiatives for preventing HIV infections in the first place -- initiatives that could save many lives, with less money," Craig Timberg, the newspaper's deputy national security editor, and Daniel Halperin, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, write in this Washington Post opinion piece.

12 Mar 2012

Overcoming challenges to health law implementation at federal, state levels

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is central to implementing the health law, which leads to questions about its capabilities and resources. Meanwhile, states await a final rule on health exchanges.

12 Mar 2012

Many Americans deficient in magnesium, sulfur and sulfate

Many Americans are deficient in magnesium, sulfur and sulfate, experts say. It's a problem that causes a variety of health issues that could be prevented with small changes to diet and behavior, including frequent soaks in Epsom salt.

12 Mar 2012

Cancer Research UK disappointed over SMC ruling against advanced prostate cancer drug

Cancer Research UK is extremely disappointed that the advanced prostate cancer drug, abiraterone, has been ruled too expensive for routine use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).

12 Mar 2012

USAID annual letter discusses global health initiatives

PSI's "Healthy Lives" blog presents global health-related excerpts of USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah's annual letter that was published on March 9.

12 Mar 2012

India plans to increase annual health care spending with aim of providing free care to citizens

"With its health-care system increasingly eclipsed by rivals, India has a plan to nearly double public spending on health over the next five years," a goal that would "lift annual spending on health to 2.5 percent of the country's economic output, from 1.4 percent," the Washington Post reports.

12 Mar 2012

State abortion bills keep coming

Some call such legislation an "overreach," but at least some of the proposals are getting political traction, including a push in Washington State this week to require insurance plans to cover abortion.

12 Mar 2012

ESMO welcomes EC proposal to streamline access to medicines

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) welcomes the recent proposal by the European Commission aimed at streamlining the process and shortening the timeline surrounding national decisions on pricing drugs and reimbursement of payment made for medicines. This initiative, says ESMO, will facilitate patient access to innovative treatments on an EU-wide level.

12 Mar 2012

Political cartoon: 'Aerodynamic Drag'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Aerodynamic Drag" by Lisa Benson.

12 Mar 2012

Connect during MS Awareness Week

Multiple sclerosis is a life altering disease that affects each person in a unique and different way. MS destroys connections, divides minds from bodies, pulls people from their lives and away from one another. Therefore, it's only fitting that connections would be its greatest enemy.

12 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 12, 2012

Today's health policy headlines focus significant attention on key issues, dynamics and even personalities that will be in play when the Supreme Court takes up the health law later this month.

12 Mar 2012

Two scientists receive The Brain Prize 2012 for pioneering work on hearing and deafness

The Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation announced today that The Brain Prize 2012 is jointly awarded to Christine Petit and Karen Steel.

12 Mar 2012

Sweco, ÅF sign joint contract with Skanska Healthcare for NKS in Solna

The engineering consultancies Sweco and ÅF have signed a joint contract with Skanska Healthcare AB for planning and design of the New Karolinska Hospital in Solna, NKS.

12 Mar 2012

UHC retires negative coverage policy effective April 1, 2012

Aerocrine AB announces that United Healthcare has retired its negative coverage policy effective April 1, 2012.

12 Mar 2012

Johns Hopkins epidemiologist named Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine

Frederick L. Brancati, M.D., M.H.S., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of Hopkins' division of general internal medicine, was named Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine by the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees.

12 Mar 2012

Policy makers, scientists collaborate to create new science-policy research agenda

One only has to be reminded of the BSE crisis and the MMR vaccine scare to recognise the importance of having policy informed by the best available science. Now, a collaboration of over fifty academics and policy makers from around the world have come together to agree a new research agenda on the role of science in public policy.

12 Mar 2012

AMGA presents Medical Group Preeminence Award to VMMC

The American Medical Group Association today presented the Medical Group Preeminence Award to Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC), a health system based in Seattle, WA. The presentation took place at the AMGA 2012 Annual Conference, being held March 8-10 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.

12 Mar 2012