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Viewpoints: Obama and liberal Catholics; Growing 'charity care'; Cutting costs on physician referrals

A Health and Human Services mandate that forces every employer to provide employees with health coverage that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but makes them free ... has drawn fire from the Catholic bishops. Less predictable - and far more interesting - has been the heat from the Catholic left, including many who have in the past given the president vital cover. In a post for the left-leaning National Catholic Reporter, Michael Sean Winter minces few words. Under the headline "J'ACCUSE," he rightly takes the president to the woodshed for the politics of the decision.

25 Jan 2012

Boston Children's, Blue Cross reach deal to curb payments; Jackson hospital, University of Miami working on better ties

Children's Hospital Boston has agreed to a three-year contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts that will not pay Children's any more money this year, offering fresh evidence that the clamor to contain health costs is having an effect. In the second and third years of the pact, the hospital will be reimbursed by Blue Cross Blue Shield at a rate neither party would specify, but both said it was below the current 3 percent rate of medical inflation.

24 Jan 2012

Political cartoon: 'Hyper-Tense'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Hyper-Tense" by Graham Harrop.

24 Jan 2012

Mass. Gov. again seeks health insurance payment overhaul; Iowa lawmakers review denial of health coverage to residents with HIV

Articles detail the Massachusetts state of the state address, efforts in Iowa to probe denials in the high risk pool and other legislative news.

24 Jan 2012

Child abuse: Socioeconomic status has more significant impact on physician's diagnosis than race

An Indiana University School of Medicine study has determined that a patient's socioeconomic status has more influence than race on physician diagnosis of whether a child's injury was accidental or caused by abuse.

24 Jan 2012

Gal-pagos reptiles living near human settlements harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Land and marine iguanas and giant tortoises living close to human settlements or tourist sites in the Gal-pagos islands are more likely to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria than those living in more remote or protected sites on the islands, researchers report in a new study.

24 Jan 2012

Roe V. Wade Anniversary casts spotlight on policy battle over abortion

Roll Call reports that state legislatures passed a landmark number of anti-abortion measures in 2011 - setting the stage for the year ahead.

24 Jan 2012

Blog covers government officials' comments at country ownership roundtable

This post in the Ministerial Leadership Initiative's (MLI) "Leading Global Health" blog "is the fourth of a series of perspective pieces on country ownership from the 'Advancing Country Ownership for Greater Results' roundtable organized recently by MLI, a program of Aspen Global Health and Development."

24 Jan 2012

Address drug resistant pathogens as part of 'next stage of global health'

This post in the Foreign Policy Association blog discusses reports from earlier this month of "an emerging strain of 'totally drug-resistant' tuberculosis (TDR-TB)" in India, which the Indian government last week denied, "arguing that the 12 cases were in fact extensively drug resistant (XDR)."

24 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 24, 2012

In today's news, a new survey shows that the percentage of Americans lacking health insurance coverage rose for the fourth straight year in 2011.

24 Jan 2012

Study reports Tennessee collaborative improves quality of surgical care

A new study published online today in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons finds hospitals participating in a regional collaborative of the American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP-), achieved substantial improvements in surgical outcomes, such as reducing the rates of acute renal failure and surgical site infections.

24 Jan 2012

Montefiore vision experts encourage public to learn more about glaucoma

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Vision experts at Montefiore Medical Center encourage the public to learn more about this disease, which is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States.

24 Jan 2012

UCSD receives approval to acquire NVCI

UC San Diego Health System has received approval to acquire the Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI), the official cancer institute of the state of Nevada, as an affiliate health care provider. The expansion represents a partnership between California and Nevada in offering lifesaving cancer care to patients through expert diagnosis, novel treatments and clinical trials.

24 Jan 2012

UNL project to reduce Shiga-toxin producing E. coli threat

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead a $25 million project to reduce throughout the beef production chain the occurrence of E. coli strains that pose a major threat to public health.

24 Jan 2012

Five scientists named recipients of Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award for cancer research

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation announced that five scientists with novel approaches to fighting cancer have been named 2012 recipients of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award.

24 Jan 2012

Scientists halt bird flu research for 60 days amid safety concerns

The head of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which funded "two projects that created a highly pathogenic [H5N1] flu virus mutation, has welcomed a two-month moratorium on further research while defending the value and safety of the experiments," the Financial Times reports.

24 Jan 2012