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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

Egypt ends use of animals for trauma training program with human-patient simulators from PETA

In a landmark move, Egypt has completely ended the use of animals in its leading trauma training program, thanks to a donation of state-of-the-art TraumaMan human-patient simulators from PETA.

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

TAT-ARC fusion protein helps treat acute liver failure

Acute liver failure is a life-threatening disease, characterized by a sudden, massive death of liver cells. Unfortunately, few treatment options exist, especially for advanced-stage liver failure. As a last resort a liver transplant may be the only remaining option.

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

Simpler and more accurate way to test for prostate cancer

An undergraduate student's technique for detecting certain metabolites in urine samples could lead to a simpler and more accurate way to test for prostate cancer.

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

Political cartoon: 'Doctor's Orders'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Doctor's Orders" by Ann Telnaes.

3 Aug 2012

Allergies may reduce risk of brain cancer

New research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that there's a link between allergies and reduced risk of a serious type of cancer that starts in the brain. This study suggests the reduced risk is stronger among women than men, although men with certain allergy profiles also have a lower tumor risk.

3 Aug 2012

Obama Administration promises new money to help Vets become physician assistants

The Obama administration has announced $2.3 million in grants to help veterans become physician assistants -- helping ease their transition back into civilian life.

3 Aug 2012

IRS faces GOP criticism on health care tax credits

During a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday, House Republican lawmakers grilled the director of the Internal Revenue Service on his agency's ruling allowing qualified individuals to get tax credits to buy health insurance in federal health insurance exchanges.

3 Aug 2012

AD hits hardest among people in their 60s and 70s

The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is advancing age. By age 85, the likelihood of developing the dreaded neurological disorder is roughly 50 percent. But researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say AD hits hardest among the "younger elderly" - people in their 60s and 70s - who show faster rates of brain tissue loss and cognitive decline than AD patients 80 years and older.

3 Aug 2012

Bipartisan group of House lawmakers to push lame-duck passage of 'Simpson-Bowles' debt plan

A bipartisan group of lawmakers will make a lame-duck push at passing a previously released deficit reduction plan.

3 Aug 2012

Another Senate vote to repeal the health law? Harry Reid says no

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) this evening rejected a plan offered by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to set up a vote on repealing the 2010 health care law before the end of September.

3 Aug 2012

Giving antibiotics just before cesarean section prevents infections

Giving antibiotics before cesarean section surgery rather than just after the newborn's umbilical cord is clamped cuts the infection rate at the surgical site in half, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

3 Aug 2012

Some small businesses brace for health law hardships

The Wall Street Journal reports on the impact the health law could have on restaurants and retailers, while other news outlets explore reverberations of the Supreme Court decision making the expansion of Medicaid effectively optional.

3 Aug 2012

Mechanism provides beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat to white fat

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a mechanism that can give energy-storing white fat some of the beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat. The findings, based on studies of mice and of human fat tissue, could lead to new strategies for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

3 Aug 2012

State roundup: N.Y. law requires coverage for partial mastectomy

New York's newest laws include one that will require health insurance to cover reconstructive surgery after partial mastectomies. Health insurers in New York must already cover the cost of reconstructive surgery after a full mastectomy (8/2).

3 Aug 2012