Health Policy News

September 9, 2016

Impact of Global Diabetes Issue Underestimated

London's 1952 Great Smog: More Asthma Now

Global Economic Downturn Linked to Cancer Deaths

Lowering Target Blood Pressure Would Save Lives

Latest Headlines

updated 1:00am EDT

Surgery at High-Quality Hospitals Costs Medicare Less Than at Low-Quality Hospitals

Sep. 7, 2016 — Patients who had major surgery at high-quality hospitals in the United States cost Medicare less than those who had surgery at low-quality hospitals, ... read more

Earned Income Tax Credit Program Is a Boon for Health, Report Suggests

Sep. 7, 2016 — The Earned Income Tax Credit program is not only good for people's pocketbooks, but also for their health, new research shows. Findings of a new suggest that the program is much more cost-effective ... read more

Recessions Are Harmful to Health

Sep. 6, 2016 — A review of studies investigating the 2008 recession in Europe show it was associated with adverse health outcomes, particularly for suicides and mental health problems, finds a ... read more

New Research Supports Hep C Treatment for People Who Use Drugs

Sep. 7, 2016 — Global health experts are today are calling for the removal of restrictions preventing people who use drugs from accessing new hepatitis C cures. So long as these restrictions exist, the goal of ... read more

What Are the Challenges of Implementing New TB Screening Guidelines?

Sep. 6, 2016 — An editorial accompanies the publication of new US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening recommendations for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection in primary care settings. The editorial ... read more

Most States Report Medicaid Covers Children's Key Mental Health Services but Gaps Remain

Sep. 1, 2016 — A national study shows an uneven picture of states' use of Medicaid to help families with young children gain access to mental health services. A ... read more

Living With Dementia: Life Story Work Proves Successful

Sep. 2, 2016 — Life story work has the potential to help people with dementia, a pioneering study has demonstrated. Life story work involves helping people to record aspects of their past and present lives along ... read more

Why Does Dying Cost More for People of Color? New Study Takes a Deeper Look

Sep. 1, 2016 — Dying in America is an expensive process, with about 1 in 4 Medicare dollars going to care for people in their last year of life. But for African Americans and Hispanics, the cost of dying is far ... read more

Hospitalizations for Heart Infection Related to Drug Injection Rising Across the US

Sep. 1, 2016 — Hospitalizations for infective endocarditis, a heart valve infection often attributed to injection drug use, increased significantly among young ... read more

More Than 57,000 Children Become Overweight or Obese During Primary School

Aug. 31, 2016 — Every year, 57,100 children who started primary school in England at a healthy weight end up obese or overweight by the time they leave, according to new ... read more

Scientists Are Pushing Ahead With Human-Animal Hybrid Research

U.S. Regulators Sue to Block Health Insurance Mergers

It Looks Like Medical Marijuana Is Burning Up Prescription Drug Sales

Doctor Payments from Drug and Medical Device Companies

Early Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Oral Contraceptive Cost Sharing

Sep. 7, 2016 — Researchers have examined how the Affordable Care Act mandate requiring most commercial insurance plans to cover Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods, without cost sharing ... read more

Patient Care Can Improve With Technology in Nursing Homes

Sep. 1, 2016 — Increases in information technology sophistication can lead to potential improvements in health care quality measures, researchers report in a new ... read more

Politics Affect Views on Healthcare Quality, but Not on Personal Experience With Care

Sep. 1, 2016 — What do you think about the quality of healthcare in the United States? Your opinion may depend on your politics, with Democrats perceiving more problems in the healthcare system compared to ... read more

Lung Disease Costs Set to Rise to £2.5bn Per Year, Experts Project

Sep. 1, 2016 — The cost of treating a smoking-related chronic lung disease will exceed more than £2.3 billion per year in England by 2030, research suggests. Researchers say that healthcare services should adapt ... read more

Concerns Over Glutathione Skin Bleaching in the UK

Aug. 31, 2016 — Skin bleaching with the use of glutathione is on the rise, despite the potential ethical issues and adverse side effects associated with the practice, warns a doctor from ... read more

Experts Urge Rethink on Health Target

Aug. 30, 2016 — The concept of premature mortality needs to be either abandoned or redefined if it is not to discriminate against older people, according to experts on ... read more

Ethical Concerns Tied to Research on Human-Animal Embryos

Aug. 30, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new bioethical framework for addressing concerns surrounding potentially revolutionary research on human-animal ... read more

Affordable Care Act Has Improved Access to Health Care, but Disparities Persist

Aug. 30, 2016 — The Affordable Care Act has substantially decreased the number of uninsured Americans and improved access to health care, though insurance affordability and disparities by geography, race/ethnicity, ... read more

Cost Savings Possible from Reducing Use of Low-Value Health Services, Study Says

Aug. 29, 2016 — Experts estimate that $200 billion in annual health care spending in the United States is for overtreatment. The first national study to examine spending on a wide array of low-value health services ... read more

Many Adults Who Screen Positive for Depression Don't Receive Treatment

Aug. 29, 2016 — A new study suggests gaps exist in the treatment of depression with many individuals who screen positive for the mental health disorder not receiving treatment, according to a new ... read more

Assessing Unnecessary Angiography in Heart Care

Aug. 29, 2016 — Reserachers examined whether among patients with suspected coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-guided care is superior to National Institute for Health and Care ... read more

Telemedicine Could Improve Eye Exam Access for People With Diabetes

Aug. 29, 2016 — People with diabetes need vision screening every year to prevent blindness. What if the eye doctor came to ... read more

Asthma Care Costs UK at Least £1.1 Billion Each Year, Study Shows

Aug. 29, 2016 — Asthma costs the UK health service at least 1.1 billion pounds each year, research has ... read more

Banning Tobacco Sales Near Schools Could Reduce Socioeconomic Disparities, New Study Shows

Aug. 26, 2016 — Banning tobacco sales within 1,000 feet of schools could reduce socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in tobacco density across neighborhoods, according to a ... read more

Researchers Question Process for Reviewing Coverage of 'Off Label' Cancer Drug Use

Aug. 25, 2016 — Physician-researchers have raised concerns that there are inconsistencies between the five reference guides, or compendia, that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services uses to determine which ... read more

Number of Tuberculosis Cases in India Is Double Current Estimates, Says New Study

Aug. 25, 2016 — The number of cases of tuberculosis (TB) in India may be up to two to three times higher than current estimates, suggests a new study. TB is a bacterial infection, spread through inhaling tiny ... read more

Seniors With More Continuity of Care Use the ER Less

Aug. 24, 2016 — Seniors with traditional Medicare coverage who have more continuity of care -- defined as consistently seeing the same physician in an outpatient setting -- have lower chances of visiting an ... read more

Majority of US Doctors Discussing Electronic Cigarettes With Their Patients

Aug. 24, 2016 — A new survey of US doctors reveals they are frequently discussing electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) with patients in a clinical setting. A substantial proportion of physicians also recommend e-cigs to ... read more

Simplify, Standardize Health Insurance Plans, Advise Behavioral Economists

Aug. 23, 2016 — Behavioral economists argue that the best way to address the problems caused by health plan complexity is to simplify and standardize the plans, a new report ... read more

Rate of Uninsured Young Adults Drops by More Than One-Third in Texas

Aug. 23, 2016 — The percentage of young adults ages 18 to 34 in Texas without health insurance has dropped by 35 percent since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, according to a new ... read more

Wednesday, September 7, 2016