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Even though the administration made clear it no longer intends to proceed with the implementation of the long-term care insurance program, Republican opponents are pushing hard for its actual repeal. Meanwhile, supporters continue to ask questions about why the administration opted to not move forward.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the public's distrust of government, the super committee's progress -- or lack thereof and the latest from the campaign trail.
Several opinion pieces respond to a report (.pdf) presented on Monday to the U.N. General Assembly by Arnand Grover, U.N. special rapporteur for the Right to Health, that "considers the impact of criminal and other legal restrictions on abortion; conduct during pregnancy; contraception and family planning; and the provision of sexual and reproductive education and information," according to the report summary. The report also states, "Realization of the right to health requires the removal of barriers that interfere with individual decision-making on health-related issues and with access to health services, education and information, in particular on health conditions that only affect women and girls. In cases where a barrier is created by a criminal law or other legal restriction, it is the obligation of the State to remove it" (8/3).
A new report from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) "has concluded that the major obstacle to eradication is not political or scientific or monetary, but something seemingly mundane -- bad management," health reporter Andre Picard writes in his Globe and Mail column, adding that "the panel offers concrete proposals for what needs to be done to close the deal." He continues, "The fundamental problem though, according to the expert panel, is that the global eradication effort is overeager to celebrate the successes (like India) and ignore the failures (like Pakistan)."
Four Republican governors sent a letter to the super committee urging them
It is expected that the high court will soon decide which among the key issues and lawsuits challenging the health reform measure it will hear. In related news, media outlets offer local angles on how health law implementation is going and how it might impact specific states.
The WHO on Saturday said hundreds of thousands of flood victims in Thailand are at risk of water-borne diseases and infections, though no major outbreaks have been reported, Agence France-Presse reports. "The spread of communicable diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory illness and conjunctivitis among displaced flood victims in shelters was a key concern, the country's WHO representative Maureen Birmingham told AFP," adding, "Flood-affected people also faced an increased risk of skin fungal infections and leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through contaminated water," according to the news service (10/23).
In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Tido von Schoen-Angerer, executive director of the Doctors Without Borders Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, responds to the results of the RTS,S malaria vaccine clinical trial announced last week, writing, "A malaria vaccine that works would be a major breakthrough. But while the latest advance toward the development is scientifically important, there are several reasons to be cautious about the difference this vaccine could make, on the basis of current results."
Universal HIV screening in the ER is not a practical option, researchers from France's Emergency Department HIV-Screening Group write in a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, Reuters reports. According to the study, "[m]ore than 1,100 people would have to be offered HIV tests in the emergency room to find just one new infection," Reuters notes.
"With almost 17,000 cases reported in the latest nationwide cholera outbreak, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must rethink its preparedness strategy to curb future outbreaks, health experts told IRIN," the news service reports. "According to Kossi Ayigan of the WHO, the health cluster coordinator, the emergency response phase of the current cholera outbreak is drawing to a close and should be followed by firm action on proper sanitation and provision of safe drinking water by the government and its development partners," according to IRIN.
According to data released Monday by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the pool of total applicants to medical schools hit an all-time high this year.
Modern Healthcare reports that an analysis conducted by risk-management firm Aon and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management concluded that doctors insured by hospital-employers tend to have lower overall liability loss rates than their peers on commercial malpractice plans.
With the purchase of HealthSpring, Cigna will become a major source of both Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage coverage.
In California and South Carolina, Medicaid issues are being considered.
In Missouri and Kansas, news outlets are covering plans to create medical homes.
In the GOP presidential primary fray, Jon Huntsman challenged former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu for backing Mitt Romney because Romney, according to Huntsman, is not his equal in conservative credentials. Meanwhile, Romney pushes back on a Mass. program which allowed illegal immigrants to have access to safety net health care services. Lastly, NPR profiles Ron Paul.
A selection of some health care stories from around the country.
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