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Roundup: Abortion cases against Kan. Planned Parenthood dropped; Maine Readies session on money owed hospitals; Calif. suing doc over billing practices

The first criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood came to an abrupt end Friday when Kansas prosecutors dropped all charges against a local affiliate accused of failing to determine the viability of fetuses before abortions were performed. ... They said that state law did not prohibit Planned Parenthood from using the gestational age of fetuses to determine whether they were viable or could survive outside of the womb.

21 Aug 2012

Mo. Senate candidate blasted for comments on rape

Republican Rep. Todd Akin, who is challenging Sen. Claire McCaskill, suggested in a TV interview that some rapes are "legitimate" and women can shut down a pregnancy from such an attack.

20 Aug 2012

Ryan's positions on women's issues becomes campaign target

Politico reports on how Rep. Paul Ryan's record on reproductive issues -- including co-sponosring a "personhood amendment" that would declare a fertilized egg to be a person, and voting to defund Planned Parenthood -- could widen President Barack Obama's lead among women. Meanwhile, a controversial comment about rape by a GOP candidate running for Senate in Missouri has stirred anger and angst.

20 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 20, 2012

Today's headlines focus on how the Medicare story is continuing to unfold on the presidential campaign trail.

20 Aug 2012

Democrats unleash Medicare attack ads in congressional races

Ads from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are being run against Rep. Dan Benishek of Michigan and North Carolina state Sen. David Rouzer, the Republican opponent of Rep. Mike McIntyre.

18 Aug 2012

State news: Tenn. abortion clinic closes; Tex. wrestles with funding for Women's Health Program; Mich. lawmakers pass bill to cut state share of teachers' health care

A Knoxville abortion provider has closed after 38 years, citing a newly enacted Tennessee law that requires doctors to hold admitting privileges at local hospitals. The Volunteer Women's Medical Clinic in Knoxville closed Friday. In a public letter titled "End of an Era," Executive Director Deb Walsh wrote that she was unable to keep their doors open in part due to the "Life Defense Act," which requires physicians to obtain admitting privileges at area hospitals.

18 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 17, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Jenny Gold reports on a new survey about accountable care organizations: "Few hospitals interested in becoming accountable care organizations are ready to take on financial risk, according to a survey released Friday from The Commonwealth Fund."

17 Aug 2012

Obama team sees opportunity in Ryan's record on abortion

News outlets report that the policy positions taken on abortion and contraception issues by Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate pick, could widen the so-called gender gap.

16 Aug 2012

Roundup: Abortion-rights groups mostly silent on fetal pain laws; Conn. advocates worry over Medicaid cuts; Examining readmission penalties

When new limits on abortions are proposed, abortion-rights groups usually go all out to stop them. So why haven't they gone all out against state fetal-pain laws, enacted in nine states since early 2010? These laws ban abortion after 20 weeks, based on the controversial assertion that the fetus can then experience pain. They're handing victories to anti-abortion groups, and so far there's only one major challenge from an abortion-rights group: in Arizona, where the 9th Circuit Court early this month temporarily blocked the state law.

15 Aug 2012

First hospital penalties for high readmissions detailed

KHN examines new penalties hospitals face under the health law. Meanwhile, Medpage Today reports on the American College of Physicians' new recommendations on government rules about doctors' interactions with patients.

14 Aug 2012

State roundup: Fla. groups ask Gov. for essential benefits hearings

In a reversal of a law passed 4 years ago, physicians in Massachusetts will now be allowed to accept "modest" meals and refreshments provided by pharmaceutical or medical device companies.

13 Aug 2012

Mitt Romney taps Paul Ryan as his V.P. pick

The selection of the fiscal conservative puts the size and scope of the federal government -- and especially the future of Medicare and other entitlement programs -- at the center of the election debate. Ryan's views on social issues, such as abortion, are also explored by media outlets.

13 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 13, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau reports: "More than 2,000 hospitals -; including some nationally recognized ones -; will be penalized by the government starting in October because many of their patients are readmitted soon after discharge, new records show".

13 Aug 2012

Medical ethics: an interview with Anita Silvers

Medical ethics assists healthcare professionals to make decisions respectful of persons who happen to be their patients.

13 Aug 2012

Pressure builds on presidential nominees on health care issues, a GOP running mate

The presidential race picks up with conservatives pushing presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney to pick Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as his running mate while Romney's latest TV ad accuses President Obama of using his health law to "declare war" on religion.

12 Aug 2012

In Colorado, Obama focuses on women's health issues

Campaigning in the western swing state, President Barack Obama said his opponent, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, would take women's health care back to the 1950s.

10 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 10, 2012

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Susan Jaffe writes: "Concerned that a growing number of seniors have been unexpectedly forced to pay thousands of dollars for nursing home care after a stay in a hospital, Medicare has launched a pilot project to test whether relaxing its hospital payment rules could help beneficiaries".

10 Aug 2012

Female voters are hot commodity for presidential candidates

On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama continues his efforts to shore up support among women voters, as GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney vies for working-class voters.

9 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 8, 2012

Today's headlines include a variety of stories that reflect how health policy issues are playing on the campaign trail.

8 Aug 2012

Texas doctors oppose state plans on abortion; Gov. Perry caught between Medicaid and Planned Parenthood

The physicians are objecting to a proposed rule for the Texas Women's Health Program that prohibits them from discussing abortion with patients. Meanwhile, the governor, who says he opposes an expansion of Medicaid, also says he will use such an expansion to justify his cut off of funds to Planned Parenthood.

8 Aug 2012