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First Edition: July 2, 2012

Today's headlines detail the latest news, developments, analysis and fallout from last week's Supreme Court health law decision.

2 Jul 2012

House Foreign Affairs Committee approves FY13 Foreign Relations Authorization Act

"The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved a $16.2 billion State Department authorization bill after reaching bipartisan consensus," The Hill's "Global Affairs" blog reports, adding, "The bill passed by voice vote in under a minute, in stark contrast with last year's record 30-hour markup where Democrats and Republicans battled on everything from funding for abortion providers to aid to Pakistan".

30 Jun 2012

Roundup: Sole abortion clinic in Miss. sues over new law, Kansas awards Medicaid managed care contracts

The lone abortion facility in Mississippi asked a federal court on Wednesday to block a new state law that will require doctors who perform the controversial procedure to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The law, set to take effect on Sunday, threatens to make Mississippi the only U.S. state without an abortion clinic.

29 Jun 2012

Senate sends FDA user fee bill to Obama; House GOP putting pressure on AARP

In rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the FDA measure. On the other side of the Capitol, top Republicans delved into whether AARP represented its members' interests when the lobby group for seniors supported the health law.

28 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Looking beyond the court's eventual decision

Speculation about the likely death of "Obamacare" has raged ever since the Supreme Court heard three intense days of legal arguments in March. The pundits have crowed about how the individual mandate is the Achilles' heel of President Obama's healthcare law (Theda Skocpol and Lawrence R. Jacobs, 6/20).

22 Jun 2012

Contingency management programs an effective way to reduce smoking in pregnant women

Cigarette smoking among drug dependent pregnant women is alarmingly high, estimated at 77 to 99%. Programs that treat pregnant patients for substance use disorders often fail to address cigarette smoking despite the clear risks to both mother and child, including ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, programs to help people quit smoking do not seem to interfere with drug abuse treatment, and may actually improve drug abstinence rates.

22 Jun 2012

Guardian publishes 'shortlists' of International Development Journalism competition entries

The Guardian has published "shortlists" of the amateur and professional entries for its International Development Journalism competition. Topics of the amateur entries include the advancement of women's rights in fragile states, education as a tool for change in the developing world, and the dangers of childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa.

21 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: For Fla. small business owner, loss of health law would be 'real blow;' Effort to silence Mich. legislators backfires

Running a small business with four employees, I've got a lot hanging in the balance as the Supreme Court deliberates on the healthcare law. The legal challenge to the law was launched here in Florida with a small business lobby group as a plaintiff in the case. But if you're thinking that means small business people like me want to see the law rolled back, think again. The simple fact is, the healthcare law is saving our business serious money and saving our healthcare benefits.

20 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Catholic group dismisses compromise on contraceptives; Funding entitlements

President Obama's support for his signature health care act took a fresh hit Friday. The Catholic Health Association, the nation's largest private health care provider, has rebuffed the latest White House moves to make its contraception coverage mandate more acceptable to Catholics and conservative evangelicals, according to Religion News Service.

19 Jun 2012

Abortion, contraception controversies create political divisions

In some states, even some Republican legislators are not endorsing anti-abortion rules as a group of Catholic hospitals, which had supported the Obama administration's contraception compromise, revoked that approval.

18 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 18, 2012

Today's headlines include reports on the upcoming Supreme Court health law decision and the politics of health policy.

18 Jun 2012

Roundup: Iowa redesign of mental health services raises concerns; Mich. lawmakers opposed to abortion restrictions are 'silenced'

State leaders hope their mental health redesign will bring better services to (rural areas of Iowa), but many front-line administrators doubt they'll see significant improvements soon. In fact, some worry that services could erode over the next year as money and some financial responsibilities are shifted from the counties to the state. Some long-term improvements are possible, they say, but cash likely will run short in the next few months.

15 Jun 2012

Mich. House approves abortion restrictions bill; AFL-CIO asks Mo. Gov. to veto abortion coverage bill

The Michigan bill would tighten regulation of abortion clinics and providers while making it a crime to coerce women into having an abortion. In Missouri, a union asks the governor to veto legislation that would allow employers to opt out of providing abortion or contraception health insurance coverage.

15 Jun 2012

State roundup: Mass. bill seeking Alzheimer's care standards moves forward

A proposal to create minimum standards for Alzheimer's and dementia care in Massachusetts nursing homes is one step closer to becoming law. The state Senate Tuesday unanimously passed legislation that would require the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which regulates nursing homes, to establish minimum standards for facilities with dementia care units. The House approved the proposal last month.

14 Jun 2012

Call for medical bodies to stop opposing assisted dying supported by BMJ

The BMJ today supports a call for leading UK medical bodies to stop opposing assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.

14 Jun 2012

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

New York lawmakers unanimously approved legislation Monday that will require doctors to issue drug prescriptions electronically within three years, meanwhile establishing tighter restrictions on painkillers and other addictive drugs on the state list of controlled substances.

13 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Praise for insurers' move to keep consumer protections; Supreme Court's reputation falters

UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation's largest health insurers, announced this week that it would keep some of the popular benefits and consumer protections required by the federal health care law even if the Supreme Court strikes down all or part of it. ... But such voluntary actions are not a substitute for the broader mandatory reforms that will take effect after 2014 under the law.

13 Jun 2012

Efforts to reach fiscal deal gain momentum

Some Capitol Hill lawmakers are increasingly pushing to find a way to avert a fiscal crisis. Also in the news from Congress, Republicans continue their investigation of the White House's negotiations with health care interest groups during the health law debate in 2009.

12 Jun 2012

Organized rallies around U.S. decry contraception coverage mandate

More than 100 organized rallies in states around the nation this weekend decried the Obama administration decision to require insurers and employers to cover contraception in their health plans as an attack on their religious freedom.