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Improvements In Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Teens And Young Adults Slowing
After a period of improvement, trends in the sexual and reproductive health of U.S. teens and young adults have flattened, or in some instances may be worsening, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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California Medicaid Providers Win Legal Challenge
Medicaid providers in California won a legal challenge over program cuts in the case "Maxwell-Jolly v. Independent Living Center of Southern California." McKnight"s Long Term Care News reports that "The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a federal appeals court ruling that says California"s Medicaid providers have a right to challenge state cuts to Medi-Cal provider fees. Victor Norma Jean Vescovo, the executive director of the Independent Living Center of Southern California, says the ruling will make it easier to ensure state Medicaid (known in the state as Medi-Cal) cuts will be made for needs-based reasons, not just economic reasons, the Bureau of National Affairs reported.
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Obama In Notre Dame Speech Calls For 'Open Hearts, Open Minds' In Abortion-Rights Debate
In his address at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony on Sunday, President Obama urged advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate to treat each other with civility and find ways to work together on common goals, such as reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, the New York Times reports. Obama, who also received an honorary degree from the Roman Catholic university, called for more "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words" on an issue that has long polarized the U.S. Obama said that although not all will agree on abortion rights, people "can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually" and "has both moral and spiritual dimension." He continued, "So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions," by reducing unintended pregnancies, making "adoption more available," and providing "care and support" to women who carry pregnancies to term. Obama also said he supports a "sensible conscience clause" that would allow health care workers to withhold services they find morally or religiously objectionable, the New York Times reports. The president said that "[e]ach side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature" (Baker/Saulny, New York Times, 5/18).According to the Wall Street Journal, Notre Dame"s invitation to Obama "amplified longstanding tensions" between the Catholic Church"s position against abortion rights and Catholic universities" academic freedom. Several Catholic bishops and antiabortion-rights advocates argued that it was wrong to honor Obama because of his support for abortion rights, while the university"s leadership and others said it is necessary to communicate with people of opposing views (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 5/18). Notre Dame"s president, the Rev. John Jenkins, in his introduction of Obama praised the president for agreeing to speak at the ceremony. He said that although some individuals "might have avoided this venue" because of the abortion issue, Obama "is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him" (Evans, USA Today, 5/18). Jenkins also said, "If we want to extend courtesy, respect and love and enter into dialogue, then surely we can start by acknowledging what is honorable in others" (Dinan, Washington Times, 5/18).The New York Times reports that about 100 abortion-rights opponents protested on the edge of Notre Dame"s campus, and nearly 40 protesters were arrested trying to enter the campus (New York Times, 5/18). According to the Washington Post, more than 70 Catholic bishops criticized the university"s invitation, and more than 360,000 people signed a petition calling for the university to rescind the invite. The Post also reports that 26 of the 2,900 graduates chose to skip the commencement ceremony in protest of Obama"s speech (Shear, Washington Post, 5/18). However, the bulk of the audience at the ceremony "enthusiastically supported" the president, the New York Times reports. A few graduates pasted crosses and replicas of infants" feet on their mortarboards in protest of Obama"s visit, while some supporters displayed Obama"s campaign logo. Four protesters interrupted the speech with shouting and were removed by security guards; audience members responded to the shouting with Notre Dame chants and shouts of "Yes, we can," an Obama campaign slogan. The New York Times reports that while Obama has tried to avoid confrontation on the issue of abortion rights, the controversy over this Notre Dame speech and his pending nomination to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter have "pushed the issue to the forefront" (New York Times 5/18). Obama"s speech comes as his administration initiates its first meetings between advocates on both sides of the debate to discuss ways to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. The meetings, which began at the beginning of May, are expected to continue for the next few
Public Health

Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Has Increased Access To Care, Though Residents' Ability To Obtain Treatment Hampered By Provider Supply, Study Find

Since the implementation of the Massachusetts health insurance law in 2006, more residents have health coverage and increased access to care, but rising health care costs combined with the current economic recession could undermine some of the law"s successes, according to the third annual "Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts" report by the Urban Institute, the Boston Globe reports. The study was funded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, and published in the journal Health Affairs.For the report, Sharon Long of the Urban Institute and colleagues surveyed about 4,000 Massachusetts adults in 2007 and 2008 and compared their health care habits with those of residents surveyed in 2006 -- just after the law went into effect. Researchers found that although there were initial gains in health care affordability, there are now some signs that an increasing number of state residents are reporting problems paying for medical bills, and an increasing number of people -- especially lower-income residents -- not seeking care because of costs (Lazar, Boston Globe, 5/28). One in five adults reported being told in the past 12 months that a physician or clinic was not accepting new patients or would not see patients with their type of insurance (Sack, New York Times, 5/28). Lower-income residents had more difficulties finding a physician than higher-income residents, with 24% of residents enrolled in state-subsidized health plans, saying they were told that a physician did not accept their insurance, compared with 7% of residents with private coverage (Boston Globe, 5/28). Additional Findings The study also found that: *91% of state residents said they have a regular health care provider, compared with 86% in 2006; *Three-quarters of residents surveyed said they had seen a dentist in the past year, compared with 68% in 2006; *18% of lower-income families did not receive needed care in 2008 because of costs, compared with 17% in 2007 and 27% in 2006 (New York Times, 5/28); *17.9% of residents in 2008 reported having difficulty paying their medical bills, compared with 16.5% in 2007 -- a change likely attributed more to the current economic recession than the law; and *Public support for the law continues to be strong -- about 70% of people surveyed from 2006 through 2008 said they support the law (Boston Globe, 5/28). Comments According to Long and study co-author Paul Masi, "Although major expansions in coverage can be achieved without addressing health care costs, cost pressures have the potential to undermine the gains" (New York Times, 5/28). Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman said, "You can see Massachusetts as a kind of crystal ball for what some of the implementation challenges might look like in national health reform." He added, "If we get to a point where everyone is insured, then we can move on to worry about the affordability of care" (Boston Globe, 5/28). The study is available online. Report Projects Increases in Uninsured Population Health Affairs on Thursday also published a report that projected that the number of uninsured residents will increase by at least 6.9 million by 2010. The projection -- by Todd Gilmer and Rick Kronick of the University of California-San Diego Department of Family and Preventive Medicine -- is based on increases in health spending compared to income. The authors note that their projections do not directly take into account the effects of high unemployment rates, which could add more people to the ranks of the uninsured (Gilmer/Kronick, Health Affairs, 5/28). The report is available online. Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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