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Lesbian Women Feel Less Pressure To Have A 'perfect' Body
A study that investigated whether a woman"s sexuality is related to her satisfaction with her appearance and eating behaviour is being presented today, 15th July 2009 at the British Psychological Society Psychology of Women"s Section annual conference.
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In Joint Statement, Industry Groups Reiterate Commitment To Reduce Health Spending Growth
The six industry groups that pledged to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over 10 years on Friday issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to work toward the goal, Roll Call reports (Murray, Roll Call, 5/15). The industry groups in a letter sent to President Obama on May 10 wrote, "We will do our part to achieve your administration"s goal of decreasing by 1.5 percentage points the annual health care spending growth rate. ... This represents more than a 20% reduction in the projected rate of growth." The letter -- which was signed by the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- did not elaborate on what specific measures the groups would take to achieve such reductions (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/12). Obama in a May 11 public announcement of the groups" pledge said the coalition"s goal was to cut the growth rate by 1.5 percentage points "each year," which would total $2 trillion over 10 years (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).However, industry leaders who attended the meeting with Obama said that they did not promise specific year-by-year savings, but instead agreed to a more incremental approach (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/15). Richard Umbdenstock, president of AHA, said, "There"s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members." AHA sent its members a bulletin stating that "the groups did not support reducing the rate of health spending by 1.5 percentage points annually," and that the pledge was to eventually reduce the growth rate by 1.5 percentage points (CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).In response to media reports that said they were backing away from their pledge, the groups on Friday in a joint statement reiterated their vow. They wrote, "Our organizations are currently engaged in an intensive process to develop proposals to reduce the rate of increase in future health care costs" (Young, The Hill, 5/15). The statement also said, "We are committed to working together to bend the health care cost curve" and "to doing our part to make reform sustainable and to make the system more affordable and effective for patients and purchasers" (Budoff Brown, Politico, 5/18). It continued that "to be successful, we must take action in public-private partnership. We look forward to offering cost-savings recommendations in the weeks ahead." The Obama administration has requested specifics on the coalition"s cost-cutting plans by June 1. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag on Friday in a blog post wrote that it is "understandable" that the groups need to "ramp up" to the 1.5 percentage point reduction in spending. According to Orszag, "The groups have committed to significant reductions in the growth rate, thereby recognizing that substantial efficiencies can be captured in the health system. Some ramp-up time also does not materially affect the long-term impact from reducing the growth rate, on either national health expenditures or the federal budget" (CQ HealthBeat, 5/15). Orszag"s blog posting is available online.
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3D Printing For New Tissues And Organs
A more effective way to build plastic scaffolds on which new tissues and even whole organs might be grown in the laboratory is being developed by an international collaboration between teams in Portugal and the UK.
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Global AIDS Coordinator Addresses Obama's Global HIV/AIDS Policy Agenda

Speaking at the 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention on Monday, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby outlined President Obama"s global AIDS policy agenda, Plus News/IRIN reports. The news service writes, "Goosby began by reassuring delegates - many of whom are implementers of programmes funded by ò€¦ PEPFAR ò€¦ -- that fighting AIDS would remain a central component of Obama"s foreign policy. However, there would be a renewed focus on other priorities such as maternal and child health, and tropical diseases." Goosby noted, "Each government ultimately holds responsibility for the health of its citizens," and that U.S. policies would seek to support country programs and encourage more national government buy-in and leadership. "The end goal is for each country to control its responses both strategically and, eventually, financially," he said. "Goosby also made it clear that scientific evidence rather than moral concerns would drive intensified efforts to reach high-risk groups - men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers - with HIV prevention and care," Plus News/IRIN writes. "The economic crisis has made countries look at what they can and can"t afford with a new lens," he said. "We are trying to maximize our ability to ensure that everyone who is on ARVs [antiretrovirals] stays on them, and that we expand access to those who are not yet on them." National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci "told delegates that a bill to lift the ban on funding needle exchange programmes was working its way through Congress, and restrictions on HIV-infected people entering the U.S. were also almost certain to be lifted in the near future." Facui added, "With regard to science and policy, we will stay on the right path" (7/20). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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