Topic: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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14 Republicans who might run in 2016

The GOP has a history of nominating people who have run before, which could give heart to some familiar faces. But there’s also a crop of young rising stars who could steal the show.
5 ways to improve a marriage

From author Elizabeth Weil's book 'No Cheating, No Dying,' 5 expert tips to improve a marriage.
Four ways New Orleans is better than before Katrina
Top 5 most stressful jobs

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Change Agent Oklahoma City tornado: more ways to help

A massive tornado tore through parts of the Oklahoma City area May 19, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Here are some of the ways you can help.
Feds to boost child care center monitoring and employee background checks

The federal government will propose today an overhaul of federally funded child care centers in the United States. Their to-do list includes strengthening safety standards and getting states to inspect facilities unannounced.
Obama budget: Is it 'austere'?

President Barack Obama's 2014 budget includes increases in spending for setting up health exchanges, increasing scrutiny for food safety, and gun violence and Alzheimer's disease research. It includes cuts to Medicare, such as reducing subsidies for wealthier people and diminishing the pay rate for physicians.
Modern Parenthood $338M Powerball win shows odds stacked against kids who need child support

New Jersey Powerball winner Pedro Quezada owes $29,000 in child support. Though winning the lottery is a statistical rarity at 1 in 75 million, being a parent with child support back dues is not. In 2011, 12 percent of Americans were owed child support and did not receive it.
Pot on the patio? Colorado's 'surreal' path to legalizing marijuana.

Colorado's Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force is wading through the weeds of marijuana legalization, creating regulations to take pot from the shadows out into the open.
Gun control alone isn’t enough to halt violence, Obama says in Chicago

Visiting a Chicago neighborhood he represented as a state legislator, Obama said violence is about more than gun control, 'It's also an issue of the kinds of communities that we're building.'
Obama fact-check: State of the Union speech uses a few shortcuts

Obama fact-check: A look at some of the claims in his State of the Union speech, a glance at the Republican counterargument and how they fit with the facts.
Obama birth-control proposal: Some religious groups reject revised plan

Obama birth-control plan would give women at religious nonprofits birth-control coverage through a separate insurance plan, which their employers would not pay for.
Challenges to Obama birth control mandate could go to Supreme Court

A requirement in the Affordable Care Act mandating most employers to provide contraception for free with health care coverage, has sparked dozens of lawsuits from both religious organizations, and business owners. The Department of Health and Human Service is working to accommodate faith-based groups.
Gun control 101: Why is Obama pushing for new gun research?

A key part of President Obama's plan to rein in gun violence is his push to kick-start fresh gun-control-related research by federal agencies. Republicans have blocked such research in the past.
14 Republicans who might run in 2016

The GOP has a history of nominating people who have run before, which could give heart to some familiar faces. But there’s also a crop of young rising stars who could steal the show.
Obamacare fee to offset costs of pre-existing conditions

Obamacare fee may come as somewhat of a surprise to companies and employees as part of the President's health-care overhaul legislation. The Obamacare fee will take effect in 2014.
The Monitor's View: A case of Obamacare and religious liberty

On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered a lower court to decide on a case involving a clash between religious liberty and Obamacare. Government must tread lightly in defining religion as a way to achieve universal health care and increase access to contraceptives.
Judge sides with Christian publisher on contraceptive coverage

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Obama administration from forcing a Christian publishing company to provide its employees with certain contraceptives under the new health care law.
Obamacare won't be repealed. States now must act.

As House Speaker John Boehner said this week, the presidential election confirms that the Affordable Care Act 'is the law of the land.' But the fight over 'Obamacare' is not over as states decide whether to craft their own insurance exchange program or leave it to Washington.
Change Agent Ex-NASA engineer designs an app to chart water quality

John Feighery created mWater – a cell phone app that instantly records and maps the results of water-quality tests, making monitoring of water quality in developing countries quicker and easier.
Boy Scouts to report suspected pedophiles to police

A judge has ordered the Boy Scouts of America to release its own files about child sex abuse from 1965 to 1985. "In certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong," said the Boy Scouts in a statement.
How many will pay health-care tax penalty? CBO estimate rises 50 percent.

Citing a gloomier economic outlook, and to a lesser extent the Supreme Court ruling on Medicaid expansion, the CBO now estimates 6 million people will pay the health-care tax penalty by 2016.
Modern Parenthood Perry Hall High School: Shooting and bullying? Not so fast

Perry Hall High School shooting: The conversation about bullying and its impact has already started – and it's a dangerous conversation to have.
Paul Ryan's record: huge role in debt debate but few legislative wins

Rep. Paul Ryan's grasp of federal spending has given him an outsized role in defining the GOP position on deficits and debt, but he has a lower profile in driving the bipartisan compromises needed to pass laws.
Decoder Wire Romney repeats charge Obama is 'gutting' welfare reform. Is that a distortion? (+video)

At issue is whether the Obama administration's new waivers, allowing states to experiment with alternative work requirements, will undermine the historic welfare reform program. Independent fact checkers say, no.
Modern Parenthood Andy Reid tragedy causes a mom to ponder summer surge in drug use

As Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid copes with his troubled son Garrett's death, parents redouble their vigilance. A new government study says summer time is the best time to do that as teen drug use surges then.
NYC breastfeeding: a new-old plan to wean the world off formula

Remember the Nestlé formula boycott? The long-term global effort to encourage breastfeeding as a healthier choice for newborns than formula – once focused on developing nations – is now a trend among US hospitals. But a new program to decrease the use of formula in hospitals, backed by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is being criticized as meddling in the decisions of mothers.
Foster care: Overall population drops, states have mixed results

Foster care populations dropped for the sixth straight year, reports the Department of Health and Human Services, due to state policies shifting toward shortening foster care stays, expediting adoptions, and increasing prevention support.
Backchannels Mass hysteria blamed for Afghan schoolgirl 'poisoning,' not the Taliban

The Afghan school girl 'poisonings' bear a striking resemblance to past cases of mass hysteria, particularly one in Palestine in 1983.