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Poor Attention In Kindergarten Predicts Lower High School Test Scores, UC Davis Researchers Find
As thousands of students nationwide prepare to leave high school, a UC Davis study appearing online in the June issue of the medical journal Pediatrics shows a clear link between attention problems early in school - as early as kindergarten - and lower high school test scores.
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Circumcising Men With HIV Did Not Protect Women, Trial Stopped Early
Early results of a trial in Uganda showed that circumcising men with HIV did not protect their female partners, and as circumcision does not
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Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor Pledges 'Fidelity To The Law' As Confirmation Hearing Begins
In the first day of her confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor said on Monday that "fidelity to the law" is central to her judicial philosophy and that the role of a judge is "not to make law" but "to apply the law," the Washington Post reports. Sotomayor said her record as a district and federal appeals judge "reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its terms, interpreting statutes according to their terms and Congress" intent, and hewing faithfully to precedents established by the Supreme Court and by my circuit court." She also said her "personal and professional experiences help me listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result in every case" (Barnes et al., Washington Post, 7/14). The first day of the hearings was dedicated to opening statements from Sotomayor and senators, with the questioning portion scheduled to begin on Tuesday. According to the Wall Street Journal, Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed, as Democrats outnumber Republicans on the committee 12-7 and hold a 60-member majority in the Senate (Bravin/Bendavid, Wall Street Journal, 7/14). The New York Times reports that senators from both parties are likely to use Sotomayor"s confirmation as a way to frame the debate for the next Supreme Court nominee, with Democrats hoping to "build a lopsided victory" to give President Obama more leeway to choose a more liberal nominee. Conservatives, on the other hand, "hoped to draw a line making the president think twice about picking someone" like Sotomayor in the future, the Times reports (Baker/Lewis, New York Times, 7/14).In Monday"s hearing, both parties gave indications of how they plan to proceed for the rest of the confirmation process, the Post reports. Democrats in their statements portrayed Sotomayor as a role model for the country and a judge with a modest approach who would bring balance to the conservative-leaning court (Washington Post, 7/14). Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sotomayor "puts rule of law above everything else." He added, "Given her extensive and evenhanded record, I am not sure how any member of this panel can sit here today and seriously suggest that she comes to the bench with a personal agenda" (Stern/Perine, CQ Today, 7/13). Republicans used their statements to cast Sotomayor as a partial judge, saying previous statements and rulings show she is an activist judge (Washington Post, 7/14). In particular, GOP senators on the committee referenced a comment from a 2001 speech in which Sotomayor said that a "wise Latina" would reach better decisions than a white man in some cases (Baker/Lewis, New York Times, 7/14). Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the committee, said, "No senator should vote for an individual ... who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices or sympathies to sway their decision." He continued, "Call it empathy, call it prejudice or call it sympathy, but whatever it is, it"s not law" (Wall Street Journal, 7/14). However, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) noted that Republicans lost in last year"s presidential election and told Sotomayor, "Unless you have a complete meltdown, you"re going to get confirmed" (Lewis, New York Times, 7/14).Antiabortion-Rights Protesters Arrested During HearingsFour antiabortion-rights protesters were arrested for shouting comments during the senators" remarks (CQ Today, 7/13). One of the arrested protesters was Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff "Jane Roe" in Roe v. Wade. According to the AP/Google.com, McCorvey began screaming that Sotomayor was "wrong" about abortion during the opening statement of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). McCorvey and the other three arrested protesters were charged with unlawful conduct-disruption of Congress. The protesters also prompted a warning from Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who said, "We"ll show respect to everybody who is here, we will show respect to everyb
Mental Health

House Democrats Push Their Health Reform Plan

House Democrats" health care bill draft released Friday is likely to survive relatively intact, "including a robust new Medicare-like public health plan that would compete with private companies in a national health insurance exchange," Roll Call reports. House committees will begin hearings this week on the bill, which also includes national health insurance exchanges and would give subsidies to people living up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level - $88,000 this year for a family of four. Medicaid would be expanded to families up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. "The plan would be paid for by a new 8 percent payroll tax on employers that do not provide health insurance to their employees, a new 2 percent tax on individuals who do not buy health insurance, other taxes still to be determined, and cuts within the Medicare and Medicaid programs." Congressional Budget Office numbers have not been released on the bill, "(b)ut Democrats said their plan would ultimately result in lower costs by reforming a system that they argue is full of waste. "There is no question that we will be saving trillions of dollars in the industry," Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., said. "Is this going to bring down the cost of health insurance? You bet your sweet life."" "Republicans, who released a four-page outline of their health care alternative Wednesday, ripped the plan minutes after it was released. "This plan is nothing less than a government takeover of health care, and families and small businesses who are already footing the bill for Washington"s reckless spending binge will not support it," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said" (Dennis, 6/22). New York Times: "Under the House bill, health insurance would be regulated by a powerful new federal agency, headed by a presidential appointee known as the health choices commissioner." "Under the bill, the public plan would be run by the Department of Health and Human Services and would offer three or four policies, with different levels of benefits. The plan would initially use Medicare fee schedules, paying most doctors and hospitals at Medicare rates, plus about 5 percent. After three years, the health secretary could negotiate with doctors and hospitals" (Pear and Herszenhorn, 6/19). CQPolitics: "Under one provision in the 852-page draft legislation, health insurance companies would have their profit and administrative margins limited to 15 percent of the money they take in through premiums. Known as a "minimum loss ratio," the requirement would take effect within a year of the bill"s enactment into law and would apply to all private insurers. Health insurance customers would get any extra money rebated back to them, according to the bill" (Armstrong, 6/19). There are some misgivings on the bill, however, in the Democratic Party, CongressDaily reports: "Rep. Jim Cooper (Democrat) of Tennessee has emerged as the leading critic of leadership for not working with Republicans. Ramming partisan legislation through using the fast-track reconciliation process is not a sustainable option, Cooper argued, and he said he will push for a bill some Republicans can support" (Edney, 6/19). The Washington Times: "Industry and advocacy groups were split. The insurance industry said it is concerned about the public plan, while AARP praised it as a good first step" (Haberkorn, 6/20). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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