Explicit cookie consent. THE first decade of this century brought a surge in aid for health, particularly for HIV and malaria.
Now health officials and wonks are debating how to fight a broader range of diseases. The World Bank has set a goal of universal health-coverage by 2030. This is an important, complex endeavour. But in the effort to improve health care, it is worth remembering a simple, albeit unsavoury truth: poo matters. In the history of public health, few events are as important as a discovery made in the mid-19th century, not far from the site of The Economist’s London offices. Worryingly, however, 14% of the world still practises what health types politely call “open defecation”.
There is some hope that this will change. Dig deeper:Nothing to loos but your chains: why India needs a toilet revolution (November 2013)Bill Gates tries to reinvent the toilet (August 2012)London's groaning Victorian sewers (November 2011) UK's Osborne cuts welfare, boosts minimum pay in post-election budget. LONDON British finance minister George Osborne said he would reshape the world's fifth-largest economy by chopping welfare but also announced a new national minimum wage in a budget that reflects an unexpectedly decisive election victory.
In the first solely Conservative budget for nearly 20 years, Osborne, a leading contender to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron, pointed on Wednesday to the turmoil in Greece as he renewed his push to fix Britain's public finances. However Osborne also announced that it would now take four years, not three, to achieve his aim of turning Britain's hefty budget deficit into surplus. "Britain still spends too much, borrows too much," Osborne told parliament. "You only have to look at the crisis unfolding in Greece as I speak, to realize that if a country's not in control of its borrowing, the borrowing takes control of the country. " Osborne also pledged to cut corporation tax to 19 percent in 2017 and 18 percent by 2020 from 20 percent currently.
Pocket-sized fingerprint scanner could solve healthcare bottleneck. Joel Selanikio: The surprising seeds of a big-data revolution in healthcare. Pensions. Definition Pension systems allow people to enjoy a well-deserved retirement after their working life.
They are the main source of income for about a quarter of the population, providing good protection against poverty to the majority of older Europeans. Challenges With the share of older people in Europe's population rising fast and low levels of employment, pension systems will find it increasingly difficult to deliver adequate social protection at a reasonable cost. Being so important for the well-being of Europeans and the sustainability of public finances, pension systems are regarded as a matter of common concern in the EU.
Policy responses In its policy paper An agenda for adequate, safe and sustainable pensions, the Commission sets out the options for national action and EU support, focusing in particular on the need to enable and encourage people to stay in work longer and to save more for their retirement through supplementary pension schemes. State Health Insurance Exchange: State Run Exchanges. Learn About Your State’s Health Insurance Exchange Marketplace ObamaCare’s state Health Insurance Exchanges are open for business.
Find your state’s Health Insurance Marketplace and apply for health coverage now using the comprehensive list of state based marketplaces found below. Getting covered is as simple as finding your state’s marketplace, signing up, and then enrolling in a plan. Before you do, you may want to learn more about health insurance to ensure you get the best plan. What are Health Insurance Marketplaces (Exchanges)? ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act) implements state-specific Health Insurance Exchanges (often called Marketplaces).
Signing Up For the Health Insurance Marketplace State marketplaces offer 24/7 assistance to help you sign-up, enroll, or switch plans. Getting Cost Assistance on the Marketplace Americans making under 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) may qualify for cost assistance through the marketplace. Marketplace Open Enrollment 2) Get in-person help. The Two Americas of Health Care - Video. Iain Duncan Smith defends benefits cap - video. The speech to save the NHS - The Independent. Paul Krugman: Spending And Healthcare. Barack Obama: Affordable Care Act 'still not perfect' Rebecca Onie: What if our healthcare system kept us healthy? Allison Hunt gets (a new) hip. Joseph Stiglitz: "The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers our Future"
Medicaid Patients Left in the Lurch. The pensions burden: Falling short.