Latest KFF Health News Stories
Child Survival Call To Action Event Signals A ‘Hopeful Moment’ In Global Health
“Helping mothers give birth to HIV-free children is an essential piece of the puzzle of ending preventable child deaths,” U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby writes in this post in the AIDS.gov blog, adding, “Yet 390,000 infants around the globe were born with the virus in 2010.” He continues, “Science has long established that providing mothers with antiretroviral drugs can prevent them from transmitting the virus to their children — as well as keeping the mothers alive themselves,” and writes, “What is needed is to take this intervention, available in affluent nations to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and make it available in the developing world.”
African-Led Innovation ‘Imperative’ To Overcoming Health Issues On The Continent
In this post in the Guardian’s “Poverty Matters” blog, Carel IJsselmuiden, executive director of the Council on Health for Development Group, writes that “Africa must turn its health research into treatments for African people,” noting, “Despite large investments being made by donors in health products and delivery of health services, a large percentage of Africans still have limited access to sufficient and quality healthcare — especially in rural areas.” He notes that a “recent report, Investing in health for Africa — released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Bank and USAID to name a few of the partners — says average additional spending in sub-Saharan Africa of $21 to $36 could in 2015 alone save more than three million lives, 90 percent of which would be women and children.”
“Newborns now account for 40 percent of preventable child deaths worldwide, but only a tiny fraction of international aid targets newborns, according to” Save the Children’s new report on newborn survival, to be published in the medical journal Health Policy and Planning Tuesday, USA Today reports (Madhani, 6/11). “The world has achieved remarkable progress on reducing child deaths — from 12.4 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010 — but that progress isn’t reaching newborn babies at the same pace, the report shows,” a Save the Children press release states (6/12).
Millions Suffer Chronic Food Shortages In North Korea, U.N. Report Says
“Millions of North Koreans suffer chronic food shortages and dire health care …, and there are no immediate signs of reforms to spur economic growth, the United Nations says” in a report released Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports (6/12). “The U.N. described serious humanitarian conditions in North Korea in its report, saying 16 million people continue to suffer from chronic food insecurity, high malnutrition rates, and deep-rooted economic problems,” VOA News writes, adding that the U.N. “is calling for the international community to put aside political differences and boost funding to help address what it says are the dire humanitarian needs of North Koreans” (6/12).
Relief Groups Appeal For Aid To Tackle Worsening Food Crisis In West Africa
“Relief groups are stepping up their appeals for aid to tackle the worsening food crisis in West Africa, where more than 18 million people face hunger,” the Guardian reports. “Relief agencies have been sounding the alarm for months about the effects of drought on the Sahel — a region stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea,” the newspaper writes, adding, “The situation has been made worse by the knock-on effect of the Libyan uprising that has destabilized Mali” (Tran, 6/12). UNICEF “forecasts that, over the course of 2012, at least 1.1 million children would need to be treated and 5,200 specialist treatment centers will need to be established to cope with the crisis,” the U.N. News Centre notes (6/11).
White House Warns About What’s At Stake In Health Law Decision
Federal officials and health policy experts forecast what the future might hold if the Supreme Court overturns, or upholds the health law. Also, surveys highlight how employers plan to react to the decision, and how the law might help stabilize certain aspects of the insurance market.
Medicaid Still Taking Toll On State Budgets
Even as state revenues are showing signs of recovering, health costs remain a budget drain, according to a new report.
The RUC And The Cost Of Health Care
Marketplace delves into the complex system that determines the cost of care.
Health Insurers’ Decision Could Head Off A ‘Major Backlash’ To SCOTUS
Three of the nation’s largest insurers announced Monday that they would voluntarily continue to give their customers some of the health law’s most popular protections regardless of what the Supreme Court decides.
Think Tank Urges New Federal Office To Simplify Health Insurance Administration
Health insurers, however, raise concerns and suggest other parts of health economy must also be considered.
Sebelius Touts Health Law For ‘Bolstering’ Medicare
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ comments were made during a White House-sponsored town hall meeting for senior citizens. Meanwhile, new figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicate that some Medicare beneficiaries are not taking advantage of some of the new benefits.
Ruling To Strike Health Care Law Could Hurt Romney Campaign
Mitt Romney is saying that overturning the health law is the “right thing” to do, but Politico explores whether he might lose a key rallying point for conservative voters if that were to happen.
Kansas Plans Next Moves In Medicaid Overhaul
Kansas officials set public hearings on Medicaid changes. In the meantime, the Kansas Health Institute news service examines difficulties Kentucky has experienced with a similar transition.
Lawmakers Push To Protect Health Care Programs In Calif. Budget Plan
Lawmakers set to move a budget through the California legislature are pushing back against a plan by Gov. Jerry Brown to cut health care benefits — notably for in-home care, kids, the elderly and the disabled.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Insurers Propose Rate Hikes For Calif. Small Businesses
Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California propose raising health insurance rates up to 24 percent. Meanwhile, the poll finds that one in three small businesses now offer health coverage and 44 percent said they would likely do it if an insurance exchange opens.
State Roundup: N.Y.’s Drug Rx Bill Passes Unanimously
A selection of state health policy news from Georgia, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Maryland, Kansas and Florida.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about the pressure health costs are placing on state budgets.
Seniors Missing Out On Some New Medicare Benefits
Next time President Obama vacations in Hawaii– his usual Christmas destination –he might want to tell seniors there about how his health law provides free annual wellness visits for people enrolled in Medicare. So far, just 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who live there, or 890 people, have used the benefit this year, the lowest percent of any […]
Biggest Mass. Insurer Tightens Rules On Some Painkillers
Blue Cross Blue Shield will require a review after 30 days to reduce addiction risks and keep the drugs from teenagers and others for whom they weren’t prescribed.