Latest KFF Health News Stories
Happy Wednesday! Here are your headlines: The Washington Post: Gov. Walker Survives Recall In Wisconsin Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won a vote to keep his job on Tuesday, surviving a recall effort that turned the Republican into a conservative icon and his state into the first battleground in a bitter, expensive election year (Fahrenthold and […]
Worrying About The Court’s Much-Awaited Health Law Decision
Elected officials, policy-makers and advocates discuss the possible twists and turns that could result from a high court ruling. News outlets also report on how the decision could impact a variety of health programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and disease prevention efforts.
CBO: Ballooning Health Care Costs Will Continue As A Key Driver In Nation’s Debt
A new Congressional Budget Office report offers a bleak view of the future if current tax and spending policies are not adjusted.
Dengue Fever Vaccine ‘May Be In Sight,’ Reuters Reports
Reuters reports on efforts to develop a vaccine for dengue fever, writing that “victory over … the intensely painful ‘breakbone fever’ … may be in sight.” Paris-based firm Sanofi “hopes for positive results in September from a key trial among children in Thailand that would set it on course to market a shot in 2015, which would prevent an estimated 100 million cases of dengue infection each year,” the news service writes, noting, “Of 20,000 annual deaths, many are of children.” According to Reuters, “Results from that clinical study, in what is known as the Phase IIb of the international standard three-stage process of assessment, are expected in the third quarter” and “will also be presented for scientific scrutiny at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta in November.”
Romney’s Recent Health Policy Decisions Leading Some Conservatives To ‘Scratch Their Heads’
The pick of Mike Leavitt, former Utah governor and Health and Human Services secretary, is chief among the actions that are triggering questions.
Sebelius Talks The Health Law Talk In Virginia — A Battleground State
As the campaign for women’s votes spreads, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius meets with women in Richmond, Va., to discuss how the health law helps them. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood attacked GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as he visited Texas, where support of the organization is a hot issue.
Life Expectancy Gap Narrows Between Blacks And Whites
The life expectancy gap between blacks and whites has narrowed thanks to fewer black deaths due to AIDS and heart disease, a new study finds.
Army To Examine If It Shortchanged Vets On Mental Health Compensation
The Army will examine 190,000 files to see if it failed to give veterans the proper pension compensation for mental health problems. In Calif. one in 10 vets are uninsured.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
ACOs Find Traction In Medicaid
CQ HealthBeat reports that ACOs are a growing trend in Medicaid.
Hospitals Get Graded For Patient Safety
The grades, compiled by a nonprofit safety group from 26 different measures, reflect patient injuries, infection rates and frequency of medical and medication errors.
Gov. Walker Wins Wisconsin Recall Vote
The final tally is being described as a blow to public-sector unions. The state’s labor groups sought to recall Walker because of his efforts to eliminate most collective bargaining for public employees.
House GOP Spending Plan Aims To Reduce Funding For Health Overhaul
News outlets report that House Republican appropriators are working to undo parts of the health law by advancing steep funding cuts.
Disney To Ban Junk Food Ads In Obesity Fight
The change from the children’s entertainment company got a prominent backer Tuesday as first lady Michelle Obama offered her praise for the move. In the meantime, new reports outline the economic impact of obesity and new nutritional guidelines for children.
Medical Device Tax Repeal Effort Creates Dilemma For Some Democrats
The House is scheduled to vote on this measure this week. It is one of two repeal-related proposals currently moving in that chamber.
State Roundup: Mass. Insurance Mandate Examined
A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, California, New York, Iowa, Illinois, New Hampshire, Kansas and Oregon.
USAID Warns Humanitarian Crisis In Yemen Being ‘Overlooked,’ Pledges Additional $6.5M In Aid
“The U.S. government aid agency on Tuesday warned that a humanitarian crisis in conflict-ridden Yemen was being ‘overlooked’ despite escalating to levels seen in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel,” Agence France-Presse reports. “Five million people need urgent aid and five million more are facing food insecurity out of a population of 25 million people, [Nancy Lindborg, a USAID assistant administrator, told AFP in Rome after a visit to the country], adding that the crisis had been ‘exacerbated’ by conflict and a political transition,” AFP writes.
UNITAID Urges India To Join Agency’s Airline Tax Initiative
“Millions of the world’s poorest people could have easier access to life-saving drugs if India introduces an air ticket tax to help fund purchases of cheap medicines for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, a senior U.N. official said,” AlertNet/Reuters reports. “UNITAID, a U.N. agency which negotiates for cheap medicines from pharmaceutical manufacturers to treat deadly diseases, is lobbying countries such as India to join its air ticket levy initiative which began in 2006,” the news service writes.
Economic Community of West African States Launches Urgent Appeal For Aid To Africa’s Sahel Region
“The Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] sent a distress call Tuesday to the international community declaring that more than six million people are at risk of hunger in the Sahel region of Africa, including more than a million children exposed to severe malnutrition,” CNN reports. “The distress call was issued at the end of a two-day, high-level meeting [in Lome, Togo] to address the issue of food security in the region, especially in Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad,” the news service adds.