Latest KFF Health News Stories
“Over the past year, 13.3 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia were thrown into crisis as a result of drought in the Horn of Africa, the worst in 60 years,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah writes in this Devex opinion piece. “Droughts cannot be prevented, but they can be predicted and mitigated thanks to investments in early warning systems, satellite technology and on-the-ground analysis,” he writes, adding, “By identifying those communities facing the gravest risks and strategically focusing our efforts, we can help them withstand crisis.”
New Alliance For Food Security And Nutrition ‘An Important Step’ In Addressing Food Security
In this post in The Hill’s “Congress Blog,” former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and the DuPont Advisory Committee on Agriculture Innovation and Productivity — a group of experts in global agriculture development, science, policy and economics — reflect on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, launched by the Obama Administration last month. “The New Alliance aligns two principles that are critical to global food security — the need for private sector investment and the importance of empowering smallholder farmers,” they write.
WHO Warns Of Drug-Resistant Strains Of Gonorrhea
“Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea have spread to countries across the world, the U.N. health agency said on Wednesday, and millions of patients may run out of treatment options unless doctors catch and treat cases earlier,” Reuters reports (Kelland, 6/6). “Already several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom are reporting cases of resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics — the last treatment option against gonorrhea,” a WHO press release states (6/6).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of a new Congressional Budget Office report and a look at how the health insurance mandate is working in Massachusetts.
Mich. Medicaid Director: “A Struggle” To Meet Deadlines If Law Upheld
Michigan Medicaid Director Steve Fitton believes it will be a “struggle” for his state to be ready to implement the health law on schedule if the Supreme Court upholds the measure. But he’s confident that Michigan can handle the expected new enrollees in Medicaid.
Leavitt Talks Prevention, But Not Politics On Bipartisan Panel
Just a few days after he was tapped to be a part of presidential-hopeful Mitt Romney’s transition team, Michael Leavitt Tuesday took on a very different mission: obesity. Leavitt was one of four former cabinet officials presenting a report on the economic impact of the obesity epidemic at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. The […]
Leavitt Talks Obesity Prevention, But Not Politics On Bipartisan Panel
The former HHS head avoided talk about his involvement in GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s transition team.
California Lawmakers Move Bills To Guarantee Health Coverage
Pre-existing conditions would not prevent a Californian from buying health insurance on the individual market in 2014, if state lawmakers succeed with a push to make sure the main tenets of the national health law survive in the state – no matter how the U.S. Supreme Court rules later this month. Last week lawmakers put […]
Today’s Headlines – June 5, 2012
Los Angeles Times: Congress Shifting Attention To Women’s Issues, Healthcare Congress returns its attention this week to women’s issues, with the Senate voting on legislation to ensure paycheck equity as GOP front-runner Mitt Romney tapped a Republican congresswoman to be his campaign liaison in the House. … The House this week is expected to take […]
Ahead Of Elections, GOP Readies Vote On Repealing Parts Of Health Law
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about two measures from the health law that the House GOP will attempt to roll back in votes this week. Republicans want votes on repeal now, Carey says, to make an economic argument ahead of elections.
Agence France-Presse Examines Abortion Debate In Morocco
Agence France-Presse examines the abortion debate in Morocco, where “voices calling for a repeal of the [country’s] ban on abortion are growing louder,” according to the news service. “The debate over abortion is just the latest front of an ongoing conflict between conservative supporters of traditional values and more liberal, reform-minded campaigners,” the news service writes. “‘We are going in all directions. It is difficult to move forward with a conservative government,’ [Fauzia Assouli, president of the Federation of the Democratic League of Women’s Rights] told AFP,” the news service notes. “But at the same time, she said, there was a growing sense of awareness, a sense of momentum among activists,” AFP writes. The news service adds, “A national congress will be held on June 12 in Rabat, under the auspices of the Moroccan Association for the Fight against Clandestine Abortion, headed by Professor Chafik Chraibi,” a renowned gynecologist in the country (Mamarbachi, 6/4).
New UNICEF Publications Show Universal Health Coverage Achievable Through Social Protection Measures
“Two newly released UNICEF publications demonstrate that while reaching universal health coverage (UHC) is possible in most countries, this requires a comprehensive social protection system of which health insurance is a crucial component,” according to this post on the UHC Forward blog. A recent UNICEF study “finds that even in middle and low-income countries that have adopted a formal policy of universal health coverage … many socio-economic barriers to access persist,” the blog reports, adding, “It is for this reason that the study has been framed in the broader approach recommended by UNICEF’s first global Social Protection Strategic Framework, which stresses the importance of developing and strengthening integrated social protection systems” (O’Connell, 6/4).
Aidspan Publishes New Issue Of ‘Global Fund Observer’
Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund, on Tuesday published Issue 187 of its “Global Fund Observer.” The issue includes an article on an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report on its audit of eight Global Fund grants in Kenya; an article examining how reprogramming existing grants can improve their impact; and commentary from Bernard Rivers, executive director of Aidspan, about the Round 2 grants in Kenya (6/5).
In this post on the Guardian’s “Poverty Matters Blog,” Bjorn Lomborg, author and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, examines the issue of foreign aid in this time of austerity, writing, “Targeted financial assistance offers a middle path between the arguments for and against higher development spending.” He adds, “A different way of focusing this spending would be to examine where we could do the most good
Romney’s Choice For Transition Chief Triggers Analysis, Questions
Since GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney chose former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to be his transition chief, news outlets have re-examined Leavitt’s policy positions when he was the Health and Human Services secretary in George W. Bush’s presidential administration, his support for elements of the 2010 federal health law and his work as a health care consultant advising states on the measure’s implementation.
It All Comes Down To This: Wisconsin’s Recall Vote
Today’s recall election in Wisconsin represents the “culmination” of a political firestorm that began when Gov. Scott Walker proposed ending most state workers’ collective bargaining rights and requiring them to pay more for health insurance and pension benefits as a way to address the state’s budget shortfall.
Economist Infographic Depicts Probability Of Dying From NCDs By Country
The Economist’s “Graphic Detail” blog features an infographic depicting the probability of dying from a non-communicable disease, by country. “You are more likely to be killed by a non-communicable disease (NCD), like cancer or heart disease, than anything else,” the blog notes, adding, “In 2008 they accounted for 63 percent of the 56 million deaths worldwide” (6/1).