Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicaid News: Wash. Pauses Plan To Not Pay For Some ER Visits
Texas’ public hospitals want some Medicaid money shifted to pay for the uninsured while a proposal in Washington state to stop paying for some Medicaid ER visits deemed unnecessary is paused. Ohio is also trying to save money on its Medicare and Medicaid dual-eligible population by restructuring the program.
PRI’s ‘The World’ Examines Role Of Churches In Fight Against HIV In Swaziland
PRI’s “The World” examines the role of churches in the fight against HIV in Swaziland. The news service highlights several church-run HIV programs, writing, “Churches have long played an important role in caring for the sick, but in terms of HIV prevention they’ve been at odds with the public health community. It has often come down to one issue: until recently, Swazi church leaders publicly rejected the use of condoms by their congregants. But now you hear many comments that suggest a change in thinking.”
State-Based Health Policies Grab Attention
With the federal law’s fate uncertain, action taken so far by the states — either to implement the national overhaul or to advance reforms of their own — have claimed more significance and headlines.
In a press statement released on Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. is “‘deeply concerned’ about the humanitarian situation in West Africa” and announced $120 million in emergency assistance, United Press International reports. According to the news service, the U.N. “estimates that more than 15 million people are facing food shortages and malnutrition due to a lingering drought” and “more than one million children are threatened” (3/30).
South Sudan Hoping To Mark Three Years Without Recording Polio Case
“South Sudan officials are hopeful the country will soon be declared polio-free,” if the nation can go another four months without recording a polio case, VOA News reports. “Before 2008, the area that is now South Sudan had been considered free of polio,” but “[t]hat year the country was re-infected through an imported strain that originated in Nigeria,” the news service writes. The country has not recorded a new case in more than 32 months, Abdi Aden Mohamed, head of the WHO in South Sudan, said, adding, “We are very cautious in the sense of there are a number of countries surrounding South Sudan that cases might be here and there,” according to VOA. Volunteers working to vaccinate every child under the age of six recently concluded the country’s 24th immunization campaign since polio reappeared in the nation, the news service notes (Green, 3/30).
NSABB Recommends Full Publication Of Controversial Bird Flu Studies
The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) on Friday recommended that revised versions of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu be published in scientific journals, reversing its previous recommendation that the studies only be published if certain details were withheld, the New York Times reports. The studies are the work of two research teams that created genetically altered viral strains that were airborne and therefore easily transmissible, the newspaper notes (Grady, 3/30). “In a statement [.pdf] released [Friday], the NSABB said it unanimously recommended that the revised manuscript by the University of Wisconsin group, headed by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, DVM, PhD, be published in full, and members voted 12 to six that the data, methods, and conclusions in the revised paper by the Erasmus group, headed by Ron Fouchier, PhD, be published,” CIDRAP News writes (Schnirring, 3/30).
Exclusive Breastfeeding Policy Implemented In South Africa Amidst Criticism
On Sunday, South Africa’s nine provinces began promoting the Tshwane Declaration, which “states unequivocal support for [exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)] for all infants up to six months, including HIV-exposed infants, who should receive antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), as recommended in the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines,” Inter Press Service reports. “But despite the clarity of the policy and its supporting data, vocal critics, including respected individuals from leading medical and academic institutions, have decried the choice,” the news service writes.
Al Jazeera examines the administration of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) worldwide, focusing on treatment as prevention (TasP), but says current funding levels are insufficient to implement the strategy. The HPTN 052 study showed that HIV-positive people who take ART could reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their HIV-negative partners by 96 percent, according to the news agency. “This research is considered a game changer,” Al Jazeera writes, noting, “2012 may not be the year the international community eliminates HIV, but health experts say it could still be the year where the tide is turned.” The article includes comments from several HIV/AIDS experts (Dalal, 3/31).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports featuring more analysis of what could become of the Supreme Courts consideration of the health law.
Consumer Tips: Workplace Wellness Plans
More and more employers are tying financial reward and penalties to workers completing a set of medical tests. KHN’s Julie Appleby says the tests can include blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
Employers Tie Financial Rewards, Penalties To Health Tests, Lifestyle Choices
Whether such programs spur long-term change is unclear, and some fear discrimination against those with chronic conditions.
Biden, Schumer Expect Court To Uphold Health Law
On Sunday talk shows, the two senior Democrats express confidence that the law will survive the high court’s review.
States’ Efforts To Change Health System Take On New Significance
With the federal health law’s fate being considered by the Supreme Court, states are reviewing plans and changes they have made to implement the national overhaul.
Post-Supreme Court, Political Debate On Health Law Heats Up
Just a few days after the Supreme Court’s marathon consideration of the health law, news coverage centered around political ramifications.
Today’s Headlines – March 30, 2012
Good morning and an especially happy Friday to you! The health law’s week at the Supreme Court is over, but we still have some headlines for you to catch up on all the analysis: The Washington Post: The Supreme Court Will Decide On The Health-Care Law Soon. It Will Tell You Later. If the usual […]
House OKs Ryan Budget — With Medicare Changes; Entitlement Program Cuts
The budget blueprint, advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is unlikely to gain passage in the Senate but will be a key marker in the upcoming election season.
Justices Hold First Vote Today On Health Law’s Fate
If past practice holds, the Supreme Court will meet privately today to cast a preliminary vote. No one else will be present, and drafts of opinions are likely to be written and rewritten many times in the next few months before the actual decision is issued, likely sometime in June.
Perspectives: All This Fuss About The Word ‘Tax’; Civic Lessons From The Supreme Court
Commentators offer further thoughts about the Supreme Court’s review of the health law.
High Court’s Health Law Consideration Has Political Repercussions
The pending ruling could be a stamp of “repudiation or endorsement” during the upcoming election season. But, if the court overturns the health law, will the GOP be prepared to turn the decision into political victory and could that outcome have a “silver lining” for the Obama administration?
The Republican National Committee uses audio from Supreme Court oral arguments to craft a campaign ad criticizing President Barack Obama and the health law. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has had a health law strategy of its own in place.