Latest KFF Health News Stories
AlertNet Examines Pakistan’s Progress Toward Achieving MDGs
“Progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] remains a challenge for Pakistan,” AlertNet reports, writing, “There is a need to accelerate the efforts to achieve the desired results by 2015.” The news service provides statistics regarding the country’s progress toward some of these goals and writes, “This calls for the federal and provincial governments to take appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures to save these precious lives.” The news service adds, “Furthermore, the federal and provincial governments should prioritize policies and programs on nutrition, vaccination, and health workers and make sufficient budgetary allocations” (Arshad, 5/24).
Revive Rights-Based Focus On Women’s Health
“We need to revive the rights-based agenda and realign research priorities for women’s health,” journalist Priya Shetty writes in this SciDev.Net opinion piece. “The activists who fought to put human rights at the center of women’s sexual and reproductive health, at the landmark International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994, may have won the battle — but they are still fighting the war,” she continues and outlines the “radical set of resolutions” produced by the conference. However, she writes, “this rights-based approach to women’s health never quite came to fruition.”
Mass. Senate Skirts End-Of-Life Counseling Controversy
Bay State legislators avoided a minefield that exploded repeatedly during the national health care debate.
IUDs, Implants Far More Effective At Preventing Pregnancy Than The Pill
A large study of birth control methods in the U.S. found that women using pills, skin patches or vaginal rings were 20 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than women who used intrauterine devices (IUDs) or implants placed under the skin of the upper arm. The failure rates were highest among teenagers and young women.
The military is seeking fitter members, saying overweight recruits could be a threat to national security. Meanwhile, a new survey says Americans find it easier to do their taxes than figure out healthy food options.
World Health Assembly Elects Margaret Chan For 2nd Term As WHO Director-General
“The World Health Assembly [on Wednesday] appointed Dr. Margaret Chan for a second five-year term as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO),” a WHO press release reports (5/23). This will be the second consecutive term for Chan, who was first elected in November 2006 and “was the sole candidate nominated ahead of Wednesday’s election,” Agence France-Presse notes. According to the news service, “the WHO said [Chan] received the backing of 88 percent of members who voted” (5/23).
Union Reaches Contract Agreement With Minn. Hospitals
The agreement averts a threatened strike at eight Twin Cities hospitals.
State Lawmakers Wrestle With Planned Parenthood Funding, Contraception Coverage
Legislation in Pennsylvania would bar the use of state and federal funding by Planned Parenthood. Also, some Georgia physicians fear their opposition to a state abortion bill has triggered retaliation.
New Ad Touts Obama’s Commitment To Medicare
President Barack Obama’s campaign rolled out ads pitched to seniors and veterans Wednesday. Meanwhile, Politico analyzes Mitt Romney’s decision to emphasize his record as a businessman rather than as Massachusetts governor when he helped pass that state’s health reform law.
In Changing Marketplace, Hospitals And Insurers Are Moving To Control Costs
A variety of reports look at changes in the hospital business, as well as doctors’ concerns about malpractice costs.
Reid Says He Will Let Budget Cuts Go Forward Unless There Is A Concession On Revenue
In an interview with Politico, the Senate majority leader says he won’t back off sequestration.
Ministers Meet To Discuss Global Plan To Eliminate New HIV Infections Among Children
UNAIDS and PEPFAR recently brought together the ministers of health and representatives of the 22 countries with the most new HIV cases among children to discuss progress on the Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive agreed to at the 2011 U.N. High-Level Meeting on AIDS, according to a UNAIDS press release. Though “great strides have been made in reducing HIV infections among women of reproductive age and expanding access to antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women living with HIV, … progress is not being scaled up as quickly on meeting the family planning needs of women living with HIV, preventing maternal mortality and ensuring that all children living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy,” according to UNAIDS. “The meeting was the first annual face-to-face gathering of representatives from the 22 focus countries since the launch of the Global Plan,” the press release notes (5/23).
State Roundup: HHS Announces Community Health Center Grants; Blue Shield Of Calif. CEO To Retire
A selection of health policy news from California, Georgia, Texas, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Research Group To Present Plan To Improve Nutrition Security At Rio+20 Summit
Ahead of the Rio+20 U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, “CGIAR, the world’s largest publicly funded research body, has published a seven-point ‘call to action’ plan,” which “call[s] for an improved commitment to deliver nutrition security and lessen the need to aid,” BBC News reports. The Rio+20 meeting “will focus on two themes: a green economy in the context of sustainable development poverty eradication; and the institutional framework for sustainable development,” and will include seven priority areas: “decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness,” according to organizers, the news service notes, adding that CGIAR is expected to present its plan at the meeting (Kinver, 5/23).
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Longer Looks: When Is A Life Too Long?; The Rising Cost Of Children’s Health Care
This week’s selections include articles from New York magazine, CNN, Time, ABC News and PBS NewsHour.
“Seven aid groups on Wednesday warned Western diplomats that Yemen was on the brink of a ‘catastrophic food crisis’ and urged them to bolster efforts to salvage the situation as they meet in Riyadh for an international conference to help the nation,” Agence France-Presse reports (5/23). The meeting of the so-called “Friends of Yemen” is expected to focus on political transition and improving security, but “[i]n their warning, the aid agencies — CARE, International Medical Corps, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, and Save the Children — say this focus is preventing action to alleviate poverty and hunger,” BBC News writes (5/22). Reuters notes that the “United States, European Union, France, Egypt, and Russia were attending the Riyadh summit on Wednesday, as were Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman” (Kane, 5/23). The donors have promised $4 billion to support development projects and stabilization efforts in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia pledging $3.25 billion of the total, Devex reports (Mungcal, 5/24).
Study Says Most Insurance Sold To Individuals Doesn’t Meet Health Law Standards
A new report in Health Affairs finds that more than half of individual policies could not be sold on state health exchanges because they fail to meet the law’s criteria for coverage.
Today’s early morning highlights from major news organizations, including reports on an effort to cut costs associated with complex and expensive diseases and a look at the federal health law’s effect on standards of coverage.
CBO: Recession Ahead If Congress Fails To Resolve Impasse
The Congressional Budget Office reported Tuesday that the nation’s economy could fall back into a recession if President Barack Obama and Congress fail to come to terms on tax and spending issues. However, Democratic and Republican leaders appeared unwavering in their positions.
