Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
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.
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.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about the pressure health costs are placing on state budgets.
GlobalPost Launches New Special Reporting Series On Fight Against AIDS
GlobalPost on Monday launched a new special reporting series called “AIDS: A Turning Point,” according to an email alert from the new service. “In the lead up to July’s International AIDS Conference in Washington — the first such conference on U.S. soil in 22 years — the world news site GlobalPost presents a deep look at both the global struggle to reduce HIV infection rates as well as some surprising lessons on the effective approaches that Southern Africa has to teach America,” the email alert reports (6/11).
Agence France-Presse Reports On Efforts To Eradicate Sleeping Sickness In Sub-Saharan Africa
Agence France-Presse reports on human African trypanosomiasis, “commonly known as sleeping sickness, which is transmitted by tsetse flies found in 36 sub-Saharan African countries,” writing, “Without treatment in four months to a year, ‘the parasite penetrates into the brain, causing serious neurological symptoms, until death,’ said Doctor Benedict Blaynay, head of neglected tropical diseases at French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi.” The news service highlights efforts to control the disease in Chad, noting, “For the people living in Chad’s rural communities, the strange symptoms of sleeping sickness have long been shrouded in superstition about witchcraft and demonic possession. But the World Health Organization says it is not a losing battle.”
VOA Reports On Polio Vaccination Efforts
“International health experts say the global campaign to eradicate polio has reached a critical stage, with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria the only countries where the crippling and potentially deadly virus is still prevalent,” VOA News reports. “Health officials in Pakistan say they are redoubling efforts to vaccinate every child against polio after 198 new cases were reported in the country last year, the largest number anywhere in the world,” the news service notes. It goes on to highlight several challenges to the efforts, including “an ongoing insurgency and the influx of millions of Pakistani and Afghan refugees” and public opposition to the vaccinations resulting from misperceptions and concerns about safety (Padden, 6/9).
MSF Report Examines Past, Present, Future Management Of Neglected Tropical Diseases
“In order to break the vicious cycle that leaves tropical diseases neglected, existing programs that diagnose and treat patients need to be expanded and medical research to develop simpler, more effective tools needs to be supported, according to a new report, Fighting Neglect [.pdf], released [Monday] by Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF),” the organization reports on its webpage. “Charting the organization’s 25 years of experience in diagnosing and treating Chagas disease, sleeping sickness, and kala azar in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Caucasus, the report examines past, present, and future management of the diseases and notes that access to quality life-saving treatment requires much greater political will among major international donors and national governments of endemic countries,” MSF writes (6/11).
