Latest KFF Health News Stories
Implementation Of Global Vaccine Action Plan Must Include All Stakeholders
“This week in Geneva, health ministers from governments around the world will meet at the 65th World Health Assembly (WHA) for their annual meeting to discuss health issues that affect everyone everywhere,” Orin Levine, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), writes in this post in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog. “Among the resolutions they will consider is one supporting the Global Vaccine Action Plan, a road map to ensure that by the end of this decade, every child, everywhere enjoys the full benefits of immunization,” he notes.
Ethiopian Government Collaborating With USAID, Partners To Improve Access To Family Planning
In this USAID “IMPACTblog” post, Abiy Shewarega of the USAID | Deliver Project, Ethiopia, describes the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s commitment to improving family planning through programs that, in the past six years, have “seen a rapid increase in contraceptive use and a decline in the average number of births per woman.” He discusses the importance of supply chain and logistics activities, concluding, “Availability of family planning commodities does more than simply support better health for women and their children. As a result of the continued commitment of the Ethiopian government and collaboration with USAID, women … are not only able to maintain good health for themselves and their families, but can also secure the family income, send their children to school, and improve the family’s potential for the future” (5/22).
State Department Working To Combat Counterfeit Drugs
“Counterfeit, falsified, and substandard drugs are a dangerous threat to people around the world, including Americans,” therefore “we have a vital interest in ensuring the safety of an ever more complex global drug supply chain,” Jennifer White, a foreign service officer in the Office of International Health and Biodefense in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, writes in a post in the State Department’s “DipNote” blog. She notes that the “Department of State engages in the fight against counterfeit medicines using a multi-faceted approach,” including training foreign drug regulators; funding consumer outreach to raise awareness of the problem; being active in international bodies that address counterfeiting, such as the WHO; and “work[ing] in partnership with other U.S. government agencies, the health care community, patients, civil society, and the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that patients receive safe medicines and that those who put patients’ lives at risk can be prosecuted” (5/22).
Experts, Advocates Urge Continued Funding For Research Into HIV, TB Vaccines
“[P]articipants at a symposium held last week by the U.K. Consortium on AIDS and International Development warned that [progress on HIV and tuberculosis (TB) vaccines] could be jeopardized by the recent downturn in global health funding,” BMJ reports. The journal summarizes comments made at the meeting by researchers and advocacy group representatives, who stressed that successful vaccines for HIV and TB would save millions in existing research investments and long-term treatment costs (Moszynski, 5/22).
“The prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda has risen from 8.6 percent to 12 percent in the last five years, one of the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recent study,” PlusNews reports. “The PharmAccess African Studies to Evaluate Resistance (PASER) monitoring cohort study report for 2008-2012” — “which was based on results from the capital, Kampala, the western town of Fort Portal, and the eastern town of Mbale” — “found that the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance among people who have never taken life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) medication was substantially higher in Uganda” than in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the news service writes.
At the opening of the U.N. Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the commission but “said that much remains to be done to save the lives of the 800 women and more than 20,000 children who die every day from preventable causes,” the U.N. News Centre reports (5/22). Devex notes that the commission “aims to increase access to lifesaving medicine and health supplies, … includ[ing] oxytocin, which helps stop bleeding among mothers after giving birth, and antibiotics such as amoxicillin, which treats pneumonia among newborns.” The commission finalized its recommendations on Tuesday, the news service notes (Ravelo, 5/23).
Mass. Senate Approves ‘End-Of-Life’ Discussion Mandate; Kan. Tax Cuts Bill Signed
News from state houses around the United States includes legislation requiring end-of-life discussions in Massachusetts, adding a step to vaccine opt-outs in California, approving tax cuts in Kansas and debating licensure of insurance advisers in Iowa.
Tenn. Doctors, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Agree To Bundle Payments For Knee, Hip Replacements
In other insurance company news, BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois will pay $25M to settle coverage denial claims.
Mass. Safety-Net Hospitals Slated To Get $628M To Better Coordinate Care
Safety net hospitals in Massachusetts are slated to get $628 million to help them focus on coordinating care for patients instead of on which tests and treatments will earn them the most pay.
CMS Sticks With Medicare Coverage Of PSA Test
The federal government is not changing coverage plans “at this time.” Meanwhile, a number of urologists and other medical specialists raise concerns that new recommendations against prostate cancer screening will hurt men’s health.
Innovation Center To-Do List Could Include Medicaid; PCORI Announces Grant Application Deadlines
In a pair of articles, CQ HealthBeat reports on the role the Innovation Center could play in reshaping Medicaid and the latest on the timeline for grants from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Report: Employer-Based Health Insurance Shows Decline
A new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute finds that employment-based health coverage has taken steps back after a brief uptick.
State Roundup: Labor Unions Continue Wis. Governor Recall Push
A selection of health policy news from Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Minnesota, Kansas and Connecticut.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Political Ads Stake Out Presidential Candidates’ Philosophies On Government
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama’s campaign will air a new ad aimed at seniors who are on Medicare and will continue efforts to connect with the women’s vote.
Is Access Problem Preventing Generic Drug Makers’ Progress?
The Washington Post reports that generic drug makers are asserting that a legal loophole is creating a barrier to their ability to create less expensive versions of brand name drugs.
HHS $20 Million PR Contract Draws GOP Ire
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, sought additional information from Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took to the Senate floor to criticize the arrangement.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the CBO’s dire predictions about a possible recession as well as details about how health policy is handled in new presidential campaign ads.
Blogs Report On Kaiser Family Foundation Survey On U.S. Role In Global Health
The Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks” blog reports on the findings of a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey released on Monday that examines Americans’ views on U.S. global health efforts. The survey found that two-thirds of Americans say that the U.S. “is spending too little or about the right amount on global health aid,” “with one in five saying the U.S. spends too much,” the blog writes. The blog discusses additional survey findings and notes, “This is the fourth survey in a series that KFF has conducted to determine the attitudes of Americans toward U.S. spending on improving the health of those living in low-resource countries” (Mazzotta, 5/21). In addition, PSI’s “Healthy Lives” blog reports on the findings of the survey, writing, “Overall, the survey findings are very positive, … suggest[ing] that a case can be made for increased development spending, and the audience is receptive. The challenge is reaching Americans to build a broad-based level of support” (Murphy, 5/21).
Parliamentary Report Calls On U.K. To Increase Donation To Global Fund
In a report released last week, Members of Parliament (MPs) on the International Development Committee urged the U.K. to increase its donation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, according to a Committee press release (5/22). “Ministers have said they will increase the commitment, but the MPs are concerned that this money” — pledged by ministers over a year ago — “has not yet been delivered, nor the amount of the increase confirmed,” BBC News writes (Dreaper, 5/22).
