Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cholera Vaccination Pilot Project Begins In Haiti
“A year and a half after cholera first struck Haiti, a tiny portion of the population on Thursday began getting vaccinated against the waterborne disease that has infected more than 530,000 Haitians and killed more than 7,040,” the New York Times reports (Sontag, 4/12). The pilot project, which will reach only one percent of Haiti’s population, “aim[s] … to show that it’s possible to give the required two doses over a two-week period to desperately poor and hard-to-reach people,” NPR’s health blog “Shots” writes. “If it works, the plan is to convince the Haitian government, deep-pocketed donors and international health agencies to support a much bigger campaign to vaccinate millions of Haitians at highest risk of cholera,” according to the blog (Knox, 4/12).
Daily Monitor Analysis Examines History Of Male Circumcision Debate
In this Daily Monitor analysis, Joseph Matovu, Rhoda Wanyenze and David Serwadda, all lecturers at Makerere University School of Public Health in Kampala, Uganda, respond to two articles related to male circumcision that were published in the Daily Monitor in March. In the analysis, the authors provide a brief overview of the articles — titled “Circumcision does not reduce HIV spread” and “Circumcision and HIV: are we being fed on half-truths?” — noting that they present anti-male circumcision perspectives, and write, “In writing this article, we intended to not only respond to these issues but also provide a more elaborate view of male circumcision and its role in HIV prevention based on scientific evidence at hand.” The authors recount the history of the male circumcision debate, referencing a number of relevant studies, and discuss the policy implications of this research. They conclude, “[M]ale circumcision is currently promoted as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package rather than as a single magic bullet, as anti-male circumcision crusaders would like to make us believe” (4/12).
NTD Experts Push Forward On Plan To Eradicate Yaws
Yaws, a skin and bone disease caused by a treponematoses bacterium that can cause long-term deformities, “has recently been put on WHO’s list of 17 so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)” and, along with Guinea worm, is “slated for eradication,” the Lancet reports. A “massive push to free the world from yaws failed in the 1950s and 1960s,” and the WHO in 1995 estimated “there were 2.5 million cases of endemic treponematoses (mostly yaws),” according to the Lancet. A study published in the Lancet in January showed a single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin was effective at curing the disease among children, a finding that “jump-started the NTD community into action,” the article states.
Next Five Years Important For S. Africa To Show It Can Effectively Respond To HIV, TB
South Africa’s recently released “National Strategic Plan on HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Tuberculosis (TB) 2012-2016” “marked an important milestone” in the nation’s fight against infectious diseases, a Lancet editorial states. “The plan [.pdf] has several broad goals: to reduce new HIV infections by at least 50 percent; to start at least 80 percent of eligible patients on antiretroviral treatment; to reduce the number of new tuberculosis infections and deaths by 50 percent; to ensure a legal framework that protects and promotes human rights to support implementation of the plan; and to reduce self-reported stigma related to HIV and tuberculosis by at least 50 percent,” the editorial notes.
Presidential Campaign Veers Back To Women’s Issues, Mass. Health Law
Obama and Romney campaigns are getting tangled in questions about women’s life choices. But at the same time, Democrats are seeking to use the sixth anniversary of Romney’s Massachusetts health law signing to remind voters about its similarities to the federal health overhaul.
Grants Flow From Komen To Planned Parenthood
The Washington Post reports that, now that the dust has settled, the two organizations are working to rebuild their relationship.
N.Y. Governor Signs Order Establishing State Health Insurance Exchange
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo bypassed the state legislature where Republicans had blocked a bill and issued an executive order establishing a new health insurance exchange, a major part of the health care law.
The group released a document on Thursday about its upcoming religious freedom campaign.
States Weigh Bills To Protect Consumers Against High Drug Costs; Other State News
News outlets report on a variety of health policy issues around the country.
Abortion: Restrictive Bills Proceed In Ariz., Iowa; Miss. Law Targets States Only Clinic
A pair of bills passed the Arizona Senate Thursday to prohibit public money for family-planning from going to organizations that give abortions and to allow some businesses to avoid paying for contraception for employees. Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer also signed a bill banning most late-term abortions.
CMS Settles Medicare Reimbursement Dispute With Hospitals
With a price tag of about $3 billion, the agreement ends a decade-long dispute between an estimated 2,200 hospitals and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services over the calculation of pay rate cuts and offsets for rural hospitals.
As Fiscal Years Start To Wind Down, States Confront Medicaid Issues
In Georgia, Kansas, Colorado, Connecticut and other states, Medicaid costs are daunting.
Research Roundup: Medicare Vs. Private Plans
This week’s offerings come from the Archives of Internal Medicine, The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Heritage Foundation.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, include reports about the fate of the health law, about campaign developments and news from the states.
Anniversary Of Mass. Health Law Puts Romney In The Hot Seat
Politics swirled around events designed to mark the sixth anniversary of the state’s health reforms — with a focus on GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who signed the measure when he was governor and is now campaigning against the federal health law, which includes many similar provisions.
On the Democratic side, Vice President Joe Biden takes on Romney, while news outlets offer fact checks and reports of health policy sparring on the congressional campaign trail.
Mass. Hospitals Mull Acquisition, Layoffs; Calif. Hospital Districts Questioned
In Massachusetts, Partners HealthCare is in talks to acquire South Shore hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess cuts jobs after an admissions dip. In California, lawmakers probe taxpayer-funded hospital districts and their stockpiling of cash.
Entrepreneurs Dig Into Health IT
The New York Times reports on a range of new ideas and new applications that are finding their way into the health care market.
Hospitals Feel Pressure To Part Ways With Fast Food
News outlets report on how a corporate watchdog group is pressing a Minneapolis hospital to get rid of its on-site McDonald’s while a Kansas City, Mo., hospital is also working in this direction.
