Latest KFF Health News Stories
State Roundup: Iowa Ponders HPV Awareness Program; Md. Workers Will See Pharmacy Plan Change
A selection of health policy stories from around the U.S.
Survey Finds Doctors Not Always Honest With Patients
Most physicians paint overly optimistic prognoses for their patients, and many have withheld information concerning their medical mistakes and financial relationships with drug companies and device manufacturers, according to a national survey published in Health Affairs.
First Edition: February 9, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations mainly focus on the controversy over the administration’s new regulation on contraception coverage.
Capsules: Some Physicians Not Always Honest With Patients
According to a new survey, 11 percent of doctors acknowledge they lied to patients in the previous year. Jessica Marcy has the story.
Capsules: HHS Seeks To Cut Preterm Births
Phil Galewitz reports that the Obama administration launched a $40 million effort to reduce premature births, but it has no plans to stop Medicaid from paying for elective deliveries before 39 weeks.
Congress Struggles To Tackle Doc Fix, Payroll Tax Cut Extension
Reports from Capitol Hill indicate that negotiations are marked by key policy differences — some of which involve Democrats’ negative reaction to GOP spending-cut proposals to pay for the package.
Discussion Of SGR Fix Heats Up
Conferees negotiating the legislative package to extend the payroll tax break and to prevent a scheduled Medicare physician pay cut increased their focus on the physician payment piece of the puzzle. Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing exploring private sector ideas for creating a new physician payment system.
Obama Aides Seek To Calm Storm Over Contraceptive Rule
Administration suggests there may be ways to meet religious groups’ concerns but insists that the president is committed to the policy. Sen. Mitch McConnell suggests Congress may change the rule if the administration doesn’t.
Court Says Medicare Beneficiaries Can’t Opt Out If They Receive Social Security
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is among the five senior citizens who sued to stop their automatic eligibility for Medicare.
On Santorum’s Big Day, GOP Candidates Hit Romney On Contraception Rule
Rick Santorum snapped his four-state losing streak Tuesday with wins in three GOP presidential caucuses. Meanwhile, the GOP candidates are hitting front-runner Mitt Romney on the similarity of a rule he presided over in Massachusetts that required even Catholic hospitals to provide the morning-after pill — comparing it to a recent Obama administration controversy on contraception.
USAID-Supported Programs Fighting TB, HIV In Brazil
In this post in USAID’s “IMPACTblog,” Ed Scholl, AIDSTAR-One project director, writes about HIV and tuberculosis (TB) care in Brazil, where “USAID has partnered with the Brazilian Ministry of Health to improve early TB detection, increase HIV counseling and testing, and provide medical treatment for both infections.” He continues, “AIDSTAR-One, a USAID-funded project, is also conducting outreach in Brazilian prisons, which are often at high risk of TB and HIV epidemics.” He concludes, “Through partnerships like USAID and AIDSTAR-One, we can effectively fight TB and HIV across Brazil and Latin America, to improve the health of countless people and ultimately save lives” (2/7).
White House Budget Trims Medicare With Cuts Focused On Insurance Company Payments, Hospitals
Details continue to emerge regarding what President Barack Obama’s soon-to-be released budget will include.
Viewpoints: Political Furor On Contraceptive Policy; Confusing Estimates Of Medicare’s Costs
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Examining Debate Over Bird Flu Research
In this post on KPLU’s “Humanosphere” blog, journalist Tom Paulson describes “five reasons why you should not panic” about the recent news that two research teams have created bird flu strains that are easily transmissible among ferrets, which are used as a lab model for humans. Fears that terrorists possibly could use the information prompted the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to request the scientists redact some information prior to publishing their study results and investigators worldwide to institute a 60-day moratorium on bird flu research, he notes. Paulson writes “that the scientific research community is already well on its way to improving our knowledge of H5N1,” and concludes, “Even if these two papers are censored, the traditional approach of unfettered and open exploration appears likely to continue” (2/7).
Obama Administration Pledges $156 Million For Alzheimer’s Research And Care
Research to investigate the genetic underpinnings of the disease and to test drugs that may arrest its development will get an immediate $50 million boost.
Roundup: State Legislatures Consider Nursing Home, Insurance Exchange Bills
A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Kansas, Missouri, California, Michigan, Oregon and Louisiana.
Karen Handel says she is leaving immediately so the organization can “refocus” on its mission, after becoming a lightning rod for controversy over its decision to cut funds to Planned Parenthood.
Washington State’s Medicaid Program Will No Longer Pay For Unnecessary ER Visits
Washington state’s Medicaid program will no longer pay for ER visits deemed medically unnecessary. Elsewhere, Illinois’ governor will propose $2 billion in Medicaid cuts, and fallout continues over controversial proposals to reform California’s Medicaid Medi-Cal program.
Important To Include Men In HIV Prevention, Treatment Programs
While a focus on HIV prevention and treatment among women and children has reduced infection rates among these populations, “men have received considerably less attention in the epidemic and receive less targeted HIV prevention and treatment programs,” Edward Mills of the University of Ottawa and colleagues write in a PLoS Medicine essay, adding “Targeting men in prevention and treatment … may have a large impact on mortality, new infections, and the economic impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa.” They note that in Africa, fewer men than women access antiretroviral therapy (ART), and men “typically have higher mortality,” seek care later in the disease, and “are more likely to be lost to follow-up.”
South Asian Nations Explore Ways To Strengthen Collaboration At Forum For Health Research
Delegates and officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Thailand representing their health and medical research councils on Tuesday in New Delhi concluded a three-day South Asian Forum for Health Research (SAHFer) hosted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Pharmabiz.com reports. “India has asked the members of [SAFHer] to explore ways for strengthening collaboration by sharing innovative methods for tackling the problems faced by the countries,” Pharmabiz.com writes. According to the news service, the regional meeting discussed a wide range of subject areas, including vector-borne diseases, drug resistance, influenza, and non-communicable diseases, among other topics, an official release said (2/7).
