Latest KFF Health News Stories
South Africa’s Evolving HIV/AIDS Policy
In this interview in World Politics Review’s “Trend Lines,” Peter Navario, an adjunct associate professor of public policy at New York University and a former global health fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the evolution South Africa’s HIV/AIDS policy over the last decade, the country’s current relationship with pharmaceutical companies, and how South African President Jacob Zuma’s HIV/AIDS policy is received in the region and by international donors. “South Africa has gone from global laggard to playing a leading role in the global HIV response,” Navario said, adding that the country’s “policies are in lockstep with World Health Organization guidelines, and an aggressive new strategic plan aims to tackle HIV-related stigma, meet 80 percent of treatment need and cut new infections in half by 2016” (3/7).
Women’s Health Status Linked To Empowerment
“The health status of women is linked to their fundamental freedoms and empowerment,” Susan Blumenthal, public health editor at the Huffington Post and former U.S. assistant surgeon general, and Jean Guo, a health policy intern at the Center for the Study of Presidency and Congress, write in the website’s “Healthy Living” blog in a post marking International Women’s Day, which was celebrated on Thursday. “With 3.4 billion women worldwide, women’s health is a global issue today. Yet, societal and environmental factors including poverty, discrimination, and violence are undermining the advancement of women’s health,” they write.
ScienceInsider Reports On Lancet Letters Regarding CDC Center For Global Health
In a letter (.pdf) published Wednesday in the Lancet, officials from the CDC refute “point by point” three letters previously published in the journal that were critical of the agency’s Center for Global Health, ScienceInsider reports. Lancet Editor Richard Horton on February 11 “published criticisms of the institution’s Center for Global Health that he received from an anonymous letter writer” and then “ran complaints made by two more unnamed critics of the CDC center on March 3,” the news service states, adding, “As Horton noted, the letters ‘raise questions about leadership, management of resources, proper use of the CDC’s authority and power, and the scientific rigor of CDC research.'”
Farzad Mostashari: Focusing On Moving Doctors Into The Digital Age
News outlets report on health information technology developments, including a profile of Farzad Mostashari and a push by governors to improve health IT use.
Medicaid: Kan. Considers Changes; Calif. Advocates Concerned About Overhaul
The Kansas legislature is considering changes to the state’s Medicaid program including exempting long-term care services from some planned reforms.
Grassley Sends Letter To Minnesota Questioning Medicaid ‘Donation’
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Thursday questioning if the federal government should receive a portion of a “donation” a nonprofit health insurer made to Minnesota’s Medicaid program and why Minnesota classified the payment as such.
4th Quarter Hospital Revenues Increase
Government data show spending at hospitals increased at the end of 2011.
GOP Lawmakers Demand Medicaid Financial Report
The lawmakers charge that this actuarial information was due to them by Jan. 1 and is central to their ability to make decisions related to the entitlement program.
Exchanges, High Risk Pools Grab Headlines
News outlets also continue to explore issues related to the development of state-based health exchanges as well as the costs and enrollment numbers associated with high-risk insurance.
Texas Gov. Says They’ll Find Money For Women’s Health Program
Gov. Rick Perry is directing officials to find money to help finance Texas’ Women’s Health Program after the state’s move to kick Planned Parenthood out of the program endangered federal funds for the program.
State Highlights: Iowa Advocates Seeking Better Services For Disabled
News outlets report on a variety of health policy issues from around the country.
Empowering Women, Promoting Women’s Health Strengthens International Community
“As we honor the enormous impact women have on their families and communities worldwide, we also call on lawmakers to do more for global maternal and newborn health,” Former White House Press Secretaries Mike McCurry and Dana Perino write in a post in The Hill’s “Congress Blog,” marking International Women’s Day, which was celebrated on Thursday. “When we reach out with simple interventions to promote health and save women’s lives, we build international allies for life,” they write.
White House Views Supreme Court Health Law Arguments As Teachable Moments
The New York Times reports that the Obama administration has begun an effort to use these arguments as an opportunity to educate the public and build support for the overhaul. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that one of the lead plaintiffs in a challenge to the law has gone bankrupt with outstanding medical bills, leading some to question whether this transforms her from a “symbol of proud independence into an example of exactly the problem the healthcare law was intended to address.”
Calif. Audit Finds Hospital Did Business With Firms Tied To CEO
Reports on the business of healthcare also look at an Illinois ACO that is showing some progress and at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s call for greater transparency in how insurers and providers bill consumers for out-of-network medical costs.
State Legislatures Split On Forming Health Insurance Exchanges
Oregon and California are moving forward with creating health insurance exchanges called for in the health reform law while lawmakers in New Hampshire pass legislation barring the state from creating an exchange.
Virginia Uproar Frames Abortion, Contraception Legislation In Many States
States are grappling with reproduction-related issues after Virginia’s pre-abortion ultrasound bill passed: In California, lawmakers are set to consider a bill to give more women access to early-term abortions while lawmakers in Ohio and Minnesota consider legislation on contraception.
Women Democratic Senators To Boehner: ‘Nix’ Vote On Birth Control Coverage Rule
The 12 senators wrote a letter to the House Speaker, asking him not to hold a vote on proposals to expand exemptions from the Obama administration’s birth control coverage mandate.
Viewpoints: The Fight Against IPAB; Chinks In GOP Armor On Health Care Law
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
Research Roundup: Confusing High Priced For High Quality Care
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, The Kaiser Family Foundation, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Government Accountability Office.
What Will Become Of Traditional Medicare In The GOP Budget Plan?
How this question is answered could have big implications for the GOP’s presidential and congressional candidates. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports the plan being prepared by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R- Wis., is likely to include a reserve fund to deal with Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula.
