Latest KFF Health News Stories
Research Roundup: Raising Medicare’s Eligibility Age
This week’s studies come from the Congressional Budget Office, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Journal of the American College of Radiology, the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Women’s Health, Rights Especially Vulnerable During An Election Year
In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, writes, “In 2012, there is a presidency at stake — so what does that mean for women’s health and rights in the coming year? How will political posturing and the race for votes affect what really matters?”
Despite One Year Without Polio Cases, Threat of Disease Still Looms In India
T. Jacob John, a former professor of clinical virology an the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, who has served on several Global and National Committees on Immunization and Polio Eradication, writes in this opinion piece in India’s Hindu, “While one year has passed without polio caused by natural poliovirus, we can claim complete eradication only after we ensure the absence of wild and vaccine polioviruses in the population.” He provides a brief history of polio eradication efforts, globally and in India, and continues, “For certification of eradication, two more years should pass without any case of wild virus polio. … We must continue working as if we still have poliovirus lurking somewhere, only to show up when least expected” (1/8).
Journalists Discuss Challenges Of Reporting On Global Health Issues
The Global Post’s “Global Pulse” blog reports on a December seminar held by GlobalPost, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, and the Kaiser Family Foundation, at which “journalists discussed the challenges in telling compelling global health stories in the digital age.” Participants discussed marketing their products, securing funding, finding an audience, forming partnerships, and covering expenses. The news service includes quotes from several people who spoke at the seminar, including photographers Kristen Ashburn and John Stanmeyer; Penny Duckham, director of the Kaiser Family Foundation Media Fellowship Program; Nathalie Applewhite, managing director of the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting; and Charlie Sennott, executive editor at GlobalPost (Kriel, 1/12).
Work Of WHO Essential Medicines Department At Risk Due To Funding Shortage, Oxfam Warns
“The work of the essential medicines department of the World Health Organization (WHO) is under threat because of a serious shortage of funds, says a worrying and important letter published in the Lancet [on Thursday],” Guardian Health Editor Sarah Boseley reports in her “Global Health Blog.” “According to the letter from Mohga Kamal-Yanni of Oxfam, the work of updating … the essential medicines list, which tells every health ministry in every corner of the world, however tiny their budget, which drugs they should be getting for their people … [and] for children, is now being paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” the blog writes.
HHS Secretary Sebelius Helps India Mark One Year Since Last Recorded Polio Case
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius “administered polio vaccination drops to children in New Delhi on Friday as India marked one year since its last case of the crippling disease,” the Associated Press reports (1/13). The Hill’s “Healthwatch” reports that “[o]fficials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] say U.S. funding and experience were key to beating back the disease,” but “[t]he news comes as federal funding for global health programs now faces sharp cuts from Tea Party lawmakers and others worried about the deficit” (Pecquet, 1/12). “
Al Jazeera Examines Candidate Malaria Vaccine, Other Ongoing Efforts To Thwart The Disease
Al Jazeera reports on the candidate malaria vaccine known as RTS,S, which “has been heralded as one of the Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2011 by Time and Science magazines, Doctors Without Borders and the Lancet.” The news service recaps the history of the vaccine’s development, outlines a number of existing prevention strategies and details ongoing efforts in the global fight against malaria (Dalal, 1/11).
USAID’s Shah Discusses Progress In Post-Earthquake Haiti On NPR’s Talk Of The Nation
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah on Thursday appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation to discuss rebuilding efforts in Haiti two years after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Shah said, “[O]ver the last two years, we’ve seen real signs of hope. A number of things have worked. Partners and the Haitian government and Haitian leaders have done things differently so that today, … more people have access to clean water and safe sanitation in Port-au-Prince than the day before the earthquake,” according to the transcript.
Improving Obstetric Care With Solar Power
In the National Geographic News blog “Mobile Message,” “a series of posts from FrontlineSMS about how mobile phones and appropriate technologies are being used throughout the world to improve, enrich, and empower billions of lives,” Laura Stachel, an obstetrician-gynecologist and the co-founder and executive director of WE CARE Solar, writes about the “‘Solar Suitcase,’ a portable, rugged, complete solar electric kit packed with solar panels, a charge controller, batteries, medical LED lights, phone chargers, headlamps, and a fetal monitor.” She says the suitcases improve lighting so surgeries can be performed 24 hours a day; allow nurses to contact on-call physicians in the case of emergency through a mobile phone; and, with alterations, power blood bank refrigerators (Banks, 1/12).
First Edition: January 13, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that the Obama administration called Trustmark’s proposed insurance rate increases “unreasonable” and called on the company to rescind them.
Nearly 500 State Lawmakers To File Pro Individual Mandate Brief
The lawmakers, all supporters of the health law and aligned with the Progressive States Network, argue Congress has the authority under the Constitution to solve national problems through national solutions.
State Health Exchange Action Draws Political Responses, Control Questions
Some Idaho Democrats say they may vote with the GOP against legislation to create a state-run exchange. In Ohio, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor has control issues about health exchanges — whether they are run by the state or by the federal government.
Three Democratic Senators Express Concern Over Distribution Of U.S. Haitian Earthquake Aid
“[O]n the eve of the two-year anniversary of the 7.0 quake in Haiti, three Senators wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Agency for International Development head Rajiv Shah urging them to better facilitate distribution of U.S. aid to the country,” CQ HealthBeat reports (Bristol, 1/11). Democratic Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg (N.J.), Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) and Mary Landrieu (La.) on Wednesday “expressed concern about the large portion of aid that has not yet been distributed to earthquake victims,” according to a press release from Lautenberg.
Breaking Down The Issues Related To Outpatient Medical Errors
An MPR medical analyst discusses a recent report about reducing outpatient medical errors with Dr. John Hallberg, a physician in family medicine at the University of Minnesota and director of the Mill City Clinic.
Do Gym Memberships Help Medicare Advantage Plans Attract Healthy Seniors?
A new study, which was published by the New England Journal of Medicine, found 35.3 percent of new enrollees in a fitness membership benefit plan reported “excellent” or “very good” health, compared with 29.1 percent in the group without the gym membership benefit.
Walgreens-Express Scripts Spat Sends Many To New Pharmacies
A Walgreen official maintained a defense of the split even as rival drug stores have ramped up their marketing efforts to attract Express Scripts customers.
Supreme Court Considers Medical Leave Lawsuit
The high court heard oral arguments Wednesday in the case that will determine how the federal Family and Medical Leave Act applies to state government workers.
White House Staff Changes Will Tighten Circle Of Health Policy Insiders
Politico Pro reports on how this week’s White House personnel “reshuffling” will shrink the already-small group of people in the Obama administration driving health policy.
Gingrich, Romney Abortion Ads Question Conservative Credentials
GOP presidential contenders Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are trading blows on abortion with a series of ads that question each candidate’s conservative credentials on the issue. In the meantime, Kaiser Health News looks at the differences among the GOP candidates in how they’d reform Medicare.
Hospital Lobbyists Prepare Push Against Doc-Owned Facilities
A provision to loosen restriction on physician-owned hospitals found its way into the December tax extension bill, making the national hospital lobby wary that it may be included in the House-Senate negotiations for a long-term compromise. Meanwhile, as always, efforts to repeal Medicare’s SGR are complicated.
