Latest KFF Health News Stories
IPS Reports On Child Poverty In Lesotho
“The triple threat of HIV, poverty and food insecurity is increasingly exposing children to abuse, exploitation and other human rights violations” in Lesotho, Inter Press Service reports in an article examining child poverty in the small southern African country. “In the country of 1.8 million, a good 500,000 out of 825,000 boys and girls live under 1.25 dollars a day and without proper shelter, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Almost 40 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and are stunted. Both under-five and infant mortality have persistently gone up in the past decade,” IPS writes, adding, “To make matters worse, Lesotho is one of the three countries in the world worst affected by HIV/AIDS. Every fourth Basotho is infected with the virus, leaving a quarter of children orphaned” (Palitza, 11/23).
Examining The Effects Of Trade Rules On Public Health, Access To Medicines
In this post in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog, Tido von Schoen-Angerer, executive director of the Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, examines the interface between trade rules and public health, discussing the implications of the Doha Declaration on public health since its inception 10 years ago, and addresses the question of how “countries balance the need to protect public health against patent rights that lead to high medicine prices and limited access for people in need.” He notes that the winners of an MSF “ideas contest on the theme of ‘Revising TRIPS for Public Health'” will present their ideas at a conference in Geneva next month, concluding, “I hope the winning ideas can generate some discussion and look towards affecting change, so that the next decade sees us moving towards more access to medicines for those who need them most” (11/22).
Guardian International Development Journalism Competition Results Posted
The Guardian this week posted the results of its 2011 International Development Journalism Competition. “Sixteen finalists — eight amateur, eight professional — were sent to the developing world to write a feature on a theme suggested by the non-governmental organization that hosted their trip,” the newspaper notes. Many of the themes are health-related, including fighting malaria in Ghana, improving medical care in India, using insecticide-treated bed nets in Nigeria, access to family planning services in Zambia, and gender-based violence in Haiti (George, 11/22).
Five Ways Pharmaceutical Companies Can Address NTDs
In this Forbes opinion piece, journalist Sarika Bansal examines five ways in which pharmaceutical companies can address neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including creating cross-sectorial research partnerships for neglected diseases; joining patent pools for neglected diseases; donating drugs for neglected diseases; creating facilities dedicated to neglected disease research; and allowing scientists to work on neglected disease, both formally and informally.
UnitedHealth Buying Medicare Advantage Plan With Chronically Ill Specialty
UnitedHealth will buy XLHealth, of Baltimore, for $2 billion to bolster its Medicare Advantage plans that offer coverage to the underserved and chronically ill.
Humanitarian aid officials are concerned about high levels of malnutrition among young children at the Dolo Ado refugee camps in southern Ethiopia “despite the free availability of Plumpy’nut, a peanut-based paste in a plastic wrapper for treatment of severe acute malnutrition,” the Guardian reports. “‘Maybe they’re not eating it properly,’ said Giorgia Testolin, head of the refugee section of the World Food Programme Ethiopia. ‘The food is there, there is easy access, but why is the situation so bad? This needs to be investigated,'” the newspaper writes, adding a report (.pdf) out last month from USAID and the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET) noted some refugees, including children, sell or trade Plumpy’nut for other supplies, such as sugar, tea leaves, powder milk and meat. Overcrowding in the camps also presents problems, as 8,000 people await the opening of a fifth camp, which has been delayed because proper sanitation facilities are not yet ready, according to relief officials, the newspaper notes (Tran, 11/22).
In this Financial Times opinion piece, journalist Andrew Jack examines the challenges of family planning in some poorer countries, where public health programs “risk adding to population pressures and inadvertently setting back development,” writing, “In a number of countries, notably in central and western Africa, health programs have contributed to cutting infant mortality rates, but birth rates have continued to remain stubbornly high. The unintended consequence is a fast-growing population that adds further pressure on poor families and fragile environments.”
Health Industry Raising Alarms About Cuts To Medicare After Super Committee Failure
The implications of automatic budget cuts through sequestration reverberate through government and the health care industry, as many seek alternative ways to rein in federal spending.
“Recurring drought, insufficient hygiene and ongoing regional conflict are driving a deadly outbreak of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) across the Horn of Africa, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported” on Tuesday, the U.N. News Centre writes. “WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva that more than 50,000 cases of AWD have been recorded in the region this year, resulting in over 700 deaths in Djibouti and Somalia,” the news service notes (11/22).
Obama Touts Health Law Before Donors; Romney Says Health Law Costs Nearly The Same As Defense Cuts
The president may not always highlight the health overhaul before the public, but it’s a strong talking point at his fundraising events. Meanwhile in the debate Tuesday, former Gov. Mitt Romney, while lamenting scheduled Pentagon cuts, said they are about the same as what the health law will cost.
OECD Report Finds U.S. Pays More By Far For Health Care
In most cases, those higher costs don’t translate into better outcomes, says report comparing 34 nations.
A selection of health policy stories from California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Maryland and Colorado.
Democrats Ask Obama Not To Dilute Contraceptive Benefits
HHS has recommended free contraceptive services be included in health plans but Republicans are seeking to limit that.
Insurance Commissioners Back Brokers On Health Law Standard
The state regulators approved a resolution asking for a change in the law to exempt insurance brokers’ fees from an insurance company’s administrative costs.
Viewpoints: Blame For Super Committee Mess, Supreme Court Recusal Is The Judges’ Call
A selection of health policy opinions and editorials from around the nation.
Merck Agrees To Pay $950 Million In Vioxx Settlement
The pharmaceutical giant will pay a $321 million criminal fine and a $628 million civil settlement.
House Panel Seeks Records About Kagan And Health Law
The Supreme Court justice’s role in her old job at the White House is under examination by the House Judiciary Committee.
Congress Facing Deadline On Medicare Payments To Doctors
Preventing a scheduled cut in reimbursements to physicians is estimated to cost $20 billion next year, but Congress is expected to find at least a short-term fix before the end of the year.
First Edition: November 23, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include an examination of changes in Medicare that the Democrats have endorses and a Kansas abortion case.
Medicare To Cover Infusion Costs For Prostate Cancer Vaccine, Company Says
In Medicare news, the drug maker Dendreon says federal officials have said they will pay doctors to administer the drug. Also, policymakers are studying Medigap to see if curbs on those policies could help cut Medicare costs.
