Latest KFF Health News Stories
UNAIDS Officials Say Progress Being Made Against HIV/AIDS In Africa, Asia
Speaking at a media briefing in Geneva on Thursday, Sheila Tlou, UNAIDS director of the regional support team for Eastern and Southern Africa, said the region is making progress in scaling up access to prevention and treatment services, including behavior change and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs, the U.N. News Centre reports. “We have to now focus on making sure that we scale up voluntary medical male circumcision, behavior change, and all those [interventions] to make sure that we reduce infections,” she said, adding that improving access to treatment also is critical, according to the news service (1/19). “‘There has been quite a lot of progress since 1997 with a 25 percent reduction in new infections in our region,’ said Tlou,” Agence France-Presse notes (1/19).
Federal Judge Renews Her Order Blocking Calif. Cuts To In-Home Care
The state had planned to cut $100 million from the program beginning this month.
Legislation Update: Fla. Lawmakers Advance Bill On Workers’ Comp Drugs
A Florida bill would keep doctors from dispensing “repackaged drugs” at higher prices, while the Kansas measure would bar a single agency from assessing a disabled person’s needs and then working as the case manager and providing services.
Kodak’s Chapter 11 Filing: Retiree Benefit Costs A Big Part Of The Problem
The Wall Street Journal reports on how the burden of retiree health-care benefits is among the financial issues driving the company to file for bankruptcy.
The company reported that its fourth-quarter profits rose 21 percent, driven by increases in health-insurance membership and continued light health care usage.
State News: N.Y. Insurers To Update Provider Directories
News outlets cover a variety of state health policy stories.
Texas Abortion Issue Back In Court Today
A Federal judge in Austin holds another hearing on Texas law requiring women seeking an abortion to have a sonogram. Also, NPR looks at the growing number of restrictions across the country.
Viewpoints: An Endorsement For Gingrich; Paula Deen And Diabetes
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
GAVI Says Ministries Of Health In Cameroon, Niger Cooperating To Reimburse Misused Funds
“Following separate investigations into the misuse of GAVI funding in Cameroon and Niger, both Ministries of Health have cooperated fully and confirmed their commitment to take all necessary measures, including the reimbursement of misused funds,” the GAVI Alliance said in a statement released on Thursday. According to the statement, “The findings suggest that up to US$4.2 million allocated for health systems strengthening (HSS) has been misused in Cameroon and up to US$2.5 million allocated for immunization services support (ISS) has been misused in Niger,” with approximately $1.8 million and $1.5 million of those funds under investigation for theft in the respective countries.
Health Law Policy Topics: ACO Deadline, Hospital Pay Fix
Modern Healthcare reports that today’s the last day to sign up for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ ACO program, which starts in April. Politico Pro, meanwhile, reports that a coalition of state hospitals is pushing the White House to address what they see as a “gaming of Medicare payments” that allows Massachusetts hospitals to collect higher Medicare reimbursements than other states.
Colo. House Passes Resolution To Repeal The Health Law
Colorado’s Republican-led House voted largely along party lines to wage a challenge to the federal health law — a state-initiated amendment to the Constitution to repeal the measure. And, in Connecticut, the planning panel has decisions to make well before people start signing up for coverage on the state’s health exchange.
Research Roundup: ‘No Individual Mandate’ Scenarios
This week’s studies come from the Urban Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Agency For Health Care Research And Quality.
Health Law Backers Brace For The Future, Wonder About SOTU Address
Those who consider the health law one of President Barack Obama’s leading domestic achievements look to see whether he will include it in his Tuesday night speech. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius predicts continued criticism and “misinformation” about the health law while House Republicans celebrated the one-year anniversary of their vote to repeal it.
Resources Dedicated To Fighting HIV/AIDS Among MSM ‘Inefficient,’ Report Says
“Funding to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS consistently fails to reach programs designed to control the disease among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), according to a new analysis (.pdf) released Wednesday by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights (CPHHR) at Johns Hopkins University,” an amfAR press release states. The report, titled “Achieving an AIDS-Free Generation for Gay Men and Other MSM,” “finds that resources dedicated to addressing the epidemic among MSM are grossly insufficient, and that funding intended for this population is often diverted away from MSM-related services,” the press release says (1/18). The Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks” blog notes, “The report authors looked at reporting data related to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria HIV funding in eight countries — China, Ethiopia, Guyana, India, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ukraine and Vietnam” (Mazzotta, 1/19).
First Edition: January 20, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports detailing how health care played in last night’s S.C. GOP presidential primary debate.
White House: Health Exchanges On Track In Many States
A report Wednesday by the Obama administration said that many states, including some with GOP governors, are proceeding with state-based exchanges. Still, a federal exchange is in the works for those that can’t or won’t meet the health law’s requirements and timeline.
Wisconsin Governor Issues ‘Stop Work’ Order On State Health Exchange
Wis. Gov. Scott Walker officially announced on Wednesday that he will not implement a state-based health exchange or accept federal funding toward that end. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, a 13-member government task force has begun debating a list of basic principles for that state’s health care exchange. Meanwhile, Stateline offers an overview of how and what states in general are doing in regard to these insurance marketplaces.
Blog Covers Ethiopia Minister Of Health’s Comments At Country Ownership Roundtable
This post in the Ministerial Leadership Initiative’s (MLI) “Leading Global Health” blog is “the second of a series of perspective pieces on country ownership from the ‘Advancing Country Ownership for Greater Results’ roundtable organized last week by” MLI. “The second of four pieces covers the perspective of Ethiopia Minister of Health Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,” the blog writes, noting, “Minister Tedros said for many years he has been pushing for more country ownership. His approach is consistent: One vision, one set of priorities, and one group — donors, partners and countries — working together” (Donnelly, 1/18).
Huffington Post, Johnson & Johnson Partner To Launch ‘Global Motherhood’ Forum
Sharon D’Agostino, vice president of worldwide corporate contributions and community relations at Johnson & Johnson, writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece about the launch of the Global Motherhood partnership between Johnson & Johnson and the Huffington Post. “The Huffington Post and Johnson & Johnson have collaborated to create this forum focused on global motherhood, a place to share ideas and experiences for improving maternal and child health,” she writes, adding, “We hope that the Global Motherhood section will give voice to the people and organizations that are making a difference and inspire others to join in this effort” (1/18).
E.U. Doubles Humanitarian Aid To Sahel In Response To Impending Food Crisis
“Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis response, arrived in Niger on Wednesday to see at first hand the extent of food shortages” in the country and announced the European Union (E.U.) “is doubling its humanitarian aid to the Sahel to nearly
