Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Slowing Health Care Growth; Competing Views Of Romney
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
HRSA’s Wakefield Talks About ACOs And Community Health Centers
In this Medscape interview, Dr. Mary Wakefield, the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, outlines efforts to improve access to care.
House Dems Urge GOP To Go Back To Work On Payroll Tax Break, ‘Doc Fix’
The problem continues to be how to pay for the solutions. Meanwhile, Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif., a high-ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced that he won’t seek another congressionial term. He has been a strong opponent of the administration’s health overhaul.
National Biosecurity Board To Review State Of Bird Flu Research
Federal officials have asked the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) “to review the state of the science looking at human transmission of deadly bird flu, says panel chief Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University,” USA Today reports. “In December, the NSABB asked the journals, Science and Nature, to withhold details of studies that showed how to make the flu strain transmissible between ferrets, the closest mammal model for human-to-human transmission of the bug,” the newspaper notes. “‘We are now involved in a broader review,’ Keim says. … ‘This research is valuable, but saying this is just “basic” research ignores that influenza is a very special pathogen,’ Keim adds,” according to the newspaper (Vergano, 1/10).
HIV/AIDS Awareness Workshop Held In Pakistan
The International Herald Tribune’s “Express Tribune” reports on a two-day HIV/AIDS awareness workshop held in Pakistan this week. Speaking on Monday at the inaugural session of the event, titled “The State of HIV in Pakistan-2011,” Amir Maqbool, acting program manager of the National AIDS Control Program (NACP), stated that HIV/AIDS could not be controlled in the country without legislation and strong financial funding for prevention and control efforts, according to the newspaper. “In the aftermath of the devolution of the Ministry of Health, there is no mechanism to implement the legislation; something which previously fell under the purview of the Senate Standing Committee on Health,” the newspaper notes. The article highlights findings from multiple studies presented at the workshop (Wasif, 1/10).
As The Nation’s Elderly Population Grows, So Does Concern For Their Care
USA Today reports that the nation’s fast-growing “gray” population is a prime target for abuse.
Advocates React To Administration’s Draft Framework To Stop Alzheimer’s
The organization USAgainstAlzheimer’s applauded the plan’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2025 but would like to speed the timeline for development of new prevention and treatment approaches.
Nigeria’s “The Nation” examines whether, with three years until the deadline for attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the country will be able to meet the targets of reducing maternal and infant mortality by one-third as set by the U.N. The newspaper provides statistics from UNICEF regarding maternal and infant mortality in the country and quotes a number of health experts, including Edamisan Temiye, chair of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State Branch, who “said with the rate Nigeria is going, it may not realize its target of one-third reduction of maternal and infant deaths by 2015.” According to the newspaper, Temiye cites a “virtually failed” immunization program, a high poverty level, and limited access to education, water, and housing as contributing factors to Nigeria’s maternal and infant mortality rates (Adepoju, 1/10).
First Edition: January 11, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that the 26 states opposed to the health law have filed their Supreme Court arguments against the measure’s Medicaid expansion.
2010 Health Spending Grew Slowly
This slowing of health spending brought the rate of growth in line with that of the U.S. economy. The Obama administration pointed to the new figures as evidence that the health law isn’t making health care more expensive.
OMB Chief Jack Lew Tapped As New White House Chief Of Staff
Jack Lew will replace Bill Daley in the post later this month after work is completed on the 2013 budget. Democrats and progressives are cheering this Obama administration pick because he has a long record of protecting entitlement programs, especially Medicaid.
Blog Posts Respond To Legislation Enacted In Brazil Requiring Registration Of All Pregnancies
The following summarizes two opinion pieces published in response to Provisionary Measure 557 (PM 557), a legislation enacted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on December 27 that will require all pregnancies to be registered with the government.
Medicaid News: Advocates Decry Maine Plan To Cut Rolls
In wide-ranging news about state Medicaid programs, outlets look at the controversy in Maine, the lawsuit in Texas that could have ramifications across the country, a suit in Connecticut that charges the state doesn’t have enough staff to process applicants, efforts to require prompt state payments to health care providers and Kansas’ realignment of its Medicaid operations.
Walgreens And Express Scripts: Moving On After The Break Up
A Walgreen Co. executive said that though the transition is difficult now, he expects the company to rebound as the year progresses. Consumers, too, will have to deal with some changes.
Restricting Publication Of H5N1 Research ‘More Perilous’ Than Threat Of Biological Warfare
In this Reuters opinion piece, New York-based writer Peter Christian Hall responds to “the U.S. government’s move to restrict publication of vital research into H5N1 avian flu,” writing, “This unprecedented interference in the field of biology could hinder research and hamper responsiveness in distant lands plagued by H5N1,” yet “no one seems to be challenging a key assumption — that H5N1 could make a useful weapon. It wouldn’t.”
State Roundup: Gov. Opposes Kentucky Hospital Merger
A selection of stories about health care from Kentucky, California and Massachusetts.
Melinda Gates, Nicholas Kristof Answer Readers’ Questions About Development Issues
Last week in a Huffington Post “Impact” blog post, Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, asked readers to submit questions about her recent trip to Bangladesh. In this post in New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s “On the Ground” blog, Kristof and Gates answer readers’ questions about development issues in the region. Questions address ways in which those with limited resources can help women around the world, how to factor in unintended consequences — such as rapid population growth — of global health programs, and investing in health versus other sectors (1/9).
Study Finds Home-Visit Program Could Keep Diabetes Patients Out Of The Hospital
The findings, which were published in Health Affairs, suggest time-honored prevention programs could have been responsible for lowered costs.
Viewpoints: Renewing The Call For A Public Option; Keep All Justices On Health Law Case
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
In New Hampshire, Romney’s Comments Draw Fire From Rivals
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is under the microscope for his comments during a campaign appearance in which he said he liked “being able to fire people.” Romney made the comments while he was talking about why he wants people to be able to choose their own health insurance.
