Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: December 9, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include artilces about a new GOP tax plan that includes a Medicare pay fix for doctors and President Obama’s support of a decision to keep the “Morning After Pill” from minors.
Holder Rebuffs GOP Efforts To Probe Kagan’s Role
The attorney general declined to turn over more information about Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s role in the formulation of the health care law when she was President Obama’s solicitor general.
The Latest On The Payroll Tax Break Extension And ‘Doc Fix’
Lawmakers are floating plans to complete work on key pieces of legislation that will otherwise expire at the end of the year.
Spreading The Word About The Health Law
The Washington Post offers a compelling example of the challenges the White House faces in its efforts to get its message out about the benefits of the health law. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe offers insights from former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick about what the administration needs to do in order to have more success with this message.
Children In Yemen At Increased Risk As Rebel Group Restricts Aid Access
IRIN examines how a ban on aid by an armed rebel group in northern Yemen is putting children’s health at risk, writing, “Thousands of people under ‘siege’ by armed rebels in northern Yemen lack food and health care, which has already resulted in deaths and risks killing many more, local leaders and aid workers say.” The news service discusses the ongoing sectarian conflicts and describes efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide medical care and supplies (12/6).
Innovative Taxes Can Be Used To Fill AIDS Funding Gap, UNAIDS Head Says
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that donors looking to fund the fight against AIDS “could raise funds through taxes,” according to the news agency. Speaking on the sidelines of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sidibe said, “If we have a global financial transaction tax, say of 0.5 percent, we will have $226 billion. Ten percent of that resource is enough for financing the fight against HIV/AIDS, stopping the epidemic, because we can reduce by 96 percent the number of new infections by putting people early on treatment. We can have taxation on cigarettes and alcohol. We can find different ways to mobilize new resources,” according to Reuters (Maasho, 12/7).
State Health Spending Gap Widens
A federal report details the spending by states.
The Challenges Of Controlling Health Care’s Wasteful Spending
California Healthline examines why it is such a difficult task to rein in the health system’s bad habits.
Longer Looks: Romney And Abortion Politics
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reads from around the Web.
Perry Makes Brief GOP Health Care Caucus Visit
In other campaign trail news, media outlets examine who is supporting and opposing GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s run, and how health policies are playing into their decisions.
Conn. Wants Insurers To Pay More Of Children’s Mental Health Costs
Officials in Connecticut say insurers and families should pick up more bills for mental and developmental health services. In other news, California officials release details for new department of state hospitals and Colorado gets a new assessment of mental health services.
HHS To Widen Access To Medicare Data
The Wall Street Journal reports that, in a change of policy, the Department of Health and Human Services will make claims information available to help consumers make decisions about medical care.
Supreme Court Hears Arguments Related To Patent Dispute
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the question is whether patents can be applied to concepts drawn from nature and notes that the case could redefine ownership of technological or scientific innovations.
Critical Access: Hospitals That Face Budget Traumas
Kaiser Health News examines the concept of “critical access hospitals.” Meanwhile, a related story examines how the hospital district in Harris County, Texas, is key to the Houston area’s safety net.
Sebelius Overrules FDA On ‘Morning After’ Pill’s OTC Availability
The decision to keep the contraceptive pill “Plan B” behind the counter could shield the Obama administration from a bruising battle with conservatives but comes at the expense of liberal groups who are “shocked” at the decision.
Viewpoints: Politics Overtakes Plan B; Gingrich’s Entitlement Plans; Cheeseburgers And Death
A selection of editorials and opinions about health policy from around the country.
Roundup: Ohio Lawmakers Consider Abortion Bill; Aetna Sues Mich. Blues
News outlets cover a variety of state health policy issues.
Global Health R&D Funding From Wealthy Nations Fell 6% In 2010, Annual G-FINDER Report Finds
“A group that tracks funding for neglected diseases released its fourth annual report Wednesday, showing for the first time since 2007 a decrease in government and public spending in global health research and development,” the Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks” blog reports (Mazzotta, 12/7). The Global Funding of Innovation for Neglected Diseases (G-FINDER) survey report, conducted by Policy Cures and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that “[p]ublic funding from the world’s richest nations for research and development (R&D) of new neglected disease products fell by US$125 million (down six percent) in 2010,” a Policy Cures press release (.pdf) states (12/7).
Forbes Interviews Sarah Brown About Her Work In Maternal, Child Health Advocacy
Sarah Brown, international advocate for global maternal and newborn health and wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, answers questions about her work from Forbes contributor Rahim Kanani in this interview excerpt. Brown “discussed the evolution of her interests, the current landscape of maternal and newborn health worldwide, critical levers of progress, leadership lessons in the context of global advocacy, and much more,” according to Forbes (12/7).
