Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: ‘Soaring’ Insurance Premiums, Infant Mortality Ranking And The CLASS Act
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the nation.
Perry’s Handling Of Texas Pension, Health Care Funds Under Scrutiny
McClatchy reports that GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, is increasingly under the microscope for how he handled funds for public pensions and state teachers’ health care.
Hospital In Libyan City Of Sirte Running Low On Supplies
Health care workers fleeing the besieged Libyan city of Sirte on Sunday said people wounded in the fighting “are dying on the operating table because fuel for the hospital generator has run out,” Reuters reports. “The fighting has entered its third week and civilians are caught up in a worsening humanitarian crisis,” the news agency writes, adding that “[a]id workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who brought medical supplies into Sirte on Saturday could not reach the hospital because of shooting.” The organization said it plans to return to Sirte and reach the hospital if security allows, Reuters notes (10/2).
Advocates Communicate ‘Human Toll’ Of Medicaid Cuts To Debt Panel
Groups are working to highlight to the congressional ‘super committee’ the impact possible program cuts would have on key health programs, such as Medicaid and rural hospitals.
Aetna, CVS Join Forces To Offer Co-Branded Medicare Drug Plan
This effort, which will following a pattern set by other insurers and retailers, will be available in 43 states and Washington, D.C.
Survey: Department Of Veterans Affairs Lacks Staff, Space To Meet Vets’ Mental Health Care Needs
The Washington Post reports on these findings, which underscore the VA’s lack of resources in dealing with the growing number of veterans who are seeking mental health services.
CD4 Quick Test Helps Increase Number Of Patients Who Return For HIV Test Results
A new quick test to determine the CD4 levels of individuals who test positive for HIV “resulted in a substantial increase” in the percentage of people returning to a clinic get those results, according to a study conducted in Mozambique and published last week in the Lancet, the New York Times reports. “Before quick testing was available, 42 percent of infected patients returned to learn their CD4 count at a subsequent visit. After point-of-care testing began, 78 percent of infected patients were evaluated — that is, almost twice as many infected people took this important first step toward drug treatment,” the newspaper writes (Bakalar, 10/3).
State Roundup: Private Hospitals Face Revenue Loss In Texas Medicaid Plan
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
First Edition: October 4, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that the Supreme Court kicked off its new term by hearing a key Medicaid case that tests whether providers and patients can go to court to challenge decisions by cash-strapped states to reduce Medicaid payments.
Congress Blocks Funding Meant For Food Aid, Health Care To Palestinian Authority
“Congress has … blocked $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority [PA] since August, in a move a PA official described as ‘collective punishment’ for its United Nations bid” for statehood, GlobalPost reports (10/1). “The economic package is separate from security aid, which the U.S. lawmakers say would be counterproductive to block,” Agence France-Presse writes (10/2).
Supreme Court Opens New Term; Health Law Challenge Tops Agenda
Although action related to the lawsuits challenging the health law have not yet officially made it on to the high court’s docket, it is generally accepted that this question will likely be decided this term.
Justices Hear Arguments In Calif. Medicaid Case
Justices will hear arguments today regarding California’s plan to cut Medicaid payments to doctors, hospitals and other medical providers in an effort to address the state’s budget issues. Experts say the case has national implications because its central issue involves states’ rights to regulate their Medicaid programs.
Columbian Scientists Tap Global Computer Network In Search Of Leishmaniasis Drugs
“Colombian scientists are using a global network of personal and institutional computers to search for potential drugs against leishmaniasis, a disease that affects 12 million people worldwide,” SciDev.Net reports. The researchers at the University of Antioquia “will harness the calculation potential of the almost two million computers that make up the World Community Grid, funded by the IBM Corporation,” the news service writes.
Health Issues Fuel Hostile Turn In GOP Presidential Primary Race
The state health law former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney oversaw in his state is the flashpoint.
Cholera Death Toll In Haiti Rises To 6,435; U.N. Official Says Hardships Remain In Camps
Haitian health authorities on Friday said the death toll from cholera has risen to 6,435 since October and that “the number of people infected with cholera almost reached half a million, although the ministry repeated the epidemic was decreasing,” Xinhua reports (9/30). U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos wrapped up a three-day visit to Haiti on Friday, saying the “number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) still in camps in Haiti after their homes were destroyed by last year’s catastrophic earthquake has declined from 1.5 million to 600,000, but hardship in the settlements has not eased,” the U.N. News Centre reports. “Limited funding has led to a decline in the number of humanitarian agencies working in key sectors, such as water and sanitation and camp management. Hundreds of latrines are now unusable and overflow, especially during the current rainy season, posing significant health risks, even as efforts to keep the cholera epidemic at bay continue,” the news service writes (9/30).
Hospital Execs, Other ‘Local’ VIPs Tend to Get Fast Care In ER
MSNBC reports on a letter published in this week’s Annals of Emergency Medicine that details this phenomenon.
New Report Details Mental Health Care Gaps In Indian Country
According to the Health and Human Services Inspector General’s office, one in five hospitals and clinics in Indian Country provides no mental health services. Meanwhile, The Fiscal Times reports on the mental health toll being taken by the recession.
