Latest KFF Health News Stories
Physicians Want More Palliative Care Despite Barriers
A new poll shows that doctors believe that quality of life for dying patients is more important than working to extend that patient’s life for as long as possible.
Group Launches Effort To Improve Dental Health
Meanwhile, the Newshour reports on the difficulties that arise when people don’t have access to dental care.
GOP Hopefuls Tied In Iowa Poll
Fifty-eight percent of that poll’s registered republican or republican-leaning respondents said they would “rule out” a candidate who has favored a mandate to buy health insurance. In other news, a separate poll found 47 percent of Americans would support doing away with the health law. Meanwhile, protesters make their opinions known to Herman Cain and Mitt Romney.
Improper Payments Reduced By $17.6 Billion, White House Says
This reduction in wasteful or improper payments in social welfare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, applies to the year ending Sept. 30.
Health Officials Report More Than 200 Cases Of Typhoid In Zimbabwe’s Capital
“Health authorities say 207 cases of typhoid are being treated in Zimbabwe’s capital after a prolonged spell of unusually hot weather amid acute water shortages,” the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports. Prosper Chonzi, Harare city council health director, “said Tuesday the disease will be difficult to contain in impoverished townships relying on water from shallow, makeshift wells and marshlands,” and that “humanitarian agencies have been asked to help provide clean water,” the news service writes.
House Subcommittee Approves GOP-Backed Measure To Repeal CLASS Act
The panel gave voice vote approval to the bill on Tuesday. Democrats are poised to offer amendments to block the repeal.
Study: Medicare Changes Would Bring Costs To Many ‘Healthy’ Beneficiaries
The study, released Tuesday, was done by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
20% Of U.S. Adults Take Psychiatric Drugs
An analysis of pharmacy claims find that the use of prescriptions for antidepressants, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety drugs has increased over the past decade, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Wall Street Journal reports that stocks of nursing home companies and the landlords that rent to them have fallen since the federal government cut reimbursements.
State Roundup: Colo. Uninsured, Underinsured Rates Skyrocket
A selection of stories from Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Iowa and Louisiana.
Oregon Insurance Commissioner To Advise HHS On Exchanges
Teresa Miller, the state’s top insurance regulator, will be a senior adviser for state exchange outreach.
Viewpoints: The Supreme Court And The Health Law; Romney’s Plan For Care For Vets
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
Mass. And Calif. Insurers, Health Systems Facing Off
In Massachusetts and California, insurance companies are clashing with health care systems about the cost of care.
C-SPAN Wants To Broadcast Court Health Care Arguments
The Supreme Court has never allowed its arguments to be televised, but the not-for-profit network made the request in a letter sent Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, also has asked that the arguments be on TV.
Uninsured Discharged Faster From Hospitals, According To Study
The research in the Annals of Family Medicine does not draw conclusions about the effect of this development.
IRIN Examines Efforts To Train Midwives, Improve Maternal Health In Laos
“In 2010, for the first time in more than 20 years, 140 midwives graduated in Laos but specialists say their skills may go untapped because the country’s women are not used to visiting health workers,” IRIN reports. “Only 34 percent of women in Laos seek the advice of medical professionals; even fewer see one when they are pregnant, according to government data from 2009-2010,” the news service writes.
Austerity Measures In Europe May Cause Rise In Drug-Related HIV Infections, Report Says
“Austerity measures brought in to tackle Europe’s economic crisis may cause a rise in drug-related HIV infections as stretched health services struggle to cope, the E.U.’s narcotics agency said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “Greece, which is facing huge cutbacks, reported a large outbreak of HIV infections among drug users in July, the Lisbon-based agency said in its yearly report,” the news agency writes, noting, “New infections were also reported in Bulgaria, Estonia and Lithuania, it added.”
PlusNews Examines Shortages Of HIV Treatment Supplies In Swaziland
PlusNews examines Swaziland’s national shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) stocks, HIV tests, and lab tests necessary to initiate and manage HIV patients on treatment, and the country’s efforts to find funding to prevent stock-outs of these supplies. “Despite several bail-outs this year by international donors, neighboring countries and international NGOs, Swaziland remains in the grips of a months-long shortage of lab reagents needed for CD4 count testing, which measures the immune system’s strength and is needed to start patients on ARVs, as well as toxicity testing important in monitoring patients’ responses to treatment,” the news service writes, noting that funding received in April from PEPFAR will help supply first-line ARVs through April 2012 (11/15). According to BBC News, about 65,000 of the country’s 230,000 people living with HIV relies on state hospitals for ARVs (Simelane, 11/15).
IPS Interviews Head Of Cuban Research Team Working To Develop Dengue Vaccine
Inter Press Service interviews Maria Guadalupe Guzman, head of the Pedro Kouri Institute (IPK) Department of Virology and director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for the Study of Dengue and its Vector, who is leading of a team of Cuban researchers working to develop a vaccine against dengue. In the interview, Guzman discusses Cuba’s contributions to the field of dengue research, the influence of climate change on the transmission of dengue, and differences in the four strains of the virus (Grogg, 11/15).
