Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cholera Outbreak Hits Kenya’s Largest Refugee Camp
“Cholera has broken out in the world’s largest refugee camp in Kenya, home to nearly 500,000 Somali refugees, the United Nations said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports (Nebehay, 11/15). “There are now 60 cases of cholera in [Kenya’s Dadaab complex], including 10 laboratory-confirmed cases and one refugee death, according to Andrej Mahecic, a spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” the U.N. News Centre writes.
Malawi Government Addressing Drug, Medical Supply Shortages In Wake Of Aid Withdrawals
As international donors “remain reluctant to release aid meant for the health sector” in Malawi “amid allegations of pilfering and corruption in the procurement of drugs,” “patients seeking medical treatment at government-run medical facilities are unable to access medication such as antiretrovirals (ARVs), anti-malarial drugs and even painkillers,” Inter Press Service reports, adding, “Health facilities are also experiencing a shortage of medical equipment such as gloves, and malaria and HIV/AIDS testing kits.”
CNN Profiles Global Soap Project’s Work In Sanitation
As part of its “CNN Heroes” series, CNN examines the Global Soap Project, started by Derreck Kayongo, a Ugandan war refugee and one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011. The organization works with more than 300 hotels in the U.S. to collect used bars of soap, clean them and reprocess them to be distributed in countries such as Haiti, Kenya, Swaziland and Uganda, CNN reports. “Across the globe, 2.4 billion people do not have access to clean sanitation, according to the World Health Organization,” and “[a]n estimated 1.5 million children die every year because their immune systems are not mature enough to battle diarrheal and respiratory diseases spread in contaminated environments,” the news service writes (Fantz, 11/15).
First Edition: November 16, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more analysis of Supreme Court’s upcoming consideration of the health law, and the latest developments regarding the Super Committee.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s November 8 speech at the NIH, in which she called for the creation of an “AIDS-free generation” through the use of combination prevention strategies, “could be more than just political lip-service: it may also shape the next several years of U.S. global health programming and funding, analysts say,” PlusNews reports. “‘It’s the first time the U.S. has outlined a policy goal on how to reach an AIDS-free generation,’ explained Jennifer Kates,” vice president and director of Global Health & HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, the news service writes. “Natasha Bilimoria, president of the Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, … says she hopes Clinton’s ‘incredibly strong message’ will be backed by strong funding commitments for the next financial year,” the news service writes (11/14).
High Court To Hear Health Care Case As 2012 Campaign Heats Up
The justices’ announcement sets the stage for March oral arguments and a decision likely in late June – in the midst of the 2012 presidential season.
What Will Be At Stake When The Supreme Court Offers A Decision?
In the wake of the justices’ announcement that they will hear the health law challenge, media outlets offer analyses of the key issues and political stakes that will be part of the mix.
GOP Presidential Candidates Assail Possible Tax Changes In Deficit Deal
As members of the super committee race against the clock in their quest for a plan to reduce the deficit, some of the Republicans running for president criticize efforts that would raise taxes.
ACO Service Industry Booms; New Poll Finds Spike In Support For Mandate
Modern Healthcare reports on the many companies that are lining up to play a role in the services, marketing and other related ventures to support accountable care organizations. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports on a poll released Monday that shows support for the health law’s individual mandate is growing.
High Court Justices Will Not Consider Health Law In A Vacuum
News reports track some of the justices’ issues that will be a part of the consideration of these challenges — among them, how the case will shape the legacy of Chief Justice John Roberts.
White House Continues To Push Health Care Policies, Sidestepping Congress
Using executive branch powers, the Obama administration has laid out new steps to cut fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, and announced that $1 billion of federal funding will go toward innovation programs designed to boost jobs and improve patient care.
State Roundup: Calif. High Deductibles Spark Lawsuit; New Ark. Medicaid Chief
A selection of stories from California, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Arkansas.
States Seeking Waivers, Moving Ahead On Health Reform Implementation
Some states are planning health insurance exchanges and are applying for grants to improve care.
Romney Assailed For Mass. Effort To Stop Care For Sick Girl
The Miami Herald reports that a conservative website has raised questions about the former governor’s role in a case in which a state agency sought to stop life support for a young girl who later came out of her coma.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
This is Africa reports on how changing priorities for major generic drug producing countries, such as Brazil, India and China — countries that “redefined affordable drugs, making access to medicines possible for millions in low-income regions” — and greater adoption of intellectual property rules could reshape the African pharmaceutical landscape, potentially leading to price increases.
Streamlining Clinical Trials Review Process To Speed Up Delivery Of Drugs To Those In Need
In this Atlantic opinion piece, Amanda Glassman, director of Global Health Policy at the Center for Global Development (CGD), reports on how “lengthy, inefficient review processes” or “non-existent regulatory capacity” in some developing countries for drug and vaccine candidates waiting in the pipeline is keeping new medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic techniques from reaching millions in need. Glassman highlights a number of trials that were delayed due to regulatory and ethical approval processes, writing, “Not only do these delays prevent access to effective treatments by a growing number of patients,” but “they can lead to unnecessary costs that eat away at already small budgets to find new cures for neglected diseases.”
