Latest KFF Health News Stories
GlobalPost reports on President Barack Obama’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) in Nepal, one of eight GHI focus countries, and examines whether “a long-standing U.S. law” that “prohibits U.S. funds from being used for abortion services overseas for the purpose of family planning … is hurting its efforts to improve health care” in the country.
CBO’s Latest Budget Projections Assume End Of ‘Doc Fixes’
The Congressional Budget Office projects that rebounding revenue, combined with the force of the debt-reduction deal that became law earlier this month, will reduce the deficit by an estimated $3.3 trillion.
‘Super Committee’ Leaders Say Progress Is Happening
Even before the panel is officially up and running, some interests are already preparing activities to protect their causes.
Injecting Mosquitoes With Bacterium Shows Potential For Dengue Elimination, Scientists Report
Injecting mosquitoes with the Wolbachia bacterium “can block them from transmitting the dengue virus and help control the spread of a disease that kills 20,000 annually in more than 100 countries,” a team led by Scott O’Neill, a geneticist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, reports in two papers published in Nature on Thursday, Reuters reports. The “researchers in Australia showed how female mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria passed the bug easily to their offspring, making them all dengue-free,” according to the news agency (Lyn, 8/24).
Cholera Strain Associated With Latest Pandemic Originated In Bangladesh, Researchers Report
“A cholera pandemic that has swept poor countries in three waves over nearly four decades has been traced to a bacterial strain that first emerged in Bangladesh, scientists reported on Wednesday,” Agence France-Presse reports. “The new probe, published in the British journal Nature, points to the likely role of modern travel in transmitting the bacteria — and the importance of the Gulf of Bengal as a ‘reservoir,’ or source from which the germ can always be transmitted,” AFP writes (8/24).
State Roundup: Appeals Court Says Ariz. Medicaid Co-Pays Violate Law
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
Mass. Towns Turning To New Options For Workers’ Health Care
Two news outlets look at efforts by local governments to curb their health care expenses.
Google Pays $500 Million Settlement In Pharmacy Ad Probe
With the settlement, the Internet search engine will not face criminal prosecution related to accusations that it improperly benefited from ads promoting Canadian pharmacies that illegally imported medicines into the United States.
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Survey Finds Health Law May Lead To Employee Benefits Shift
The findings come from professional services firm Towers Watson, which concluded that 9 percent of mid-sized to big employers will move away from offering workers health insurance after insurance exchanges become operational in 2014.
State Activity On Health Exchanges Continues
In Connecticut, the board overseeing the development of the state’s exchange is already under fire from consumer advocates. Meanwhile, in Kansas, representatives from the health industry are actively involved in the planning processes.
Advocates Back NAIC In Urging ‘Level Playing Field’ For Health Plans
In other health law implementation news, The Hill reports that the Obama administration will likely fall behind in implementing the CLASS Act. Meanwhile, the sweeping overhaul gets a vote of confidence from former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.
As Perry Leads The GOP Presidential Pack, His Health Policies Draw Interest
Talk is picking up regarding what exactly ‘Perrycare’ might look like and how much the nation’s health care system will factor into his campaign messages.
Longer Looks: Who Is Influencing Health Care?
Today’s articles come from Modern Healthcare, Time, Salon, Global Post, Huffington Post, Governing and American Medical News.
Hospitals In Libyan Capital In Urgent Need Of Supplies, Medications, MSF Says
“Conditions in Tripoli’s hospitals could become catastrophic without a rapid improvement in security in the Libyan capital, the emergency coordinator of aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) told Reuters on Wednesday.”
African Union Meeting Aims To Raise Funds For Humanitarian Relief In Horn Of Africa
The African Union (A.U.) “held a rare fundraiser in Ethiopia Thursday in a bid to plug a $1.1 billion shortfall in aid for millions facing starvation in the Horn of Africa’s worst drought in decades,” Agence France-Presse reports. The A.U. has pledged $500,000 of an estimated $2.4 billion “required to assist the 12.4 million drought victims,” according to AFP (Vaughan, 8/25).
Global Fund Official Says Global Economic Downturn Affecting Resource Mobilization
ABC Radio Australia’s “Connect Asia” features an interview with Christophe Benn, director of external relations for the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Benn said “it has become much more difficult to mobilize resources” since the 2008-09 economic downturn and “a great deal of mobilization, both of public and private donors” is needed to maintain ongoing projects that receive donations from the Global Fund (Cochrane, 8/23).
