Latest KFF Health News Stories
New Laboratory In Kenya Will Research, Monitor Emerging Infectious Diseases
“A laboratory that will research and monitor emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) such as yellow fever and dengue” was launched in Kenya last month “in an attempt to tackle growing vector-borne health threats in the region,” SciDev.Net reports. “The Martin Luscher Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases was launched with support from the German and Swiss governments at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) … and is expected to add capacity to respond to disease outbreaks,” the news service writes.
Keeping HIV Patients On ART Will Have Long-Term Economic Benefits, Study Shows
Investments to keep 3.5 million people living with HIV on antiretroviral drugs provided by programs co-financed through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through 2020 will cost an estimated $14.2 billion, but “the financial savings would amount to between $12 billion and $34 billion,” according to a study published in the journal PLoS One, Sarah Boseley reports in her “Global Health Blog” in the Guardian (10/5).
CNBC.com Examines Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals In Special Report
In a special report, CNBC.com examines “the world of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, from the dangers they pose and where they’re made, to what is being done to combat them.” The news service notes that “[i]n some countries, counterfeit prescription drugs comprise as much as 70 percent of the drug supply and have been responsible for thousands of deaths in some of the world’s most impoverished nations, according to the World Health Organization (WHO),” and adds that counterfeit drugs also affect people in developed nations (Toscano, 10/4).
PBS NewsHour Reports mHealth Applications Show Promise But Need Further Research
The use of mobile phones for medical purposes, or mHealth, holds “promising implications,” but “there are still some challenges to overcome,” PBS NewsHour reports. Additional research is necessary to determine whether people act on health-related text messages and whether the messages have value for a user, to “questions … around whether applications can be used across all mobile devices, and how to charge cell phones in areas where electricity is spotty or nonexistent,” the news service writes. “Despite all of the challenges, there is progress, especially in the area of collecting health information,” NewsHour notes (Epatko, 10/5).
First Edition: October 6, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the latest from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail, as well as findings from new research related to health care quality issues.
Some Signals Point To New Phase For ‘Super Committee’
Republicans on the panel appear more open to revenue-raising proposals, while Democrats may be more willing to trim health care costs. As discussions continue to surround tax and entitlement questions, the Medicare physician payment fix is one issue on the radar. Doctors groups are also urging the panel to consider limits on medical malpractice suits as a means to achieve health care savings.
Health Law Components, Specifics And Challenges Take Shape
News outlets focus on various elements of the health law’s implementation that are currently in play, including the court challenges to the individual mandate, what the “essential benefits” package might look like, accountable care organization antitrust issues and the future of the CLASS program.
Health Care Fraud Case Touches D.C.’s Lobbying World
Politico details how a range of Medicare fraud and abuse allegations involve a trade association and a number of K Street lobbying and law firms.
NIH Director Collins Outlines Government’s Role In Scientific Innovation
In a KQED interview, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins discussed a range of topics, including the state of medical research funding.
Obama Sharpens Health Care Message
At a political fundraiser, President Barack Obama stepped up charges against the GOP, saying the party’s policies will keep Americans uninsured. Also in the news, a Democrat in West Virginia wins a special gubernatorial election in spite of Republican efforts to tie him to Obama and the new health law.
Britain To Pledge $31M Over Four Years To Carter Center Campaign To Eradicate Guinea Worm
“At a press briefing in London on Wednesday, British officials are expected to pledge 20 million pounds ($31 million) over four years to” a campaign led by the Carter Center, the WHO, and the CDC to eradicate guinea worm, a parasitic disease that now exists only in four African countries, by 2015, the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports. Former President Jimmy Carter and British officials are urging other donors to come forward with additional funding, the news service writes (10/4). The WHO “reports it is very close to eradicating guinea worm” and that “it needs $350 million to finish the job,” VOA News notes (Schlein, 10/4).
Viewpoints: Examining The Danish Fat Tax And Anti-Cheese Billboards; Prioritizing Kids’ Vaccines
A selection of today’s opinions and editorials from around the nation.
How Common Is Palliative Care In Hospitals?
The answer, according to a survey released by the Center to Advance Palliative Care, is mixed.
State Roundup: N.Y. Authorizes Bailout Of Union Insurance Fund
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
Study: Living Wills Curb Medicare Costs In High-Spending Areas
New research published in the Oct. 5 issue of JAMA found that, if end-of-life advance directives were in place, Medicare savings could be achieved if areas with high health care spending behaved more like those with low spending.
Home Health Stocks Suffer Fallout From Senate Investigation
Stocks for three home health care providers fell Tuesday after the Senate Finance Committee released findings of an investigation that indicated these companies “gamed the Medicare system.”
Medicare Enrollment Ends Early This Year
Health News Florida reports that nearly two-thirds of seniors don’t know that the Medicare enrollment period is occurring earlier than usual this year. Meanwhile, The Hill reports on one member of the U.S. Senate who is holding a strong line against raising Medicare’s eligibility age.
Shah Announces Additional Funding To Fight Food Insecurity During Visit To Ethiopia
During a visit to Ethiopia’s capital on Tuesday, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah announced new grant programs to help the nation address food insecurity, the Associated Press reports. Shah said the U.S. will provide $110 million to a food security program that will benefit 1.5 million people, $10 million for a nutrition program and $1.2 million for loans to farmers, the news agency notes (10/4).
