Latest KFF Health News Stories
Global Child Mortality Rate Is Shrinking, But Not Enough To Reach MDG, UNICEF/WHO Report Says
“The annual number of children who die before they reach age five is shrinking, falling to 7.6 million global deaths in 2010 from more than 12 million in 1990, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday” in their annual report (.pdf) on child mortality, Reuters reports. “Overall, 12,000 fewer children under age five die each day than a decade ago,” according to the report, the news agency notes. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement that “many factors are contributing to reductions in child mortality, including better access to health care for newborns, prevention and treatment of childhood diseases, access to vaccines, clean water and better nutrition,” the news agency writes (Steenhuysen, 9/14).
Number Of Breast, Cervical Cancer Cases Rose Significantly Over Past 30 Years, Global Study Says
“The number of cases and deaths from breast and cervical cancer is rising in most countries across the world, especially in poorer nations where more women are dying at younger ages, according to a global study of the diseases” by researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Reuters reports. Between 1980 and 2010, breast cancer cases more than doubled worldwide, rising from 641,000 cases in 1980 to 1.6 million cases in 2010, while deaths from breast cancer rose from 250,000 a year to 425,000 a year, according to the study, which was published in the Lancet on Thursday, Reuters notes. The “number of cervical cancer cases rose from 378,000 cases in 1980 to 454,000 in 2010, and deaths from cervical cancer rose at almost the same pace as cases,” the news service writes (Kelland, 9/15). The majority of new cases occurred among women under age 50 in low-income nations, BBC News writes (Briggs, 9/14).
IRIN examines how community health workers and international aid organizations, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres and the International Rescue Committee, are working to provide safe and adequate health facilities in refugee camps on the Kenya-Somalia border where women can give birth.
Follow-Up Study Of HIV Vaccine Trial Provides Clues For Continued Research
“After two years of analyzing the results of the largest AIDS vaccine clinical trial ever held — called RV144 — researchers say they have found two ways the immune system can respond, which could predict whether those inoculated will be protected or are more likely to become infected with HIV,” CNN’s health blog “The Chart” reports. The results were presented at the AIDS Vaccine 2011 conference being held this week in Bangkok, Thailand (Young, 9/13).
First Edition: September 15, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about what might be included in President Obama’s detailed plan to tame the federal federal budget. Here’s a hint: Social Security changes are unlikely, but what about Medicare?
Census Data Trigger Discussion About Nation’s Uninsured
The data, released yesterday, also focus attention on issues of poverty in the United States, on the role of government programs and on the future of employer-sponsored insurance.
Debt Panel Sets To Work Amidst Challenging Economic Picture
As the CBO director spoke at the panel’s Tuesday hearing and provided a bleak impression of the economic forces the 12 members will confront, Republicans and Democrats on the ‘super committee’ appear to be toeing the usual party lines, with GOP members focusing on entitlement programs and government health care spending, and Democrats pressing for higher tax revenue.
WHO Releases Global Status Report On NCDs Calling Chronic Diseases World’s Leading Killer
The WHO “published a report Wednesday showing the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular illness around the world, along with countries’ abilities to cope with the growing number of people affected by them,” the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (9/13). In the report, “the WHO said 36 million people died of chronic diseases in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available,” VOA News writes, adding, “More than a quarter of those people were less than 60 years old” (9/13). The report’s release coincides with the first U.N. summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which is scheduled to take place in New York September 19-20, the AP notes (9/13).
Administration Steps Up Focus On Improper Health Care Payments
The effort, part of a government-wide initiative to reduce wasteful spending, will get a high-profile boost today from Vice President Joe Biden when the entire Cabinet meets today on the subject.
Survey: State Medicaid Programs Increasingly Reliant On Managed Care
The survey, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that states are turning to managed care programs to control their Medicaid costs.
A UNICEF report (.pdf) released on Tuesday suggests that gender disparities between boys and girls in developing countries are relatively small in children’s early years, but as children approach adolescence, gaps widen in areas such as education, health, nutrition and protection, Xinhua reports (9/13). According to the report, “[h]ealth and education disparities between boys and girls in developing countries tend not to emerge until adolescence, when girls face increased risks of child marriage, HIV/AIDS infection and domestic violence,” TrustLaw writes.
GOP Debate Audience’s Reaction To Treating Uninsured Sparks Controversy
When presidential hopeful Ron Paul was asked if society should let an uninsured man who needs treatment die, some members of the audience cheered.
Health Industry, Insurers Launch Coalition To Sign Up Uninsured
Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that federal officials are seeking input regarding a health overhaul provision.
Pennsylvania District Court Judge Strikes Down Mandate
In the latest development as challenges to the health law work their way through the court system, a Pennsylvania judge struck down the individual mandate as well as provisions dealing with guaranteed issue and pre-existing conditions.
Perry’s HPV Vaccine Order Still Resonates, Bachmann Also Takes Heat
Pediatricians’ group and others say there is no evidence to support GOP presidential candidate’s comments that inoculations against the human papillomavirus can cause mental retardation.
HHS Closes Off Public Access To National Practitioner Data Bank
By law, the records are supposed to be confidential, though available to researchers. However, in recent years, reporters across the country have managed to manipulate the data to reveal names of providers in stories. Patient advocacy groups are protesting the shutdown.
The Value Of Work-Based Wellness Programs
CBS News reports that recent research has found that workplace wellness efforts lead to significant savings in health care costs.
