Latest KFF Health News Stories
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web.
Polls And Expectations For Deficit Panel
Two new polls indicate that Americans want the ‘super committee’ to reach an accord that includes new taxes on the wealthy and major cuts in domestic spending. Public opinion appears cool, though, to proposals to make significant changes in Medicare. Meanwhile, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist tells Kaiser Health News that this joint panel has a chance at finding success – even in lowering Medicare spending growth. But Pro Publica outlines why the deep partisan budget battles go beyond the work of this one group.
Pakistan Faces HIV/AIDS Spreading From High-Risk Groups To General Population
“For a long time, perceptions of Pakistan as a conservative Muslim country encouraged a belief that HIV/AIDS incidence would be non-existent or very low,” but “with the number of HIV cases rising, the government finally included it in its 2009 national health policy,” BBC News reports. However, the full extent of the disease “is still not widely acknowledged,” and “experts say the epidemic is not being properly tackled,” the article states.
Viewpoints: High-Cost Drugs And Medicare; Pitfalls For ACOs; Federal Funding Fix Hits Nursing Homes
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
BMJ News Examines WHO Financing And Reform
BMJ News examines financing for and efforts to reform the WHO, which “are raising concerns over conflict of interest.” The article looks at a reform package announced in May by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan at the World Health Assembly, as well as the first World Health Forum, set for November 2012. The forum, which aims to discover the expectations of global health players, “has yet to gain the formal approval of the [WHO] executive board, which will discuss it at its November meeting and again next January,” according to BMJ (Hawkes, 8/9).
Twitter, Facebook Emerging As Disease-Fighting Tools
Social media are quickly becoming a central part of the effort to protect public health.
Many Low-Income Seniors Go Without Enhanced Medicare Drug Coverage
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which says that as many as 2 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries are not enrolled in the Medicare Low-Income Subsidy Program, is stepping up efforts to market the assistance to consumers.
New Report Finds Lackluster Growth For Nonprofit Hospitals
Moody’s finds that the hospitals reporting the slowest rate of revenue growth in 20 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. Also in hospital news, a new urgent care center in New Orleans is off to a good start and California officials weigh one chain’s efforts to take over more facilities.
$28 Million Awarded To Help Establish New Community Health Centers
The funds, provided by the Department of Health and Human Services as a result of the health law, will help an estimated 286,000 people gain access to health care, according to HHS officials.
Kansas Rejects Health Law Exchange Grant
Kansas will send back its $31.5 million Early Innovator Grant to the Department of Health and Human Services, which would have helped pay for the development of the state’s online insurance exchange. Gov. Sam Brownback said he was returning the money because of doubts that the federal government would be able to maintain its promised future payments.
State Roundup: Report Finds Calif. Fails To Discipline 710 Doctors
News outlets report on a variety of state health care issues.
WHO Launches Online Nutrition Information System
The WHO “has launched a web-based information system it hopes will help prevent millions of people from suffering various forms of malnutrition, ranging from undernutrition to obesity, every year,” IRIN reports.
Study Examines Private Insurance Data
Findings show medical spending is very different when comparing private insurance data with Medicare spending rates.
Outlook: The Health Law And Its Various Battles
News outlets report on how timing issues could impact whether the challenges to the health law make it to the Supreme Court in the next term, how messages regarding efforts to overhaul the health care system are playing in presidential primary states and how opposition to “Obamacare” is motivating one Republican to consider joining the presidential contest.
Analysis: Health Insurance Premium Costs Vary Widely
Premiums were generally highest in the Northeast and lower in the South and Mountain states, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
CDC Director Lauds India For TB And Tobacco Use Control Efforts, Urges Preparations To Fight NCDs
CDC Director Thomas Frieden, who currently is visiting India and who previously worked with the Indian government assisting in tuberculosis (TB) control, praised the country’s “progress in controlling tuberculosis and tobacco use” on Monday during a speech to health practitioners and policymakers, according to the Wall Street Journal’s “India Real Time” blog. Frieden also noted “India’s strides in the past decade on
More Than 9M Afghans Facing Food Insecurity, WFP Says
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that 1.5 to 2 million more people in Afghanistan likely will be pushed into food insecurity later this year because of ongoing drought in the northern, northeastern and western parts of the country, IRIN reports. Seven million people in the country already are facing food shortages, according to the article.
Members Of U.S. Delegation To Horn Of Africa Discuss Response Efforts
The August 8 visit of a U.S. delegation to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa “was important in terms of shedding light on the important efforts that are under way and the importance of continued support from the international community,” Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Eric Schwartz said on Tuesday during a briefing on the trip, IIP Digital reports (Babb, 8/9).
