Latest KFF Health News Stories
Dwindling Donor Funding In Burundi Leads To National Shortage Of ARVs
“Burundian NGOs say at least 20 people have died” as a result of a “months-long shortage” of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), although “Ministry of Health officials could not be reached to confirm the number of people affected,” PlusNews reports. “More than 60,000 Burundians need HIV treatment, but only about 25,000 have access to ARVs,” according to the news agency, which adds, “The shortage has been blamed on dwindling donor funds and a disorganized health ministry.”
A summary of opinions and editorials from around the country.
More Medical Students Seeking MBAs; Paramedics Providing Primary Care Services
Several news outlets look at different aspects of physician training.
Rep. Berkley’s Efforts On Kidney Program Questioned
Nevada Democrat helped get federal regulators to back down from efforts to shut down a transplant program linked to her husband.
Abortion-Rights Supporters Looking To Courts For Help
Federal courts have been hesitant so far to support moves in a number of states by GOP officials to restrict abortion options. Last Friday, a judge in South Dakota said that while the state may require doctors to tell women about their legal relationship with the fetus, they do not have to tell women that an abortion increases their risk of suicide.
Business Leaders Concerned About Economic Impact Of Health Law
With the economy stalling, Republicans and industry officials are skeptical of the health overhaul.
‘Super Committee’ Scrutiny Of Medicare, Other Entitlements Expected To Be Very Tough
This week Congress begins new deficit-reduction talks and also has less than a month to finish spending bills or risk a government shutdown.
First Edition: September 6, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include reports from a GOP presidential candidate forum in South Carolina and analysis of what to expect as Congress returns to Washington.
Romney Faces Tea Party Critics, Especially On Health Care
Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney is courting the tea party, whose members disagree with the individual mandate to buy health insurance.
For Perry, Romney And Huntsman, Health Care Records Highlight Differences
News outlets report that, to win over tea party supporters and other Republican voters, candidates are emphasizing their opposition to the federal health law but their records on health care vary.
OMB Projects Slower Growth In Medicare, Medicaid Spending, But With A Caveat
Politico Pro reports that the new estimates released by the government agency predict federal spending will not increase as much as had earlier been predicted, but the projection also assumes cuts in Medicare pay to doctors. Those cuts seem unlikely.
Businesses Working Hard To Disgest Health Law Changes
The Austin Business Journal reports that for many businesses — especially those that help others deal with health matters — learning the news rules is tough. And MSNBC looks at one business that is helping physicians improve patient care.
Immigrant Dialysis Patients In Atlanta Again Face Treatment Crisis
Almost two dozen patients face the loss of life-saving treatment.
VA Chief Outlines Computer System To Cut Disability Backlog
Eric Shinseki says the new system will begin operation next year and will help clear hundreds of thousands of cases, The Des Moine Register reports.
State Roundup: Texas Disability Fight; Rights Of Fetus Asserted In Neb.
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
13 Indicted For Medicare Fraud In Puerto Rico; Federal Officials Use Hotline To Find Medicaid Fraud
Officials in Puerto Rico filed over a dozen indictments for health care fraud. Meanwhile, an innovative tool is being used by federal authorities seeking 170 alleged to have fled the country to avoid charges of Medicaid fraud.
Mississippi Challenge To Health Law Will Move Forward
Elsewhere, the Washington state attorney general gets approval from his state’s supreme court for joining with other AGs to challenge the health law.
Health Care Politics: Perry’s Stem Cell Controversy, Biden Medicare Fact Check
News outlets covered Gov. Perry’s controversial stem cell advocacy and his health care stance as well as Vice President Biden’s assertions on Medicare.
“As the Walter Reed Army Medical Center decamps from its D.C. campus this month and merges with the Bethesda Naval Hospital five miles away,” NPR reports on the legacy of “the center’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, housed for the past decade on its own campus in Maryland, just outside Washington, [as] one of the world’s premier research centers for infectious diseases.” The piece, which is part of the news agency’s series on the closure of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, notes, “No other place has done as much to prevent and treat malaria. And certainly, no one has done it so cheaply.”
