Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of interesting opinions and editorials from around the country.
State News: Florida Effort Could Cost Consumers $60 Million In Rebates
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
China’s New Leadership Should End One-Child Policy
“Chinese officials are fiercely attached to the one-child policy. They attribute to it almost every drop in fertility and every averted birth: some 400m more people, they claim, would have been born without it,” an Economist editorial states, adding, “This is patent nonsense. Chinese fertility was falling for decades before the one-child policy took effect in 1979.”
“Demography is like a supertanker; it takes decades to turn around. It will pose some of China’s biggest problems. The old leadership is wedded to the one-child policy, but the new leadership, which is due to take over next year, can think afresh. It should end this abomination as soon as it takes power,” the Economist writes (7/21).
Deficit-Reduction Talks: Progress Or Stalemate?
As President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner continue trying to move toward an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain, reports indicate that wide differences remain.
In a post on the New York Times’ “Opinionator” blog, author and journalist Tina Rosenberg writes about the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and describes how it can help purchase AIDS drugs for “vast numbers of people.” She also notes “its most serious potential weakness”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that explore the impact of the uncertainty surrounding the debt talks on Medicare, Medicaid and state budgets.
Somali President Issues Appeal For Famine Assistance
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed on Wednesday “issued an urgent appeal for international aid” for famine assistance in his country during an exclusive interview with CNN at his residence in Mogadishu. “The situation is very severe. The conditions are very harsh,” he said (7/21).
House Foreign Affairs Committee Bill Would Place Restrictions On U.S. Aid, Cut U.N. Payments
“House Republicans sought to put their stamp on U.S. foreign policy Wednesday by advancing a bill that would slash federal payments to the United Nations and other international bodies and slap restrictions on aid to Pakistan, Egypt and others,” the Washington Post reports (Sheridan, 7/20).
Clinton Discusses Clean Cookstove Initiative In India
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday “used a visit to India to highlight the damage done to women and children’s health in poor countries by poor quality stoves,” Agence France-Presse reports (7/20). During her visit, Clinton announced that two major Indian trade federations would sign on to the clean cookstove initiative, which could help spread the concept as well as new cookstove technology, Reuters writes.
Fla., Idaho Differ On Federal Funds Tied To Health Law
While Florida rejects funding to help prevent child abuse because it is tied to the 2010 law, Idaho’s governor issues some waivers for his orders to avoid health law money.
NPR: Vaccine Cost-Benefit Analysis Complicates Guidelines
The group that advises the government on vaccine policy thinks some preventives are simply not worth the cost.
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
The Next Round Of Mammogram Advice
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new recommendations that women should begin getting annual mammograms at age 40.
Health Insurance – There’s An App For That
In Japan, a cell phone company is linking health coverage to other mobile applications, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A Counter To Claims That Extending Medicaid Drug Rebates Would Help Reduce Deficit
The report, offered by the American Action Forum, argues that if these rebates are extended to “dual eligibles,” premium increases and cost-shifting could result.
Md.’s Rate-Setting Policies Explained; Palliative Care Rare In Ga.
This roundup of state hospital news also includes reports about a Mass. hospital company planning layoffs and the controversy over the proposed sale of a hospital in Denver.
Regulation Of Association Health Plans Triggers Questions
News outlets report on this and other issues related to implementation of the health law, including patient-centered outcomes research and how the so-called death-panel discussions are now echoing in the debate surround the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
Medigap Options Could Trigger Program Savings But More Enrollee Costs
Savings estimates range from $1.5 billion to $4.6 billion – depending on the proposal. Policymakers are currently eyeing some of these options to reduce Medicare costs in the ongoing deficit-reduction talks.
IRIN Reports On Challenges To Fighting Child Malnutrition In Nepal
IRIN examines the “silent epidemic” of child malnutrition in Nepal, where nearly half of all children under five have stunted growth and 13 percent of children over six months and under five years old have moderate or severe acute malnutrition under a measurement known as global acute malnutrition (GAM).
