Latest KFF Health News Stories
Humanitarian Agencies Stand By In Pakistan As Floods Kill Up To 25, Displace Estimated 50,000 Others
“Predictions by Pakistan’s Meteorological Department of more rain in the days ahead have raised flood fears, especially in Sindh Province, as the monsoon season peaks,” IRIN reports (8/17). “United Nations humanitarian agencies in Pakistan are on standby after sustained rains have reportedly affected up to 750,000 people in Punjab and Sindh provinces, killing up to 25 and displacing some 50,000 others,” the U.N. News Centre reports. “The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) conducted informal assessments last week in some areas where there had been a significant loss of homes, and district authorities were already relocating families to shelters,” the news agency writes.
First Edition: August 17, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report about how the timing of the Supreme Court’s health law review is in play — will it happen before or after the 2012 election?
Global AIDS Funding In 2010 Down Nearly 10% From Previous Year, Kaiser/UNAIDS Report Says
“Spending on the global fight against AIDS fell significantly in 2010 for the first time since the U.S. and other governments began making major donations,” according to an annual funding analysis released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS, the Wall Street Journal reports. “All told, governments donated about $6.9 billion in 2010, down 9.7 percent from about $7.6 billion in the prior year, the report said,” the newspaper writes (McKay, 8/16).
Washington Post Examines History, Future Of Mosquito Control Efforts
The Washington Post looks at the history and future of disease-carrying mosquitoes, “the most deadly non-human animal on the planet.” The newspaper describes several mosquito-control methods, and poses the question, “If scientists could find a way to wipe out all mosquitoes
Emotions Hinder Disease Eradication
In a New York Times essay, journalist Donald McNeil writes, “To a doctor, all epidemics are objectively different
WFP Investigating Fraud Allegations In Somalia; U.N., Oxfam Call For Increased Assistance
The World Food Programme (WFP) does not plan “to reduce aid to Somalia following allegations that international food shipments there are being diverted,” the Associated Press reports. WFP spokesperson Christiane Berthiaume “told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the WFP investigation so far has no evidence of a large-scale fraud scheme,” the news agency writes (8/16). Noting it has “strong controls
U.S. ‘Can Be Proud’ Of Past, Future Investments To Improve Food Security
“Outside of immediate crisis relief,” such as the administration of measles vaccinations or oral rehydration therapy for children affected by diarrheal diseases, the U.S. government’s “past investments clearly are paying off” in the fight against drought and famine the Horn of Africa, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. “U.S.-supported early-warning networks identified the famine threat a year ago,” the government is working with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the U.N. to lessen the risk of corruption and looting of food aid, and “the multi-year, multi-agency Feed the Future program [is] stimulat[ing] research into making plants more nutritious and crops more drought-resistant,” he notes.
‘Super Committee:’ What’s To Become Of Medicare, Medicaid?
Although President Barack Obama continues to make clear that, in his view, reforming these entitlement programs is necessary to find budget savings, one policy expert says such cuts might have very little impact on deficit spending. Meanwhile, news outlets report on how lobbyists are taking position in an effort to best advance their clients interests to the deficit panel.
Obama Expresses Confidence That SCOTUS Will Uphold Health Law
Days after a federal appeals court overturned the measure’s individual mandate, President Barack Obama said the Supreme Court will uphold the law if it follows legal precedents when considering it.
Dutch Government To Release $143M In Frozen Qaddafi Funds To Buy Medicine For Libya
In response “to an urgent appeal from the WHO,” Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said on Monday that the country’s government is releasing $143 million “in frozen funds from Moammar Qaddafi’s regime and sending the money to the World Health Organization to buy medicine for the Libyan population,” according to Associated Press/Forbes. “Rosenthal said Monday he was able to free up the money only after [the] United Nations approved the plan, which will see medicines distributed to civilians in towns and cities held by both rebels and forces loyal to Qaddafi,” the AP writes (8/15).
Experts Fear Shrinking DOD Budget, Shifting AFRICOM Focus Could Threaten HIV Prevention Programs
A shrinking Department of Defense (DOD) budget and a shift in the focus of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to “more traditional military threats” to national security, such as “preventing terrorist safe havens on the continent,” could affect the department’s HIV prevention programs, Stars and Stripes reports. While officials say there currently is no intent to cut HIV prevention programming, “those initiatives will come under more scrutiny as AFRICOM operates in a tougher budget environment, according to command officials,” the news service writes.
The Washington Post Explores Comparative Effectiveness Research
This type of research, referred to in shorthand as “CER,” is viewed by many as a way to solve the perplexing question of how to best treat the hundreds of common ailments that are part of day-to-day medicine.
Debate Emerges Regarding Benefit Of CT Scans For Lung Cancer
Some hospitals are offering discounted CT scans to worried smokers, leading experts to question whether it’s a marketing strategy or offers some health benefit.
Drug Prices: Medicare Shells Out More Than Medicaid
A government report concludes that the reason for the cost differential is because Medicaid discounts are set by law while Medicare prices are negotiated with private companies.
Georgia Creating Consumer-Focused Electronic Health Records System
With a federal grant in hand, the ultimate goal is that this program could result in a national trend, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Worries In Neb. About Exchange Deadlines; Federal Grant For Conn.
State officials are taking steps to involve the public and put systems in place by the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline.
Nursing Home, Hospice Pay Triggers Questions, Concern, Action
News outlets report on a range of issues related to Medicare payment of these facilities, including losses that are expected to result from a new payment rule for nursing homes and the lobbying effort being undertaken by hospiece facilities.
