Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
A selection of opinions and editorials – some quite strong – from news organizations today.
WHO Warns Drug-Resistant TB Spreading In Europe At ‘Alarming’ Rate, Releases Plan To Fight Disease
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) “are spreading at an alarming rate in Europe and will kill thousands unless health authorities halt the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday” during the launch of “a new regional plan to find, diagnose and treat cases of the airborne infectious disease more effectively,” Reuters reports. “The WHO said that if the plan is fully implemented — at an estimated cost of $5 billion — 127,000 people will be successfully treated for drug-resistant TB and 120,000 deaths will be averted by 2015,” according to the news agency (Kelland, 9/13).
Obama’s Jobs Bill Pay-For: Taxing Health Benefits Of The Wealthy
The Obama administration request for a tax on top earners’ health insurance benefits is stirring Democratic opposition.
State Roundup: Mass. Health System, Insurer Near Reimbursement Deal
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
Without Action To Curb Antibiotic Resistance, Some Diseases May Once Again Become Untreatable
In this Atlantic Magazine opinion piece, Megan McArdle, senior editor at the Atlantic, echoes a warning by the FDA issued in 2001 which stated, “Unless antibiotic resistance problems are detected as they emerge, and actions are taken to contain them, the world could be faced with previously treatable diseases that have again become untreatable, as in the days before antibiotics were developed,” .
Pakistan’s Punjab Province Reports Growing Dengue Outbreak
“The government in Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab is struggling to control a growing dengue fever epidemic, officials say,” and they “have warned that it threatens to affect other parts of the country,” BBC News reports. “Punjab Health Secretary Jehanzeb Khan said that this year more than 4,000 cases of dengue fever had been reported, a significant increase over previous years,” and at least eight people have died of the disease, according to the news service. Officials “say that the illness is thriving because of poor hygiene, an absence of control measures and the fact that recent heavy monsoon rainfall has lowered temperatures and provided lots of water — ideal conditions for dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” the news service writes (Khan, 9/13).
