Latest KFF Health News Stories
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced in a speech at the International Food Policy Research Institute on Thursday that the U.S. has pledged an additional $17 million in emergency food aid to the Horn of Africa, with $12 million going to humanitarian operations in Somalia, Voice of America writes (Baragona, 8/11). “Clinton said
GOP Lawmaker Wants Health IT Study To Focus On Errors
Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting that the nation’s push for electronic medical records include a study of the medical error rates associated with this technology.
States Slashing At Least $4.7 Billion From Medicaid Plans
Reuters reports on a study of state cuts by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Also, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is looking to expand its Medicaid business and a California study explores the high number of young people without insurance.
Research Roundup: N.C. Health Centers Save Money
This week’s studies come from the Archives Of Internal Medicine, George Washington University School Of Public Health And Health Services, the National Bureau Of Economic Research, the Journal Of Nursing Care Quality and the Clinical Orthopedics And Related Research.
Sebelius Talks Health Insurance Exchanges
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius took questions from PBS Newshour viewers about these new health insurance marketplaces that were envisioned in the health law. Also in the news, analysis of the recess appointment of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Donald Berwick and more about what implementation activities are happening at the state level.
Viewpoints: Brownback’s ‘Snub’; The ‘Risks’ Of Medicaid Cuts; Congressional Alums On Debt Talks
A selection of opinions and editorials from news sources around the country.
Boston Health Organizations Plan Merger
Partners HealthCare and Neighborhood Health Plan sign letter of intent for merger. In other hospital issues, Parkland Hospital In Dallas is in danger of losing Medicare accreditation and Conn. regulators are criticized.
First Edition: August 12, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the full roster of the ‘super committee’ and how the GOP field of presidential hopefuls is faring in Iowa.
Experts Troubled By Global Rise In C-Section Rates
Almost one-third of infants in the U.S. are delivered by caesarean section (c-section), a trend that is now growing globally, PRI’s The World/PBS NewsHour reports. “The c-section rate in Thailand has reached 34 percent, in Vietnam, it is 36 percent, and in China, nearly half of all births are by c-section,” the article states.
ICRC Campaign Addresses Humanitarian Issue Of Health Care Security In Conflict Situations
“This week the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launches a global campaign
Rise of NCDs Is ‘Growing But Under-Addressed Challenge’ In Developed And Developing Countries
“The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)” is “a growing but under-addressed challenge in both the developed and developing world,” Jean-Luc Butel, executive vice president and group president for Medtronic’s international operations, writes in a Muskegon Chronicle opinion piece. “[S]hifting demographics, lifestyles and environmental factors in places like China and India have led to a dramatic increase in NCDs,” he writes, adding that “[e]stimates suggest NCDs will account for three out of every four deaths globally by 2030.”
GOP Deficit Panel Roster Set: What Are The Chances For A Deal?
Top Republicans have named their choices from the House and Senate to serve on the ‘super committee.’ These six lawmakers now join three Senate Democrats on the list – leaving only House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s picks unknown.
What Will The Panelists Bring To The ‘Super Committee’ Negotiations?
News outlets report on the personalities and records of the people who have been named to the deficit panel, and attempt to handicap how their politics could play into the deficit-reduction dynamics.
Spread Of Polio In Pakistan Threatening Goal Of Eradication
With 63 cases of polio diagnosed in Pakistan this year, nearly double the number recorded in the same time period 2010, the U.N. “says that these findings suggest Pakistan could be the ‘last polio reservoir worldwide’
NPR Examines How Religious Beliefs Influence Family Planning In Pakistan
NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Wednesday examined how Islam influences health and family planning decisions in Pakistan, one of Asia’s fastest-growing populations. In Pakistan, mullahs generally regard contraception as sin, a high rate of illiteracy among women undermines family planning and a lack of access to adequate health care contributes to a high maternal mortality rate, according to the piece, which profiles a mufti, a physician and two families making very different decisions about the size of their families (McCarthy, 8/10).
Rising Food Prices In East Africa Exacerbating Food Shortages, Famine, FAO Says
“The prices of grain and milk in the drought-hit Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have risen to record highs, exacerbating hardship for the estimated 12.4 million people in the region who are facing severe food shortages and famine in some parts of Somalia,” according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s August food price monitor, the U.N. News Centre reports (8/10).
State Roundup: Debt Deal And States; Ariz. Judge Appoves Medicaid Plan
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
WHO Declares End To Global Swine Flu Pandemic
“The World Health Organization is declaring an end to the global swine flu pandemic,” the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan “said Wednesday the pandemic is considered over by WHO’s emergency committee due to global factors and reports from several nations” and because “the new H1N1 virus has largely run its course,” according to the news agency.
