Latest KFF Health News Stories
Famine Will Spread In Somalia Unless ‘Massive’ Response Mounted, U.N. Says
The famine in the Horn of Africa is getting worse, and unless there is “a massive increase in the response, the famine will spread to five or six more regions” in Somalia, Valerie Amos, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told reporters on Monday, Reuters reports. Amos said the U.N. needs an additional $1.4 billion to help those in need and that the African Union would soon hold a funding conference, the news agency notes (Charbonneau, 8/1).
State Roundup: Fla. To Limit HMO Choices For State Workers
News outlets report on a variety of state health issues.
Reducing Commodity Costs For ARVs Could Mean Providing Treatment To Millions More People
“Reducing commodity costs [for antiretroviral drugs] by a mere five to 10 percent can represent hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for the global community. In turn these savings translate into millions of more patients who can receive access to life-saving treatment,” David de Ferranti, president of Results for Development Institute (R4D), and Kanika Bahl, managing director at R4D, write in a Huffington Post opinion piece. They discuss a strategic plan for increasing access to and lowering the cost of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) that R4D developed for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Becoming More Common In Europe, Study Shows
“Worm infestations, food parasites, Chagas disease, sand fly-transmitted infections and other neglected tropical diseases usually found in Africa and Asia are turning up more often in Europe, according to a new study” published recently in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases by researchers from the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the New York Times reports.
Editorials Dissect Debt Deal, Contraception, HSAs, Long-Term Care
A selection of ediorials from around the country.
Different Health Care Delivery Systems Offer Differing Visions Of Efficiency
One California partnership that involved a large insurance company, a major hospital chain and a group of doctors has reduced health care costs. But a new report shows that the growing number of hospital-based physicians may ultimately be taxing Medicare resources. Meanwhile, a public hospital’s attempt to redesign its care delivery model offers “a mircrocosm of reform goals.”
GlobalPost Interviews USAID Officials About Family Planning, Funding
GlobalPost’s “Global Pulse” blog features an interview with Ellen Starbird, deputy director of the Office of Population and Reproductive Health at USAID, and Judy Manning, health development officer in USAID’s Research, Technology and Utilization Division, who discuss “family planning and reproductive health issues, including new innovations and promising technologies still in the research stage.” Starbird says that funding for family planning programs is critical for “making possible for women in the developing world the kinds of choices that women all over the developed world have” (Donnelly, 8/1).
Debt Deal Raises Concerns For States
State officials worry that federal funding for health and other programs could be squeezed by the special congressional committee that will hammer out further spending cuts.
Health Insurance Exchange Administrator Announces HHS Exit
Joel Ario, the Health and Human Services official who has been responsible for the development of the health law’s health insurance exchanges, is leaving the agency.
Super Committee’s Muscle Draws Interest, Questions
Some lawmakers are questioning the powerful panel’s ability to recommend changes to entitlement programs and the tax code. This group must present a deficit-reduction package to Congress by Nov. 23. Failure to do so would lead to across-the-board cuts to high-priority programs such as defense spending and Medicare.
Judge Temporarily Bars Kansas From Cutting Planned Parenthood Funds
New state law would have stripped federal family planning funds from going to Planned Parenthood.
New HHS Rule Requires Insurance Coverage For Contraception
The regulations, which were issued Monday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, implement what is likely to be one of the most wide-reaching and popular provisions of the health law.
Women’s eNews Examines U.N. Women’s Position on Abortion
U.N. agencies “are shying away from the politically volatile topic [of abortion], despite mounting evidence that restricted abortion access contributes to maternal deaths and constitutes a violation of a woman’s human rights,” Women’s eNews reports.
PBS NewsHour Profiles Projects Competing In Saving Lives At Birth Challenge
PBS NewsHour on Monday profiled five projects to improve maternal and child health that are competing for a share of $14 million in research grants through the Saving Lives at Birth challenge.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including how the specifics of the debt-ceiling deal might impact Medicare providers.
Obama, Congressional Leaders Strike Debt-Limit Deal
The agreement must now win the approval of rank-and-file members. Within the agreed-upon framework, the second wave of cuts could touch payments to Medicare providers, but beneficiaries would not be hit.
Exploring The Debt Deal’s Repercussions
Politico asks if the agreement will muddy the Medicare waters. Meanwhile, USA Today examines the political damage that it may ultimately cause.
