Latest KFF Health News Stories
U.S. Should Continue Funding Maternal Health Programs In Afghanistan As Troop Drawdown Begins
The success of the Afghan Safe Birth Project, funded by HHS, and the Community Midwife Education program, supported by USAID, in helping reduce maternal mortality in Afghanistan “is in jeopardy
Seattle Times Examines Gates Foundation’s Efforts To Enhance Vitamins In Crops For Africans
The Seattle Times on Sunday examined efforts by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “to boost the levels of vitamins and minerals in crops many Africans rely on for the bulk of their diets.”
Foreign Aid Should Enhance, Not Replace, Domestic Health Spending In Developing Countries
A case in Uganda of a woman bleeding to death while giving birth “underscores an unintended consequence of global health aid,” a Globe and Mail editorial writes, adding that “in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, a reverse trend is under way; for every $1 of development assistance for health, governments have reduced their spending,” according to a study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
Jill Biden Leads U.S. Delegation To Kenya To Assess Conditions In Horn Of Africa
Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz and Special Assistant to the President Gayle Smith arrived in Kenya on Monday to assess and raise awareness of the famine conditions in the Horn of Africa, Capital FM News reports (Kaberia, 8/8). “Biden’s trip is the highest-profile U.S. visit to drought-stricken East Africa since the numbers of refugees began dramatically increasing in June,” according to the Associated Press (Straziuso, 8/8).
Leprosy Spreading in India, WHO Official Warns
“Six years after leprosy was declared officially eliminated in India, officials and doctors are warning that the disfiguring disease is spreading in poverty-stricken pockets of the country,” Agence France-Presse reports. According to Nata Menabde, head of the WHO in India, the number of new cases of leprosy exceeds the agency’s target of less than 10 new cases per 100,000 in about 209 out of 640 districts in the country, the news agency notes.
Viewpoints: Emanuel On Cancer Care; George Bush – ‘Health Reformer?’; Hiassen On Fla. ‘Trolls’
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
State Roundup: Calif. Adult Day Care Plan?; R.I. Shift To Medicare
News outlets examine a variety of state health policy issues.
Former OMB Health Policy Adviser To Lead Penn Medical Ethics Dept.
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a bioethicist, will join the University of Pennsylvania faculty Sept. 1.
House Call Program Improves Quality Of Care For Vets In Philadelphia
iWatch News reports on this novel initiative, called the Independence at Home program.
Pawlenty Campaigns Hard On Health Care But His Record Is Complicated
The former Minnesota governor is an ardent foe of Obama’s health plan and dismisses health reform efforts by Mitt Romney in Massachusetts. The Minnesota Star Tribune and Kaiser Health News explore how Pawlenty handled the issue.
Health Care Sector Shows Muscle In Job Report
The health care industry added 31,300 jobs last month, higher than its average monthly increase since 2007.
Number Of Cancer Survivors To Increase Exponentially
The field of providing care to these survivors is relatively new, but is gaining attention.
CMS Unveils Updated Website To Help Consumers Compare Quality Data
Officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Friday that site includes updated data to help consumers compare hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, home care or dialysis providers.
USA Today: Medicare’s Hospice Costs Show Dramatic Increase
This rate of growth is more than that of any other health care sector.
Health Law Tests Include Controlling Premium Costs
Meanwhile, Texas and Michigan are seeking waivers from the law’s medical-loss ratio rule and the Department of Health and Human Services posts information about patients’ appeals rights.
Provider Groups Weigh In With Supreme Court On Calif. Medicaid Case
In other Medicaid news, Texas switches its Medicaid recipients to cards instead of using monthly proof-of-coverage letters to save cash while some advocates worry that children’s health could be at risk.
Maternal Mortality Rate Quadruples in South Africa, According To Human Rights Watch Report
“South Africa’s maternal mortality rate has quadrupled while most African countries have cut that crucial health indicator
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the impact of Standard & Poor’s downgrade on the challenge ahead for ‘super committee’ when it tries to take on entitlement spending.
Turning From Debt Debate, Some GOP House Members Renew Health Law Attack
The Hill reports on town hall meetings held by members of Congress at home during the August break where the health overhaul is a key topic again.
S & P Downgrade Puts Pressure On ‘Super Committee’ To Fix Entitlements
News outlets connected Friday’s Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the country’s credit rating to AA+, instead of AAA, to the partisan debt deal.
