Latest KFF Health News Stories
EU To Provide $14.5M For Emergency Food Aid To North Korea
“Responding to the growing threat of a humanitarian crisis in North Korea, the European Union announced on Monday that it will provide about $14.5 million in emergency aid to feed more than some 650,000 North Koreans,” the New York Times reports (Castle/McDonald, 7/4).
Study Finds Heart Stents Often Overused
The research, which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, finds overuse is prevalent regarding this invasive treatment, which tallies an estimated $12 billion a year in health care costs.
With Minn. Budget Talks Stalled, Social Services Make Funding Plea
A state district court has ordered programs essential to life, health and public safety to continue during the shutdown. A judge is now holding hearings and will make recommendations about which programs fall into this category.
Connecticut First State To Require Paid Sick Time
The measure, which was signed into law Tuesday by the governor, will benefit — say its backers — between 200,000 and 300,000 workers. Its opponents argue the requirement will make the state less competitive. In related news, Denver voters could consider a similar measure on the November ballot.
Medicare Coverage, Pricey Cancer Drugs And The ‘Rationing’ Issue
PBS Newshour reports on how the decision from Medicare officials to cover certain cancer drugs highlights the complexity involved in this debate.
Efforts To Reduce Medicaid Costs Leave Docs, Hospitals Feeling Pinch
In an effort to contain health care costs, dozens of states are reducing Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals. A report from a University of Kansas researcher, however, finds a “glaring need” for more preventive services and patient education and argues these steps are ways to control Medicaid spending.
Medicare Could Owe Billions To State Medicaid Programs
Governors are pushing the Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse their states money that was spent on providing health care services to people with disabilities who were mistakenly denied Medicare benefits. The error is attributed to the Social Security Administration and cost state Medicaid programs an estimated $4 billion.
Viewpoints: Preserving Medicaid; Drug Risks, Headlines; Health Law Flaw
A selection of opinions and editorials from around America.
State Roundup: Health Officials In Calif. Draw High Pay
News outlets examine a variety of state health policy issues.
Rate Review Issue Faces Key Vote In Calif.; Veto In Conn.
Meanwhile, some experts are questioning whether states can effectively control premium increases.
U.N. Women Report Examines Women’s Access To Justice Worldwide
“More than half of working women in the world, 600 million, are trapped in insecure jobs without legal protection, according to the first flagship report of the new agency U.N. Women. A similar number do not have even basic protection against domestic violence, it finds, while sexual assault has become a hallmark of modern conflict,” the Guardian reports.
British Company Designing Genetically Modified Mosquito To Fight Dengue
NPR’s All Things Considered on Tuesday examined the efforts of the British company Oxitec to develop a genetically modified mosquito meant to wipe out wild populations of the insects, which carry potentially lethal diseases such as dengue.
Puerto Rico Reports First Cholera Case Linked To Outbreak In Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico has reported its first case of cholera imported by a recent traveler to the island of Hispaniola, where a cholera outbreak began in October, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.
Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes Becoming Increasingly Resistant To Pyrethroid Insecticides
Mosquitoes that carry malaria are increasingly becoming resistant to pyrethroid insecticides, which are the only insecticides approved by WHO to treat bed nets and are the most effective and cost efficient for indoor spraying, Nature News reports.
Sen. Rubio Defends Foreign Aid In Video Response To Constituent Letter
“Freshman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is becoming an increasingly critical and hawkish voice on the Obama administration’s foreign policy, but he is actually a supporter of U.S. foreign assistance programs and made the case for maintaining this funding to his constituents last week,” Foreign Policy’s “The Cable” blog writes.
Global Food Production Needs To Double By 2050 To Achieve Food Security, Survey Shows
Global food production will have to increase 70 to 100 percent by 2050 to feed the world’s predicted 9 billion people, and that increase is only possible if more sustainable farming methods are used, according to the U.N.’s annual World Economic and Social Survey released on Tuesday, VOA News reports (7/5).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how budget pressures and the deficit reduction negotiations are having an impact on Medicare and Medicaid.
