Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Next Round Of Mammogram Advice
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new recommendations that women should begin getting annual mammograms at age 40.
Health Insurance – There’s An App For That
In Japan, a cell phone company is linking health coverage to other mobile applications, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A Counter To Claims That Extending Medicaid Drug Rebates Would Help Reduce Deficit
The report, offered by the American Action Forum, argues that if these rebates are extended to “dual eligibles,” premium increases and cost-shifting could result.
Md.’s Rate-Setting Policies Explained; Palliative Care Rare In Ga.
This roundup of state hospital news also includes reports about a Mass. hospital company planning layoffs and the controversy over the proposed sale of a hospital in Denver.
Regulation Of Association Health Plans Triggers Questions
News outlets report on this and other issues related to implementation of the health law, including patient-centered outcomes research and how the so-called death-panel discussions are now echoing in the debate surround the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
Medigap Options Could Trigger Program Savings But More Enrollee Costs
Savings estimates range from $1.5 billion to $4.6 billion – depending on the proposal. Policymakers are currently eyeing some of these options to reduce Medicare costs in the ongoing deficit-reduction talks.
IRIN Reports On Challenges To Fighting Child Malnutrition In Nepal
IRIN examines the “silent epidemic” of child malnutrition in Nepal, where nearly half of all children under five have stunted growth and 13 percent of children over six months and under five years old have moderate or severe acute malnutrition under a measurement known as global acute malnutrition (GAM).
State Roundup: Ore. Cuts Insurer’s Rate Increase
News outlets report on a variety of state health issues.
Grand Bargains, Fall-Back Plans And Short-Term Deals – Debt Talk Status Checks
The status of ongoing negotiations to raise the debt ceiling changes daily, and news outlets report on the political and policy dynamics in play.
Longer Looks: The Effect Of Bedside Manner; Migraines And Sexism
This week’s articles come from Time, Columbia Journalism Review, Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, American Medical News and Modern Healthcare.
‘Gang Of Six’ Plan Includes Deep Health Care Cuts
The plan would repeal the health law’s long-term care provision and make deep reductions in Medicare and Medicaid that would impact hospital payments.
Financial Times Examines Product Development Partnerships Researching ‘Neglected’ Diseases
The Financial Times examines the rise of product development partnerships (PDPs), which are “non-governmental organizations that generate their own funding and build partnerships with universities, businesses, government and patients in low-income countries to develop new drugs, vaccines, prevention techniques and diagnostics for diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, cholera and meningitis.”
IAS Conference Concludes With Mostly Positive News On HIV Prevention
“Scientists on Wednesday wrapped up their biggest forum in the 30-year history of AIDS, unveiling stunning weapons to prevent the spread of HIV,” Agence France-Presse reports about the 6th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome. The article summarizes study findings presented at the conference, including research on treatment as prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), male circumcision, and flushing out latent reservoirs of HIV in the “quest for a cure” (Ingham, 7/20).
U.N. Increases Humanitarian Aid Need To $7.9B For 2011
The U.N. on Wednesday said during a donor meeting in Geneva that “it needs $7.9 billion this year, $500 million more than it had originally sought, to fund relief operations in the face of spreading humanitarian crises in Africa and Asia,” Reuters reports (7/20).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about some of the specific cuts included in the “Gang of Six” deficit-reduction plan.
AP Examines U.S. Focus On Branding Aid To Pakistan
The Associated Press examines recent U.S. efforts to more clearly brand aid to Pakistan.
Global Polio Eradication Efforts Unlikely To Meet 2012 Goal, Health Experts Say
An independent group of health experts, formed last year at the request of the WHO, on Wednesday warned that the world is not on track to eradicate polio by the end of 2012, the Associated Press reports.
Gates Foundation Announces Sanitation Grants, Calls For Toilet Innovation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on Tuesday that it plans to invest millions of dollars in projects aimed at improving sanitation in the developing world, the Guardian reports (Ford, 7/19).
