Latest KFF Health News Stories
Debt-Ceiling Negotiations Stall
A top Republican walks away from the bargaining table. Meanwhile, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, a former Clinton administration official testified that the current budget crisis is not being caused by Medicare and Medicaid costs, but by inadequate revenue and the sluggish economy.
Health Law Implementation Progress, Issues Continue To Draw Attention
For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure’s health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow. And consumer advocates are reacting negatively to a scaled back Health and Human Services rule on consumer appeals. All the while, politics continue to be in play surrounding how both parties are pursing their health care agendas.
Shah Discusses U.S. Aid In Afghanistan After Troop Drawdown
As USAID “is going to have to do more with less as it faces serious budget cuts,” NPR’s Morning Edition spoke with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah “about what the troop drawdown in Afghanistan will mean for U.S. assistance for Afghanistan.”
Conference Examines Family Planning Benefits For Health
Family planning “is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent illness and save lives in the world’s poor countries,” according to health experts gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at a conference sponsored by the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, GlobalPost’s “Africa Emerges” blog reports.
Research Roundup: Revamping Public Health Law; Pay-For-Performance
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, the Archives of Surgery, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Institute of Medicine, The American Journal of Public Health and The Employment Benefit Research Institute.
State Highlights: Calif. Insurance Regulatory System Criticized
News outlets report on developments in state health policies.
Ryan Budget Plan Proves Divisive Point In Senate Primary Election Campaigns
Democrats also continue to view members’ support for the plan’s Medicare changes, which would signficiantly alter the program’s current shape, as a theme in attack ads. Case in point: the campaign against Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-Minn.
As States Approach New Budget Years, Many Will Be Cutting Medicaid
States have taken a variety of trims, from stopping payments for circumcisions in Colorado to reducing payments for rehabilitation services in Kansas to increased co-payments in California.
Viewpoints: Sebelius Defends IPAB; Wash Post On Debt Talks And Entitlements
A small selection of opinions and editorials.
Supreme Court Sides With Drug Makers In Two Decisions
One would shield pharmaceutical companies from most lawsuits filed by people injured by taking generic drugs. The other strikes down a Vermont law that banned some commercial uses – “data mining” – of prescription data.
N.J. Assembly Approves Changes To State Workers’ Benefits
Gov. Chris Christie is expected to sign the landmark legislation into law quickly. It will require state workers to pay more for health and pension benefits.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how the Supreme Court sided with drug makers in two decisions.
Gender-Based Sex Selection Harms Women’s Health In Asia, U.N. Report Says
“Gender biased sex selection, widespread in many parts of Asia, has serious and profoundly debilitating effects on the mental and physical health of women, says a report by five United Nations agencies,” BMJ reports.
Find A Better Way To Incorporate Evidence Into Health Policy
“Research evidence has undoubtedly been crucial in formulating countless global health policies which have saved many millions of lives,” but “at the same time, we believe there are several common fallacies about its ‘real world’ application,” Gavin Yamey and Richard Feachem of the Evidence to Policy initiative write in an Evidence-Based Medicine perspective.
Nature News Examines Controversy Surrounding Indian HPV Vaccine Trial
After four teenage girls involved in a clinical trial in India testing vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV) died last year, the study “threatens to have a dual legacy: inflaming unfounded fears about a lifesaving vaccine and raising new questions about the management of medical research in the country,” Nature News reports.
New York Times Examines Very Rare E. Coli Strain Responsible For German Outbreak
The New York Times examines the E. coli strain responsible for the recent outbreak in Germany, saying the bacteria “have a highly unusual combination of two traits and that may be what made the outbreak among the deadliest in recent history, scientists there are reporting.”
