Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lawmakers Clash Over Franked Mail Critical Of Ryan Medicare Plan
Some Democratic House members who have had constituent mailings held up because of proposed GOP revisions to soften the message are accusing the Republican majority of censoring their mail. GOP leaders counter that the Dems are abusing their franked mail privileges to send out political attacks on the Ryan plan to revamp Medicare.
Physician Payment, Home Health Out-Of-Pocket Costs Grab Headlines
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s latest report casts the challenges surrounding Medicare physician payment as an “opportunity” to hasten needed reform. Additionally, an analysis by Avalere Health measures the impact of a proposal for home health co-payments.
With Stimulus Money Soon To Run Out, Medicaid Benefits Are About To Drop
Even though unemployment has gone up, the increased federal Medicaid match will expire at the end of the month. As a result, benefits will likely be cut for many. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that children with Medicaid are far more likely than those with private insurance to be turned away by medical specialists or be made to wait more than a month for an appointment.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the prospect for Medicaid cutbacks in an emerging bipartisan budget deal, as well as how a report from a Medicare advisory panel may bolster Medicare options currently on the table.
UK Should Continue To Provide Aid To India, Parliamentary Report Says
Despite enormous economic gains over the past 25 years, Britain should continue to provide aid to India until 2015 to ensure the country meets the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a cross-party report published by the House of Commons international development committee on Tuesday, the Guardian reports.
MDGs Should Focus On Achievable Goals
“As decision-makers start to consider what our aspirations should be after the deadline [for the 2015 Millennium Development Goals] has expired, it is worth looking back at what worked, what didn’t, and how we could do better,” Bjorn Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and adjunct professor at Copenhagen Business School, writes on Project Syndicate.
Budget Talks To Focus On Potential Foreign Aid Cuts Among Other Issues
White House budget talks entered a new phase on Tuesday “as the deficit reduction group led by Vice President Biden” started debate about “sensitive issues that they have purposely sidestepped during their six earlier meetings. At the top of the agenda for the next three days: deep cuts on domestic spending and foreign aid and imposing a dollar limit on federal spending,” the Washington Post’s “Political Economy” blog reports (Cha/Halzack, 6/14).
Quam Outlines GHI At Global Health Council Conference
Lois Quam, executive director of the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), talked about GHI projects and “defended the program even if her panel was met with some hard questions” during a presentation on Tuesday at the annual Global Health Council conference in Washington, D.C., GlobalPost’s “Global Pulse” blog reports.
Large Trial Of Tenofovir Gel For Women Set To Begin In South Africa
A 24-month clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of tenofovir gel use among women to reduce the risk of HIV infection is set to begin in South Africa in late July or early August, the Mail & Guardian reports.
Study Finds Life Expectacy In Large Portions Of U.S. Are Stagnating Or Declining
“Large swaths of the United States are showing decreasing or stagnating life expectancy even as the nation’s overall longevity trend has continued upwards, according to a county-by-county study of life expectancy over two decades,” researchers at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington note in the journal Population Health Metrics, the Washington Post reports (Brown, 6/15).
ASEAN Region Recognizes First Dengue Day To Raise Awareness
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) at the launch of Dengue Day on Wednesday called on all sectors of society to unite in the battle against the disease, which has developed into a formidable threat to health in Asia, a press statement said,” Xinhua reports.
Expert Poll Finds Afghanistan Is The Most Dangerous Place To Be A Woman
Afghanistan is the most dangerous place to be a woman because of high levels of poverty, poor health care and violence against female officials, according to a survey, the Guardian reports (Bowcott, 6/15).
Guardian Interviews USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah
The Guardian examines USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah’s role in U.S. development policy and looks at some of the domestic challeneges he faces.
Rising Food Prices, Health Concerns Prompt Shifting Diets Worldwide, Oxfam Survey Says
“Rising food prices, hovering near record highs after a spike in grain costs, are changing diets particularly in developing countries such as Kenya, according to a survey issued by charity Oxfam on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. The survey was conducted in 17 countries (6/15).
Senate Dems Signal Hard Line On Medicare In Budget Talks
Although Vice President Joe Biden offered an optimistic assessment of progress in the budget talks he has been leading, Senate Democratic leadership reiterated yesterday that Medicare cuts should not be on the table during these negotiations.
Budget Woes Lead GOP Governors To Push Feds To Relax Medicaid Rules
President Barack Obama has the power to relax rules, which would allow cash-strapped governors more flexibility in spending Medicaid dollars, including allowing them to tighten eligibility requirements.
State Roundup: Mass. Health Spending’s Rise; Huge Ky. Hospital Merger
News outlets offer a variety of stories about state health policy issues.
