Latest KFF Health News Stories
Drug Shortages Have Tripled During The Last Six Years
The Baltimore Sun reports that shortages of prescription drugs have hit a record high.
FDA Hearing On Breast Cancer Drug Set For This Week
Genentech, the maker of Avastin, will appeal to the Food and Drug Administration to make its drug available as a treatment for breast cancer – asking for one more chance to prove its efficacy.
Sebelius Comes To IPAB’s Defense As Others Line Up Against It
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius penned an oped last week offering a strong defense of the health law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board. Meanwhile, however, the American Medical Association has taken an official position against the panel, and 270 other health care organizations sent a letter to members of Congress expressing their opposition too.
Health Law Headlines: PR Challenges And Overhaul Tell-Alls
Although Democrats are having some success with attacks on the GOP Medicare plan, they are still playing defense on the health law, according to Politico. Meanwhile, former Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag writes a “tell-all” for the magazine Foreign Affairs about the health overhaul.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the status of ongoing deficit negotiations and details about a “stealth” survey on access to doctors.
UNAIDS Board Approves Accountability Framework
UNAIDS’ Programme Coordinating Board, the agency’s governing body, this week unanimously endorsed the Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework 2012-2015, which “will ensure accountability in both programmatic results and in delivering value for money,” according to a UNAIDS press release. “The Board requested the UNAIDS Secretariat to produce annual reports on the implementation of the framework” and discussed how food and nutrition security can be integrated into HIV programming, the press release notes (6/23).
Ten Global Public Health Achievements
In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC describes “global public health achievements
Health Affairs Examines GHI Funding, Other Challenges
This Health Affairs article examines GHI’s funding and other challenges. “Questions now being raised about the Global Health Initiative focus not just on funding, but on whether the program is broadening the U.S. foreign assistance portfolio on health, building countries’ health system capacities, and meeting other objectives. So far, the picture looks mixed,” the article states (Bristol, June 2011).
Michelle Obama’s Message Of Leadership For ‘HIV-Free Future’
U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby writes about First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Africa and her focus on “youth leadership, education, health and wellness,” including HIV/AIDS, in this Office of National AIDS Policy blog post. “The Obama Administration is more committed than ever to build on the successes of the last decade and to continue to work with other governments and partners as we all work toward our shared goal of a world without HIV/AIDS. And we hope the millions of lives saved to date will inspire youth in Africa and around the world to continue their fight for an HIV-free future,” he writes (6/23).
Obama Visit Highlights Importance Of U.S. Engagement In Africa
First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Africa this week “is focusing national attention on the serious U.S. strategic interests on the continent,” Steve Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Lisa Carty, deputy director of the CSIS center, write in a Politico opinion piece.
Experts Discuss Global Threat Of Alzheimer’s Disease At House Subcommittee Hearing
“Alzheimer’s experts urged U.S. lawmakers on Thursday to increase funding for research of the debilitating disease and to push international policymakers to pay more attention to its global impact,” Reuters reports (Steenhuysen, 6/23).
Financial Times Examines Race For FAO Director-General
The Financial Times examines the race to lead the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), saying that “since the 2007-08 food crisis and the price shock of 2010-11, the formerly low-profile FAO has been catapulted to the centre of global policymaking,” with six countries putting forth candidates for director-general.
Michelle Obama Visits HIV/AIDS Clinic In Botswana
“Michelle Obama on Friday began the second leg of her weeklong visit to Africa by wielding a brush to help paint a mural” at the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Center of Excellence in the capital city of Gaborone, the Associated Press reports. The clinic serves 4,000 children and their families who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, according to the news service (Superville, 6/24).
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.
