Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cooperation Needed To Fight NCDs, U.N. Officials Note
Speaking Thursday at an informal civil society hearing that is a precursor to the first-ever high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), top U.N. officials “stressed the need for governments, the private sector and civil society to work together and more effectively to address cancers, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, which account for nearly two thirds of global deaths each year,” the U.N. News Centre reports (6/16).
Food Prices Projected To Rise Over Next Decade, FAO/OECD Report Says
Food prices are likely to continue to rise over the next decade, “putting the poor at an increasing risk of malnutrition and hunger,” according to a joint report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (6/17).
HPV Vaccine Shows Success In Young Australian Women, Study Says
“A vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, triggered by the human papillomavirus (HPV), has helped reduce the number of teenage girls developing abnormalities in their cervix by as much as 50 percent in a study in Australia,” according to a report published Friday in the Lancet, Reuters reports.
Economist Examines Decade Of Changes In Vaccine Field
The Economist examines how “the past decade has seen changes in how vaccines are developed, financed and delivered
House Passes Agriculture Spending Bill
“The House on Thursday afternoon approved the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act by a 217-203 vote,” The Hill’s “Floor Action Blog” reports. A day earlier, the House “rejected several amendments from Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) to cut the Food for Peace program, the International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program, and make further cuts to [the Women, Infants and Children program],” the blog notes (Kasperowicz, 6/16).
UNICEF Calls On Governments To Improve Status Of Children On Day Of The African Child
“African governments need to provide ‘more protective environments’ to keep children safe and free from harm and exploitation,” UNICEF said in a statement marking the 2011 Day of the African Child on Thursday, the U.N. News Centre reports.
Civil Society Must Have Voice In Future Of MDGs
There are three main options on the table” about what to do after the Millennium Development Goals expire in 2015, Leo Williams, chair of Beyond 2015, an international campaign that aims to “ensur[e] that the process of developing a [development] framework is participatory, inclusive and responsive to those directly affected by poverty and injustice,” writes in a post on the Guardian’s “Poverty Matters Blog.”
Integrating AIDS Fight With Other Global Health Efforts Is Next Step
An “invisible turning point” in the fight against HIV/AIDS recently occurred: “the realisation that simply strengthening the vertical programme that is AIDS has to end. The new opportunity is integration,” a Lancet editorial states.
Biden: Budget Talks Now Focus On ‘The Hard Stuff’
Partisan differences on core issues such as taxes and Medicare spending continue to be a part of the deficit-reduction negotiations being led by Vice President Joe Biden, who says the talks will go on “around the clock” next week as lawmakers work to resolve the stand-off over raising the nation’s debt limit.
Baucus Challenges McKinsey & Company On Insurance Survey
The survey concluded that an estimated 30 percent or more of businesses would drop employer-sponsored health coverage after 2014 because of the health law. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is demanding that the consulting firm release its methodology.
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Technology Aids In Maintaining Quality Of Life In Aging
The Los Angeles Times reports on trends in high-tech aging.
White House Focuses On Prevention With Release Of National Strategy
Described as a way to improve the nation’s prosperity, the Obama administration announced a sweeping plan to emphasize health promotion and disease prevention for all walks of life.
Justice Department Sides With Planned Parenthood In Indiana Case
The group is seeking to block a new law that would bar Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, the N.C. legislature has overturned a veto by the governor of a measure that would also cut state payments to Planned Parenthood.
Pawlenty Aims Verbal Barb At Romney
On Thursday, GOP presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty called rival Mitt Romney a “co-conspirator” in the federal health overhaul. He also repeated his call for repealing the measure, and maintained that, when he was governor, he handled health reform “the right way.”
State News: N.J. Workers Rally Against Pension And Health Care Changes
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
Lawmakers Draw Lines, Offer Views On Medicare
Senate Democrats argue that the best way to find savings in Medicare is to build on the program changes that were included in the health law. Meanwhile, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., says he is open to Medicare changes that would leave the traditional program intact as an option for seniors in the future.
Dems Introduce Bills To Push For Medicare Negotiated Drug Pricing
Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to let Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices
House Panel OKs Bill That Would Defund Individual Mandate Enforcement
By defunding this health law provision next year, even though it doesn’t actually kick in until 2014, the measure could prevent the administration from hiring and training the necessary Internal Revenue Service personnel. In other reform news, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services official defended the way the Department of Health and Human Services has proceeded in developing and implementing regulations related to the health overhaul.
Longer Looks: A Male Birth Control Pill; Teenagers And Tanning Beds
This week’s collection includes articles from The Atlantic, National Review, Time, Governing and American Medical News.
