Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Deadline Extended For ACO Pioneer Program

Morning Briefing

The new deadline is Aug. 19. Meanwhile, in other policy-related news, the White House pushed back against study findings released earlier this week by McKinsey & Co. that as many as 30 percent of companies may stop offering health insurance to their employees and said the president’s healthcare plan “will reduce costs overall.”

First Edition: June 9, 2011

Morning Briefing

Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from yesterday’s action in an Atlanta courtroom where oral arguments were held in an appeal related to the multi-state challenge to the health law.

U.N. Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution On Peacekeeping And AIDS

Morning Briefing

The U.N. Security Council “has unanimously adopted a resolution underlining the need for continued international action to halt the impact of HIV and AIDS in conflict and post-conflict situations,” VOA News reports.

Eight Out Of 10 Countries Using mHealth Services, WHO Report Says

Morning Briefing

Eighty-three percent of countries are using mobile phone technology for health services, according to a WHO study (.pdf) released on Tuesday at the Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, Agence France-Presse reports (6/7).

Number Of New E. Coli Cases Abating But More Deaths Expected

Morning Briefing

“Germany reported two more deaths and 300 more E. coli cases Wednesday, but its health minister insisted that new infections were dropping, giving some hope that the world’s deadliest E. coli outbreak was abating,” Associated Press reports (Greishaber, 6/8).

Torrential Rains Trigger Flooding, Mudslides, Additional Cholera Cases In Haiti

Morning Briefing

“At least 20 people have died due to torrential downpours in Haiti, authorities said Tuesday, and aid agencies are scrambling to respond to a resurgence of cholera triggered by the heavy rain,” CNN reports (6/8).

Cancer Professionals Urge World Leaders To Attend U.N. Meeting On NCDs

Morning Briefing

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on Monday sent a letter (.pdf) signed by major U.S. medical societies representing about 300,000 health care professionals to the White House urging President Barack Obama to participate in the U.N. High Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases that is scheduled for September, Agence France-Presse reports.