Latest KFF Health News Stories
Clinton Announces Plans To Increase Food Program Funding In Tanzania
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration plans to increase funding for nutrition programs in Tanzania as part of its Feed the Future initiative, VOA News reports (Stearns, 6/12).
Pawlenty Makes ‘Obamneycare’ A Buzz Word In Nomination Contest
The Los Angeles Times predicts that the GOP candidates will be making “bold right turns” during Monday night’s New Hampshire debate, which is considered the first major debate of the 2012 campaign.
Parties Continue To Clash Over Ways To Curb Medicare Spending
Amidst a pitched political debate over the federal deficit, all sides agree that health care spending must be addressed. Still, Medicare continues to cause considerable political differences.
Viewpoints: Private Vs. Public Medicare; N.J. Medicaid Tough Choices; IPAB’s Cost Controls
A selection of viewpoints from around the country.
Panetta: Finding Savings In Military Health Care Programs On To-Do List
He has said that he is open to finding “sensible efforts to control DOD’s health care costs” but would seek to maintain the level of care.
Hospital Trends Mark Changes In Employment, Admission Patterns
Meanwhile, in Oregon, hospital profit margins were down in 2010, according to the state Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
State Roundup: GOP Control Leads To Sweeping Changes; Budgets Still Lean
News outlets report on state health policy issues.
Turning The Tables: Brits Fear American Health System
As Great Britain works at overhauling its National Health System, many there are expressing grave concerns about moving toward a “Yankee” model.
Some Democrats May Not Hold Steady Against Medicaid Cuts
Politico Pro reports that at there are certain Democrats who could be persuaded to join GOP efforts to trim away at the program’s rules.
Announcement Of Congressional Wellness Caucus Slated For Today
Also, The Hill reports on what motivated some first-term members of Congress to run for the House of Representatives even though they had never held office before.
Medicaid: Texas, N.J. Move Toward Major Changes
Proposed changes in Medicaid operations in Texas, New Jersey and Arizona are expected to trim the number of enrollees in those programs.
HHS Offers Medicaid Guidance For Same-Sex Couples
Late last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services clarified that same-sex couples are entitled to the same protections that exist for heterosexual couples when one member enters a nursing home.
Mayo Clinic Will Not Participate In ACO Program
The clinic, a prestigious health care facility, is raising questions about the health law’s accountable care organizations, saying the draft program regulations are at odds with the way Medicare is operated.
Dual-Eligible Patients, Cancer Medication Coverage Attract Headlines
The Associated Press reports that seniors are facing Medicare cost barriers which sometimes lead them to not fill cancer drug prescriptions. Also, CQ HealthBeat reports that a special team within the Department of Health and Human Services is working on finding ways to save money and improve care for patients on both Medicare and Medicaid.
HHS: Enrollment In High-Risk Pools Tops 20,000
Figures released Friday reflect the number of participants in the health overhaul’s high-risk pools as of April. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that Kansas has widened it’s high-risk pool to allow child-only plans.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about GOP presidential contenders’ health policy positioning and posturing.
Medicare Political Stalemate Continues; Fact-Checking Democratic And GOP Claims
News outlets are reporting on Medicare, politics and sobering assessment of the country’s fiscal future.
S. African Government Program Reduced MTCT HIV Tranmission Rate To 3.5%, Study Shows
The South African government’s program to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV has reduced the rate of virus transmission to about 3.5 percent, “potentially sparing some 67,000 babies from HIV infection,” according to research presented on Wednesday by the Medical Research Council at the 5th South African AIDS Conference in Durban, Health-e/allAfrica.com reports (Thom, 6/9).
Governments Need To Address Disability To Achieve MDGs, WHO/World Bank Report Says
More than one billion people worldwide live with a physical or mental disability, with 80 percent of those people living in developing countries, according to the first world report on disability, published by the WHO and World Bank on Thursday, the Guardian reports.
VOA News Examines U.N. Women In Series Of Articles
VOA News has published a five-part series examining U.N. Women. The agency’s “success depends on availability of resources and financial support. Member states have agreed to provide the new entity with an initial minimum budget of at least $500 million a year,” the news service writes (Wuhib, 6/8).
