Latest KFF Health News Stories
With NY Special Election Down To The Wire, Republicans ‘Brace For Blowback’
Although the special election is taking place in a normally conservative district, some say the vote will be a referendum on the Ryan Medicare plan.
Doctors Report Hundreds Of New Cholera Cases In Dominican Republic
A cholera outbreak in the Dominican Republic appears to be spreading and health officials are reporting hundreds of new cases, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.
Viewpoints: Pawlenty Weighs In; Entitlement Reform Dominating GOP Politics
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Abortion Rates Decline, Except Among Poor Women
The overall rate dropped 8 percent between 2000 and 2008, but rose about 18 percent among the nation’s poorest women.
State Roundup: Texas Overhauls Hospital Payments
News outlets report on state health policy issues.
Federal Officials Review Indiana’s Planned Parenthood Law
The measure limits some public funding for Planned Parenthood of Indiana, which could lead federal officials to withhold some federal funds for that state as well as others that restrict funds from abortion providers.
Debt Limit Talks Move To Topic Of Finding Savings In Medicare, Medicaid
In related news, projections released last week by Medicare’s chief actuary concluded that spending on physician and hospital services will be significantly higher than expected if Congress reverses scheduled reductions in Medicare payments.
GOP Leaders Ask Governors For Ideas On Medicaid Savings, Improvements
Meanwhile, Rhode Island’s Medicaid block grant experiment draws attention, as do efforts in other states to reduce Medicaid’s rolls.
As Implementation Continues, Poll Finds Public View Of Law Improving
Also, a number of states – Indiana, Washington, Rhode Island and Kansas – continue to wrestle with the formation of health exchanges.
Pawlenty, Gingrich Offer Views On Medicare, Entitlement Programs
Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty formally announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination with a pledge to reinvent programs like Medicare in order to tackle the nation’s fiscal difficulties. Meanwhile, another GOP candidate – Newt Gingrich – continued his efforts to explain his remarks about the Medicare overhaul plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Senate’s upcoming vote on the House-passed GOP budget, the run-up to today’s special congressional election in New York and details on the Medicare positions being taken by Republican presidential hopefuls.
OPINION: Recognizing The Success Of Foreign Aid
In the Wall Street Journal, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, applauds economist Charles Kenny’s book, “Getting Better: Why Global Development Is Succeeding
Study Links Early Complementary Feeding With Infant Malnutrition In Kenya
A study of infants under 36 months old in a low-income area of Nairobi, Kenya, found that a “lack of information on exclusive breast feeding and low level of education for the mothers is the main cause of the frequent illness and malnutrition among infants,” the East African reports.
HIV Prevention Study Results Raise Public Health Questions About Forcing Patients Into Treatment
A New York Times “Week In Review” article examines how the results of a recent study showing combination antiretroviral therapy can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by 96 percent “reopens old questions” about the rights of patients to refuse therapy and whether doctors, in the interest of public health, should force patients to start treatment.
Authorities In India’s Only Muslim-Majority State Battling Increase In Female Feticide, AFP Reports
Agence France-Presse examines how officials in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are battling a “shocking rise in female foeticide” by seizing unlicensed ultrasound machines and enlisting the assistance of religious leaders in the country’s only Muslim-majority state.
EDITORIAL: Study Results Show Need For More Data On HIV Prevention Economics
A recent study showing a “near-perfect way to halt sexual transmission of the AIDS virus has the potential to change the way international agencies and nations cope with the epidemic. But that can only happen if troubling issues of cost and practicality can be surmounted,” a New York Times editorial says.
Pakistani Province Cancels Six U.S. Aid Agreements
The Pakistani province of Punjab will stop accepting U.S. aid and has canceled six agreements with the U.S. pertaining to health, education and solid waste management, according to Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister of the province, Inter Press Service reports.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Addresses Maternal Mortality In Nigeria, IDPs In Cote d’Ivoire
As part of a four-country tour, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday arrived in Nigeria, where he highlighted the importance of fighting maternal and child mortality in the country, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa, Agence France-Presse reports (5/22).
G20 Meets To Discuss Food Price Spikes
Inter Press Service reports on the G20’s recent working meeting on commodities in Buenos Aires.
U.S. Delegation To Assess Food Security Needs In North Korea
A U.S. delegation will visit North Korea this week to evaluate the country’s food security needs, the State Department said, RTT News reports (5/21).
