Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the political repercussions — specifically for Medicare — that could result from the outcome of the NY-26 special election as well as details of the Senate’s rejection of the House-passed GOP budget plan.
Ryan Budget, With Medicare And Medicaid Overhaul, Rejected By Senate
The largely party-line vote – 5 Republicans voted also “no” – was followed by a vote rejecting the president’s budget as well.
Dems Win Upset In NY Special Election; Medicare Viewed As Game-Changing Issue
Democrats claimed a victory Tuesday, winning a congressional seat in one of New York’s most conservative districts. The win is considered by many as a blow to the GOP plan to overhaul Medicare.
Budget Talks: Medicare Costs On Table As Biden Aims For $1 Trillion In Cuts
Politics continue to surround talks regarding the budget and congressional efforts to reach an agreement on raising the debt limit. Vice President Joe Biden, who is leading an effort to strike a compromise, has acknowledged that Medicare must be part of the debate. He also maintains that new revenue sources have to be in the mix.
More Wealthy Families In India Choosing To Abort Female Fetuses, Study Shows
India’s 2011 census data show that “wealthier, better-educated families
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Foundation, and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah on Tuesday called for developed countries to invest in farmers in the developing world to help end global hunger, Agence France-Presse reports.
Vatican Newspaper Article Addresses Condom Use Among Married Couples
Three days before the start of a Vatican conference focusing on “the centrality of care” in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, on Tuesday printed a piece by Spanish theologian Juan Jose Perez-Soba arguing that married couples with one HIV-positive partner “should abstain from sex, because intercourse performed with a condom is, ‘from the moral point of view, not a fully conjugal act,'” RNS/Beliefnet News reports (Rocca, 5/24).
IPS Examines Access To Medicine In Malawi
“Health experts say [an] inadequate number of nurses and pharmacists is among the leading factors denying people access to medicines in Malawi,” Inter Press Service writes in an article examining medication shortages in rural Malawi.
World Health Assembly Delays Destruction Of Smallpox Reserves For Three Years
Following “two days of heated debate,” representatives meeting at the World Health Assembly in Geneva decided to delay for three years the destruction of smallpox virus reserves held by the U.S. and Russia, rejecting a U.S. plan that would have delayed the action for five years, the Associated Press reports (5/24).
EDITORIAL: G8 Should Tell The Truth On Aid Targets
“The final communiques haven’t been written. But the word on the street is that when leaders of the Group of 8 industrialized countries meet in France this week, they will claim that wealthy countries have come close to fulfilling their 2005 promise to boost annual development aid by $50 billion by 2010. They are not even in the ballpark,” a New York Times editorial states, before noting data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showing that aid fell $19 billion short of that goal.
GSK Partners With NGOs To Support Health Care Workers In LDCs
Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports that GlaxoSmithKline announced Tuesday it has partnered with three non-governmental organizations to address the shortage of primary health care providers in least developed countries (LDCs).
Disputes Over ACO Rule, IPAB, MLR, Health Law Continue
Other hot topics — the IPAB, the medical-loss ratio rule and the health law’s impact on employer-sponsored health care — also claim headlines today. Meanwhile, MinnPost analyzes executive orders by former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Miami Herald Explores Pilot Program For Medical Homes
House calls are part of the care encouraged for the sickest patients.
Poll Finds Popularity For Medicaid Program
A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that most Americans oppose the GOP plan to cut Medicaid, throwing into question the conventional wisdom that this health insurance program for the poor lacks the widespread public support generally attached to Medicare.
State News: N.Y.C. Hospitals Face New Cuts; Vt. Bill Signing Expected Thursday
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
State Legislatures Struggling With Efforts To Fund Health Programs
News outlets report on efforts from several states with tight budgets to provide health services.
States Consider Bills That Affect Payment, Health Care Quality
Texas mulss performance-based payments while California docs oppose a mammography measure.
Viewpoints: Sebelius, Orszag On Medicare Costs; Has The Minnesota GOP Lost Its Way?
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
PBS’ NewHour Examines Health Insurance For ‘Urban Poor’ In Pakistan
PBS’ NewsHour special correspondent Saima Mohsin on Monday reported from Pakistan on “an innovative health insurance plan for the urban poor.” In Pakistan, 99 percent of the country’s low-income population does not have health insurance, and this plan, called Naya Jeevan, “hopes to change that. … The equivalent of just $2.50 a month provides access to private health care and, crucially, regular health checks for contagious or infectious diseases as a preventive measure for a country that is still battling polio, malaria and hepatitis.”
