Latest KFF Health News Stories
The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa is projected to greatly outpace treatment resources by the end of the decade, according to a report released Monday by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Reuters reports (Fox, 11/29).
Congress agreed to delay – for one month – a cut in Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors, but did not repeal a controversial part of the health law related to businesses buying more than $600 in goods.
Health Law Causing Ripples In Congress, Insurance Industry, Among Doctors
The new health reform law is just starting to kick in, but some are already predicting its success or dire impacts.
Opinions and editorials from around the country.
The Complexity Involved In Efforts To Dismantle The Health Law
Individual states, congressional Republicans and court challenges threaten the survival of the health care overhaul.
California’s Largest Insurers Fined Nearly $5 Million
News outlets report on the insurance industry.
Medicare Often Overpays For Wheelchairs, Durable Medical Equipment
But, beginning in January, some parts of the country will replace the current fee schedule with a competitive bidding system in hopes of reducing costs.
States address a range of health policy issues.
Flawed Health Care System Fuels Low Life Expectancy Rank For U.S., Researchers Say
A recent analysis ruled out other factors including obesity and smoking.
Health Care Models: Accountable Care Organizations, Medical Homes
Expecting the federal health law to encourage wider use of ACOs, organizations plan for more coordinated care.
Quality Issues Persist At Hospitals, Plastic Surgery Centers; Use Of CT Scans In ER Increases
Media examine a six-year study of N.C. hospital quality, the increasing use of CT scans in ERs, and patchwork rules for plastic surgery centers in Calif.
Medical Records And Medical Device Interests Gain Attention From Big Names, Congressional Delegation
Rep. Billy Tauzin decides to continue lobbying while eight bipartisan lawmakers from Minnesota raise concerns about how the FDA contemplates changes to medical devices.
Vets Compare VA Hospitals Online; Government Doctors May Face Pay Freeze
The Veteran Affairs Department’s Hospital Compare Web site allows veterans to see how VA hospitals perform; Obama proposes a two-year pay freeze for government doctors.
Deficit Plans Target Politically Protected Medicare Program
The politically sacrosanct Medicare program is in the crosshairs of plans to cut the deficit, prompting possible battles between seniors’ advocates and debt-conscious lawmakers.
First Edition: November 30, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on congressional action on the Medicare doc ‘pay fix’ as well as results from a new poll related to how the public thinks Medicare should be addressed in the context of deficit reduction.
To Reduce Spread Of HIV/AIDS, IFRC Calls For More Focus On IDU Programs
Ahead of World AIDS Day, the International Federation of the Red Cross on Friday released a report (.pdf) calling for governments around the world to do more to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among populations of injecting drug users (IDUs), the Associated Press reports (Heilprin, 11/25).
African Ministerial Conference Concludes With Health Priority Commitment
Health and environment ministers from at least 46 African countries concluded the Second Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa in Luanda, Angola on Friday, “with the adoption of the ‘Luanda Commitment,’ which lists the continent’s health and environment top priorities in the years ahead,” PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.
Haiti Requires Additional Trained Nurses, Doctors To Address Cholera Epidemic, U.N. Official Says
Haiti needs about 1,000 additional trained nurses and at least 100 more physicians to control the cholera epidemic, Valerie Amos, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said during a recent visit to the capital of Port-au-Prince, Reuters reports. “We clearly need to do more,” Amos said of the global response to the cholera outbreak. “But it’s not just money, it’s crucially people, in terms of getting more doctors, nurses, more people who can help with the awareness-raising and getting information out there,” she said. The U.N. plans to work with countries and aid groups that have the capacity to quickly provide more health workers, according to Amos.
Majority Of African Nations To Miss MDG Target On Water, Sanitation, UNEP Says
The majority of African nations will fail to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets related to water and sanitation, the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) said Friday, Agence France-Presse reports.
Washington Post Examines Development Experts’ Reactions To Draft QDDR
The Washington Post examines development experts’ “mixed reactions” to the recent roll out of the State Department’s draft Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), which would give USAID “a bigger role in running President [Barack] Obama’s two main foreign aid initiatives
