Latest KFF Health News Stories
Event Addresses How TV Can Raise Awareness Of Global Health Issues
At an event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday sponsored by the Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) program of the University of Southern California, panelists discussed how TV storylines can raise the American public’s awareness of global health issues, the Washington Examiner’s blog, “Yeas & Nays” reports (Schwab/Palmeri, 3/25).
The U.N. top aid chief “in Somalia has fired back at a report that suggests food aid is being skimmed off by contractors as ‘a cost of doing business’ in the war-torn nation, an allegation he calls ‘completely misleading,'” CNN reports. CNN continues: “A March 10 report by the world body’s Somalia Monitoring Group found that humanitarian aid was being diverted to military uses in the conflict, and that some Somali contractors hired by aid agencies were channeling profits into armed opposition groups. One part of the report suggested as much as 45 to 50 percent of World Food Programme [WFP] shipments may have been skimmed off by transport companies, local distributors and the armed groups that control the districts in which they operate” (McKenzie, 3/25).
Africa Not On Track To Halve Poverty By 2015, Economic Commission for Africa Head Says
U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary Abdoulie Janneh said the global economic downturn will keep Africa from meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving poverty by 2015, Reuters reports. According to the news service, “Africa was thought to be largely insulated against the worst effects of the global economic crisis but saw healthy growth projections slashed due to the crisis.”
It’s Over: Congress Completes Work On Health Overhaul With Approval Of ‘Fixes’
Congress finished its work on health care reform Thursday night when the House passed a Senate-changed bill of fixes to the health care overhaul law.
State HIV Programs Face Cuts, CDC Notes High Prevalence In Young African-Americans, Gay Men
“As states struggle with budget shortfalls, many are looking to trim costs by chopping health spending. And funding for HIV/AIDS programs has been a prime target,” NPR reports.
Companies large and small will adjust to the “good and bad news” on the impact of the health reform law.
Federal Agencies’ Complicated Task: Implementing Health Reform Provisions
With the passage of health care reform legislation, government agencies begin to examine how to implement various provisions in the overhaul.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of opinions and editorials.
FDA Considers Tightening Restrictions On Tanning Beds
The Food and Drug Administration may tighten restrictions on tanning beds “amid evidence they raise the risk of skin cancer beyond exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
IRIN Examines New Global Agricultural Strategy Report
IRIN examines a new global food security strategy based on a report to be presented on March 28 at the first Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) in France. The article includes details about food insecurity around the world, which has given rise to the need for new methods of providing more food.
Republicans Prepare Political Health Reform Attack On Defiant Obama
President Barack Obama told Republicans to “go for it” on a health reform repeal try Thursday as Republicans prepared to continue their assault on the legislation through the November elections and beyond.
Health Reform Brings Significant Changes To Medicare, Medicare Advantage
New outlets examine changes to Medicare with the new health reform law.
Hospitals Face Cuts, Restructuring To Cope With Flagging Economy
Hospitals in New York and Boston are coping with losses in their own ways.
Aid Groups Should Work To Make Haiti Self-Sufficient, Former President Clinton Says
Former President Bill Clinton asked aid groups working in Haiti on Thursday to focus on making the nation more self-sufficient, the Associated Press reports. Clinton, the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, spoke ahead of a U.N. donor conference on rebuilding Haiti next week.
COBRA Benefits In Danger Of Expiring As Lawmakers Fight Over Cost
Some unemployment benefits may soon expire as lawmakers fight over the cost of legislation that would extend health insurance coverage under COBRA for Americans struggling to find work.
Young Doctors Shifting Away From Private Practice, Primary Care Shortage Persists
News outlets report on changes in the practice of medicine and what health reform means for primary care doctors.
Administration Officials’ Key Health Reform Roles
News outlets report on the role of Obama administration officials and the health overhaul.
GOP Responds To Threats, Vandalism Over Health Care Legislation
Republicans reacted strongly to the flurry of threats and vandalism over the passage of health care overhaul, saying Democrats are trying to exploit the incidents.
Research Roundup: Middle Class Health Cost Burden, Disparities And Cancer, Summary Of New Health Law
This week’s research roundup has studies and briefs from Health Affairs, the Urban Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, George Washington University, and the Kaiser Family Foundation, among others.
