Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Slash Budgets Including Cuts In Health Programs
States slash health budgets amid broader cuts.
FDA ‘Ambiguity’ Means Patients Get Unapproved Devices
A Chicago surgeon invented a silicone and metal ring to repair heart valves, and implanted them in 150 patients before his new device received FDA approval.
White House Does Not Expect Conference Bill Before State Of The Union Speech
Senators will vote at 8 a.m. Christmas Eve on the health overhaul legislation on Christmas Eve. Both Democrats and Republicans are viewing passage as inevitable.
More H1N1 Vaccines Available In U.S., Many Americans Don’t Want It
About 40 million Americans have received the swine flu vaccine, according to the CDC.
Lawmakers Brace For Conference As House Liberals Vow Not To Give In On Key Issues
Democrats are looking ahead – and at each other – before beginning the “potentially difficult” process of reconciling the Senate and House versions of health care reform.
More H1N1 Vaccines Available In U.S., Many Americans Don’t Want Vaccination
While an increasing number of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines are available in the U.S., “more than half of American adults say they still don’t want it, and one-third of parents say they don’t want their children to get it either, according to two surveys,” the Washington Post reports. “As of this week, 111 million doses of vaccine against the pandemic strain of H1N1 flu have been released to states and cities. Not all have been used. There have been no unusual or unexpected vaccine side effects reported.”
VOA News Examines Obstetric Fistula In Africa
VOA News examines obstetric fistula in Africa and looks at health officials’ efforts to prevent and treat the condition. “Poverty is the biggest factor. Access to a Caesarean section to relieve the pressure of obstructed labor is the most common way of preventing an unborn child from pressing so tightly in the birth canal that it cuts off blood flow to surrounding tissue,” the news service writes.
GlobalPost Examines Antibiotic Resistance In China
GlobalPost examines antibiotic resistance and overprescribing in China. The country “has high rates of antibiotic resistance and a health care system that provides strong financial incentives for over-prescribing antibiotics. Now the central government is taking measures to change that. Stockpiling antibiotics at home is a common practice among Chinese households,” GlobalPost writes.
Costs Of Health Overhaul May Be Felt Before Benefits Accrue
News outlets examine how health care reform legislation will affect consumers.
LA Hospital Illustrates Dilemma Of Expensive End Of Life Care
End-of-life care has become a target for critics trying to reduce health care costs, but it often involves difficult and complex decision making.
Obama Denies That He Compromised Too Much On Health Care Bill
In interview, president says he is “very enthusiastic about what we have achieved.”
Baucus Vows To Have Health Overhaul Bill To President’s Desk By State Of The Union
Senate Finance Committee chairman says Democratic leaders from the Senate and House will cut holiday recess short and begin talks after Christmas to produce a final bill.
Inadequate international funding for HIV/AIDS and neglected diseases as well as global malnutrition were among the top 10 humanitarian crises outlined in an annual report issued Monday by Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Associated Press reports (Astor, 12/21).
Arab States Need To Address Food Security, Other Factors To Meet MDGs By 2015, Report Says
Arab states must develop a plan to increase food security and create more jobs in order to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets by 2015, according to a report published Sunday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Reuters reports. “Though rich in labor and fertile land, much of the Arab world is plagued by malnutrition, joblessness and a big gap between rich and poor, said the report,” the news service writes.
Former CDC Head To Lead Merck’s Vaccine Division
The pharmaceutical company Merck on Monday named former CDC head Julie Gerberding as president of the company’s vaccine division, Reuters reports. “Gerberding, who led the CDC from 2002 to 2009 and stepped down when President Barack Obama took office, will head up the company’s $5 billion global vaccine business that includes shots to prevent chickenpox, cervical cancer and pneumonia,” the news service reports.
