Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Developing World Health Care Solutions Help Some U.S. Programs

Morning Briefing

“When doctors running the AIDS clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham wanted to increase the number of patients who showed up for treatment, they turned to an unusual place for help: southern Africa,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Editorial Urges Broader HIV Testing In South Carolina, Across Nation

Morning Briefing

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control “has prioritized testing” for HIV and offered free or low-cost testing at events in conjunction with National HIV Testing Day last week.

PLoS Medicine Editorial Argues For Water Access To Be Considered Human Right

Morning Briefing

“As scientists warn that the world’s fresh water supplies will soon run critically short, and companies scramble to privatize them, some researchers and activists say water should be considered a basic human right,” Wired’s blog, “Wired Science” writes of an editorial published in PLoS Medicine Tuesday.

Study Examines PEPFAR Efforts In Zambia

Morning Briefing

A report from researchers at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) examines how $577 million in PEPFAR funding between 2004 and 2008 was used in Zambia, PlusNews/IRIN reports.

Funding, Restrictions Keep WFP From Reaching Millions Of Hungry North Koreans

Morning Briefing

The U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) said Wednesday a “lack of international funding and new restrictions by North Korea on its staff and where it can operate has left it unable to reach millions of hungry women and children in the impoverished country,” AP/Taiwan News reports.

Roche To Offer Developing Countries Discounted Tamiflu

Morning Briefing

The vaccine manufacturer Roche on Wednesday announced a program to help ensure developing countries have access to its antiviral Tamiflu, for “the management of a novel influenza strain defined by the WHO as having significant and current pandemic potential,” Reuters reports.

White House Refines Health Reform Message

Morning Briefing

As the White House declines direct comment on pending health care reform bills in Congress, President Obama is readying his message ahead of his second town hall meeting in as many weeks, Roll Call reports.

New Poll Suggests Slim Majority Favors Obama Plan

Morning Briefing

A new poll conducted by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation released Wednesday says that 51 percent of people favor the president’s health reform plan while 45 percent oppose it, CNN reports.

Congressional Recess: Senators Talk Health Reform With Voters, Staffs Toil On Bills

Morning Briefing

Three Republican senators took the case against Democrats’ health reform to a Texas Medical Center Tuesday warning that a government insurance option is a “gateway to a single-payer system,” The Houston Chronicle reports.

Two Doctors Share Their Expectations For Health Reform

Morning Briefing

Two doctors with over 30 years of experience spoke with National Public Radio about how medicine has changed over their careers, and what they expect to see come out of the current health reform debate.