Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Global Fund Completes Reorganization Of Workforce, Tightens Focus To 20 ‘High-Impact Countries’
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria “is cutting its workforce and tightening its focus on 20 countries hardest hit by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” Reuters reports. Gabriel Jaramillo, who took over as general manager of the fund in February, “said in a statement that the fund had completed a reorganization that would rebalance its workforce with 39 percent more people managing grants and 38 percent fewer in support roles,” the news service notes.
Europe Becoming ‘Hotspot’ For Emerging Infections, Study Suggests
“Europe is becoming a ‘hotspot’ for emerging infections as those typically confined to tropical climates are making their way north, according to research that links climate change to the global spread of disease,” the Financial Times reports. “Changing environmental conditions have facilitated the spread of bacteria and other carriers across borders, reports a study” published in the journal Science last week, according to the news service. The study, which “cited outbreaks of West Nile fever in Greece and Romania and dengue fever in France and Croatia,” found that, “[u]nder current weather conditions, seven climate-influenced diseases, including Rift Valley fever and encephalitis, could pose a threat to people in Europe,” the news service writes.
Courtroom Turf Battle: Which Professional Should Administer Anesthesia?
The New York Times reports on the newest venue for this ongoing clash — which dates back to 2001 — between nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists.
Hospitals Struggling To Meet Electronic Records Goals
According to the American Hospital Association, more than 80 percent of hospitals have yet to achieve the first stage of electronic health record “meaningful use” and, therefore, can’t qualify for federal incentive payments.
Mass., Ariz. Senate Races Grab National Spotlight
The hotly contested race between Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic challenger, continues to involve health policy issues. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that Democrats are hoping that former Surgeon General Richard Carmona will turn Arizona “blue.”
Georgia Bans Most Late-Term Abortions
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a bill Tuesday banning most late-term abortions — those after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The law was pushed after controversial research found a fetus can feel pain at that stage of the pregnancy.
U.S. To Ask University Officials How Best To Implement New DURC Policy
“The U.S. government will soon be asking university officials to comment on how best to implement recently released dual use research rules at the university level,” according to Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who spoke Monday at a workshop sponsored by the National Academies in Washington, ScienceInsider reports. “The reviews are designed to reduce the risks associated with dual use research of concern (DURC) that could be used for good or harm,” the news service notes, adding, “The announcement marks the latest U.S. response to the controversy over a pair of studies that show how to make the H5N1 avian influenza virus transmissible in mammals.”
State Roundup: Mass. Health Cost Control Bill Could Save $8B To $34B
News outlets report on health policy issues in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Oregon.
Latest Skirmish In ‘War On Women’ Involves Health Policy Concerns
NPR reports that the latest flashpoint involves a $15 billion cut from the health law’s prevention trust fund. Meanwhile, The Washington Post offers a fact check on stats offered by the Romney campaign about the Obama administration and women.
In Run Up To Health Law Ruling, High Court’s Approval Hits New Low
A poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press found the court’s favorability rating to be 52 percent, the lowest in 25 years.
DOJ Investigating Humana Coding, Loan Practices In South Florida
Health insurer Humana said in quarterly filings Monday that the Department of Justice is investigating its coding practices by doctors in South Florida as well as loans made to doctor practices.
UNICEF Stresses Need For Higher Breastfeeding Rates In East Asia
UNICEF “has voiced alarm at the decline of breastfeeding across East Asia, stressing the need for mothers to understand its long-term benefits for the survival and development of their children,” Bernama reports (5/2). In Thailand, as few as five percent of all mothers breastfeed, about 10 percent of mothers breastfeed in Vietnam, and approximately 28 percent of mothers do so in China, according to the U.N. News Centre. “The low breastfeeding rates across East Asia result from economic developments that enable more women to enter the workforce, as well as ‘aggressive’ marketing of infant formula in the region, [UNICEF] added in a news release,” the news service reports.
Reuters Examines Cancer In Africa
Reuters examines cancer in Africa, writing, “Most of Africa’s around 2,000 languages have no word for cancer. The common perception in both developing and developed countries is that it’s a disease of the wealthy world, where high-fat, processed-food diets, alcohol, smoking and sedentary lifestyles fuel tumor growth.” However, according to the news service, sub-Saharan Africa will see an estimated one million new cancer cases this year — “a number predicted to double to two million a year in the next decade,” and, “[b]y 2030, according to predictions from the [WHO], 70 percent of the world’s cancer burden will be in poor countries.”
WFP, Syrian Government Work To Address Food Insecurity, Rising Prices
“Hundreds of thousands of people are struggling to feed their families in the parts of Syria hardest hit by violence, activists and aid workers say, with access to food cut off by ruined infrastructure, rocketing prices and, say some, security forces who steal and spoil food supplies,” the Washington Post reports. Last month, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) “scaled up assistance to reach a quarter-million people” and “is planning to increase that to 500,000 by the end of this month,” according to the newspaper. “[T]he government in March introduced a system of price-fixing for essential foods that has stabilized the cost of bread, sugar and meat — although they remain much higher than they were a year ago,” the Washington Post writes, adding, “Despite efforts to mitigate the problem, around half of Syrians may live in poverty, said Salman Shaikh of the Brookings Institute in Doha, who argued that this is increasing anti-government feeling” (Fordham, 5/1).
Treatment As Prevention Conference Late Breaker Session Presentations
The Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks” blog rounds up results presented at a late breaker session at last week’s 2nd International Treatment as Prevention Workshop in Vancouver. The blog notes the session “offered some interesting insights relevant to HIV treatment scale up” (Lubinski, 4/30).
AIDS, Health Groups Submit Comments To FDA Prior To Agency’s Review Of PrEP
“In public comments [.pdf] submitted this week, a group of 14 leading HIV/AIDS and health organizations stated their support for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate [TDF/FTC] … as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection in adult men and women,” a press release from AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention states. “Modeling studies have shown that widespread access to PrEP could reduce new HIV infections, and thus the scale of the global HIV epidemic, substantially around the world,” the press release says, adding, “The FDA’s decision on TDF/FTC as PrEP could help pave the way for global health funders and developing countries to step up their planning for implementation” (5/1).
Event Launches Report On U.S. Global Health R&D
A post on the Global Health Technologies Coalition’s (GHTC) “Breakthroughs” blog describes an event to launch a recent report from GHTC and Policy Cures on “data on U.S. investments over the past 10 years in global health research and development (R&D).” The event, co-hosted by Research!America, featured comments from panelists Javier Guzman, director of research at Policy Cures; Lee Hall, chief of the Parasitology and International Programs Branch at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Heather Ignatius, senior manager for policy at the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development; and Eric Easom, program leader for neglected diseases at Anacor Pharmaceuticals, according to the blog (Lufkin, 5/1).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that House Republican lawmakers want to cut bonuses to states for enrolling low-income kids in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Advocates Worry States Are Moving Too Fast On Dual Eligibles
Some states plan to test new ways to care for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid early next year.
