Latest KFF Health News Stories
New GOP Budget Triggers Immediate Budget Battles, Political Reactions
News outlets report that the plan unveiled Tuesday by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., almost automatically became “the centerpiece” of the upcoming election-year discourse. The document, which was cheered by the GOP for its smaller government vision, is certain to be rejected by the Senate.
Abortion, Contraception Legislative Battles Escalate In States
All across the country, state legislatures and governors are grappling with bills designed to limit access to abortion or contraception. In Virginia, it’s affecting a U.S. Senate race.
Supreme Court Braces For Health Law Frenzy
The high court is scheduled to hear three days of oral arguments related to the legal challenges to the health law. Amid the expected media attention, political posturing and spin contests, interested parties are finalizing their arguments and strategies.
Supreme Court Bars State Employees From Suing If They Are Denied Medical Leave
In a 5-to-4 decision, the justices said states are generally immune from suits by employees who are refused time-off to recover from an illness.
House Preps Pre-SCOTUS IPAB Repeal Vote With Eye On Doc Relationship
Republicans are not united in their attempted repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which will come up for a vote in the House this week. In the meantime, the GOP is attempting to mend fences with the American Medical Association by offsetting the cost of repeal with medical malpractice tort reforms.
Health Law Message Machine, Implementation Rolls On
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was in Florida Tuesday pointing out the health law’s accomplishments. Meanwhile, news outlets offer implementation reports from California and Arkansas.
Supreme Court Limits Patents On Diagnostic Medical Tests
The justices rule that two patents are invalid because they cover a natural phenomenon.
Kansas Senate Considers How To Oversee Medicaid Managed Care Plans
Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to move recipients into managed care has drawn controversy, even from fellow Republicans.
A look at editorials and opinions on the budget proposal released Tuesday by the House Budget Committee chairman.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Illinois Winner Romney Supports Ryan Ideas On Medicare, Medicaid
Mitt Romney took home the win in the Illinois Primary Tuesday and expressed support for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan that would reduce spending on Medicare and Medicaid. Rick Santorum, in the meantime, continues his quest against the health reform law.
State Roundup: Oregon’s Coordinated Care Program Moves Ahead
A selection of health policy news from Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Georgia, California and Louisiana.
WHO Convenes Lawmakers From Southeast Asia To Discuss Bolstering Of Health Systems In Region
This week the WHO brought together lawmakers from across Southeast Asia in Bangkok “to discuss how to bolster their health systems back home,” IRIN reports. Meeting participants were “called on to advocate the boosting of health spending, workforces and access to health care in their home countries in addition to drafting ‘healthy public policies,’ such as conducting health assessments before large infrastructural projects are undertaken,” the news service writes.
Researchers Unveil ‘Blueprint’ To Guide Next Steps In TB Vaccine Development
“On Tuesday, a global alliance of researchers and scientists — led by the Stop TB Partnership, an umbrella group of health groups — unveiled a ‘blueprint’ to develop a new vaccine [against tuberculosis (TB)] that aims to disrupt transmission in hard-hit countries and communities,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The blueprint calls for the groups to work together to test new vaccine candidates, and to coordinate fundraising for expansive and expensive human trials, representing the first comprehensive plan of the sort,” the news service writes (Wonacott, 3/20).
Global Fund Spotlights Contributions Of Public-Private Partnerships In Event On Capitol Hill
“At a public event [held Tuesday] on Capitol Hill, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria spotlighted the contributions of public-private partnerships to the Global Fund’s lifesaving work,” a joint press release (.pdf) reports. The event highlighted the “unique and essential roles” that partners like Chevron, the Coca-Cola Company, (RED) and PEPFAR play in improving lives around the globe, “[f]rom assistance in drug delivery, to supplying much-needed resources, to mobilizing consumer markets, to in-country partnerships,” according to the press release. “The partners highlighted at the Capitol Hill event have not only provided funding, but have also brought their individual expertise to the Global Fund, sharing their knowledge and building bridges between the public, private and health sectors,” the press release states (3/20).
In this post in USAID’s “IMPACTblog,” guest blogger Joanna Breitstein, director of communications for the TB Alliance, describes an event organized by the Critical Paths to TB Drug Regimens that took place on Monday, “heralding the launch of a new clinical trial that tests tuberculosis drugs in combination.” During the event, “Robert Clay, deputy assistant administrator in USAID’s Global Health Bureau, said that he wants researchers and those who oversee programs in countries to work more closely together,” she writes. A link to video of Clay’s comments is included in the blog (3/20).
Experts Discuss Significant Findings From CROI In Video Interview
This post in the AIDS.gov blog provides video of Ron Valdiserri, deputy assistant secretary of health for infectious diseases, interviewing Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, at the recent 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). According to the blog, “They discussed some of the significant findings from the conference including advances related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the growing discussions of an AIDS-free generation” (Gomez, 3/20).
Clean Cookstoves Alliance Launches Initiative In Nigeria To Help Prevent Deaths
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves “launched a campaign in Nigeria on Tuesday aimed at preventing deaths due to toxic smoke from rudimentary cookstoves, one of the developing world’s worst public health threats,” Agence France-Presse reports. In Nigeria, “an estimated 95,000 people die each year due to such toxic smoke, the highest number of deaths on the continent,” the news service writes, adding the new Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves will aim to distribute “10 million clean cookstoves by 2020, beginning with half a million within the next 12 months.” According to AFP, “U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Terence McCulley said his government has committed up to $105 million over the next five years for the project” (3/20).
VOA News Examines Polio Eradication Efforts In Pakistan
VOA News examines polio vaccination efforts in Pakistan, where “authorities say national pride is now at stake for polio eradication and they are hoping to overcome years of setbacks from natural disasters, misinformation and war.” Though health workers hold eight nationwide vaccine campaigns each year, reaching each child is challenging because of fighting in some regions; migration; public mistrust of the vaccine; and inadequate clean water and sanitation, which allows the polio virus to thrive, according to VOA (Padden, 3/20).
“Political instability, civil strife and humanitarian crises in Africa have over the past decades reversed countless maternal health development gains on the continent, health experts warn,” Inter Press Service reports. “‘African countries with good maternal health statistics are generally those that have long-term political stability. This shows that stability is a fundamental basis for development. If it doesn’t exist, other priorities overtake,’ Lucien Kouakou, regional director of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF) in Africa, told IPS,” the news service writes.
