Latest KFF Health News Stories
School Nurses Are Among The Casualties Of Tough Fiscal Times
In a pair of stories, NPR reports on how tight budgets are playing out with staff reductions for full-time school nurses and how hospitals and medical schools are marketing themselves.
Health Insurance Fee Draws GOP Attacks
Republicans step up attacks on a new fee on private health plans — created in the health law and set to take effect this week — to private insurance plans to fund comparative effectiveness research.
State Roundup: Mass. Insurance Co-Ops To Launch; Fla. Hospital Commission Ponders Nonprofits
A selection of stories from Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Iowa and Georgia.
Hospital Stocks Fall After Analyst Prediction Of Tough Times
A new report from Citigroup Global Markets forecasts difficult times ahead for hospitals and other related businesses that rely on government spending.
Industry Report Finds Nursing Homes Losing Money As States Cut Medicaid
Also, California officials prepare to appeal federal court decision striking down cuts to some providers, and Wisconsin announces that its shortfall is less than expected.
Congress Returns To ‘Same Old Health Fights’ In 2012
Congress starts 2012 facing the same old health policy fights, including the GOP push to pay for a more permanent Medicare “doc fix” with cuts to health law programs or Medicare. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports on how House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dave Camp, R-Mich., has been pivotal in Republican efforts to undermine the health overhaul law.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
HHS Issues Initial Set Of 26 Medicaid Quality Measures
The measures cover areas such as prevention, care coordination and chronic disease management and will be used for quality reporting.
Romney Wins GOP Iowa Caucus By Eight Votes
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney edged out rival Rick Santorum by a margin so slim it is viewed by many as a tie. News outlets review the political dynamics behind the vote tally, and highlight how the outcome reflects the ongoing GOP ideological divide as well as what might happen next.
Michigan Opts Not To Appeal Feds’ MLR Rule
The state was one of 13 seeking an exemption from the health law’s medical-loss ratio requirement that insurance companies spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care. Others, however, get a 30-day extension. Also in the news, the Department of Health and Human Services named 73 advisers to work with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. And, the American Hospital Association registered concern about some antitrust policies regarding accountable care organizations. Meanwhile, Politico lists some of the key health policy dates to watch in 2012.
Child Malnutrition Rates ‘Alarming’ In Somali Refugee Camps, AFP Reports
“Aid workers say malnutrition rates among children under five at the Dolo Ado camp [in Ethiopia] are alarming,” with “[o]ver 50 percent of children in Dolo Ado’s Hilaweyn camp and nearly half of all children in Kobe camp
UNICEF To Ramp Up Global Vaccination Program
“UNICEF is preparing ambitious plans to update, strengthen and vastly expand its global vaccination program,” and “is gearing up to triple its capacity over the next five years,” according to a UNICEF news story. “A more effective and wide-reaching vaccination program will also help UNICEF fulfill its commitment to reaching the most vulnerable,” the story reports (Niles, 1/3).
Sri Lankan Presidential Task Force Against Dengue Seeing Success
“Sri Lanka is making progress in the battle against mosquito-borne dengue fever, say health officials,” IRIN reports. According to the health ministry, 26,722 dengue cases were reported in 2011, down from 34,105 cases in 2010, and the number of dengue-related deaths dropped from 246 to 172, IRIN notes. Officials credit the establishment in May 2010 of an “anti-dengue Presidential Task Force — involving the ministries of health, defense, the environment, education, and local government, and headed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa” — for the drop in cases, IRIN writes. The agencies worked together to launch widespread education campaigns, “clea[n] up areas suspected of being mosquito breeding grounds,” and impose fines for illegal dumping, according to the news agency (12/29).
Ethiopia’s PMTCT Plan Needs Men To Participate In Order To Reach Goal, Experts Say
“Ethiopia’s new plan to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015 cannot be attained unless men are more meaningfully involved in reproductive health, experts say,” PlusNews reports. Ethiopia launched an accelerated prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) program in December with “three objectives: reaching 90 percent of pregnant women with access to antenatal care services; ensuring universal access by pregnant women to a skilled attendant during delivery; and providing ARVs to at least 80 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women,” according to the news service.
Increased Number Of Somali Women Reporting Being Raped, Sexually Abused
In the wake of “decades of conflict” and famine, Somalia “face[s] yet another widespread terror: an alarming increase in rapes and sexual abuse of women and girls,” the New York Times reports. “The famine and mass displacement, which began over the summer, have made women and girls more vulnerable. Many Somali communities have been disbanded,” leaving many women alone and vulnerable to al-Shabab militants, “rogue militiamen and even government soldiers [who] rape, rob and kill with impunity,” the article states, adding, “Often, the women are left wounded or pregnant, forced to seek help” (Gettleman, 12/27).
BBC Examines Eastern DRC’s Battle With Malaria
A BBC News article and related video examine the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s battle with malaria. “‘Malaria is the main killer here in Congo, especially for pregnant women and children,’ says Dr. Vincker Lushombo, from Save the Children,” BBC writes. “Two decades of conflict and chaos have destroyed key infrastructure and left many families in the east living in makeshift camps, often exposed to malarial swamps,” according to the news service.
January Issue Of WHO Bulletin Available Online
The January issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on non-communicable diseases and post-conflict countries; a public health round-up; an article on Arab health professionals; a research paper on caesarean section rates in China; and a series of round table articles on the Global Fund and the interaction of public and private interests (January 2011).
U.S. Addressing Short-, Long-Term Needs In Horn Of Africa
“As the United States entered the traditional season of giving and renewal last month, President Barack Obama announced that the United States was increasing its emergency aid to the [Horn of Africa] region by $113 million,” a VOA editorial states, adding, “The new monies will be used for food, health, shelter, water and other needs.”
New FAO Head Says Agency Will Increase Support To Countries Experiencing Prolonged Food Crises
The new head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Director-General Jos
First Edition: January 4, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about Mitt Romney’s historically close win in the Iowa caucuses. Also in the news, Wall Street Journal readers favor televising the Supreme Court arguments regarding the health law.
