Latest KFF Health News Stories
Investigation Finds Shell Companies Stealing Millions From Medicare
Reuters reports on rampant Medicare fraud and the development of new technologies that can be used to fight it.
Federal Officials Seek To Keep Details On Bird Flu Study Secret
A federal board has asked two scientific journals to restrict access to details of a genetic study of the bird flu in which researchers altered the virus to be more easily transmittable between humans.
Two Lawyers Collected $88M In Fees Guiding Disabled Social Security Applicants
The Wall Street Journal reports that two lawyers made $88 million in fees last year for guiding clients through the system to get social security benefits.
Also in the news, a Boston Medical Center study explores teens’ access to the Plan B contraceptive.
Health Care Issues Leaving Mark On Presidential Race
President Obama is busy touting his health law, while Mitt Romney argues that an individual mandate in Massachusetts is a “conservative” idea. In the meantime, the Associated Press examines Newt Gingrich’s past support of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Walgreen Expecting Sharp Drop In Prescription Business
A contract dispute with pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts is likely to cut the number of drugs Walgreen will sell.
Religious Leaders Should Come Together To Ensure Access To NTD Medicines For World’s Poorest
Most of the world’s neglected tropical diseases occur among populations that adhere to Islam, Catholicism, or Hinduism, an observation that “affords an opportunity to establish a unique interfaith dialogue among religious leaders” leading to global action, Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and Serap Aksoy, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health, write in a PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) editorial. They provide statistics of NTD infections among different populations living in countries dominated by specific religious affiliations and write, “These high prevalence NTDs not only have a devastating health impact on these populations, but … they also represent major reasons why such populations cannot escape poverty.”
Democrats, Republicans Stand Their Ground On ‘Doc Fix’ Positions
Congressional Democratic leaders pan the idea of a stand-alone bill for Medicare physician payments, while Republicans continue to insist on a full-year fix.
Roundup: Texas Members Oppose State’s MLR Waiver; Calif.’s Disability Case Takes Unusual Turn
News outlets report on state health policy developments in California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Connecticut and Washington.
Viewpoints: Republicans’ ‘Gift’ To Obama; Essential Benefits Rule A ‘Lump Of Coal’
A selection of editorials and opinions about health care policy from around the country.
Congress Cuts Federal Funding For Needle Exchanges
Media outlets report on several public health issues, including a renewed funding ban on needle exchanges and a call for recalling a stent system.
NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ Examines USAID’s Efforts To Improve Medical Care In Afghanistan
NPR Morning Edition host Renee Montagne on Thursday spoke with Alex Thier, who oversees USAID projects in Afghanistan, about the “tremendous efforts that have been made to improve medical care in the country over the last decade,” noting, “A new survey shows stunning progress in medical care in the war-torn country.” Thier said when the war began in 2001, Afghanistan had the worst health care in the world, with a life expectancy around 45 years, but with help from international agencies, life expectancy has increased to 62 to 64 years in the past decade. He notes that one of the programs helping to improve health care in the country is a midwife training program run by USAID (12/22).
Employment Issues: A Hot Topic Among Health Care Workers
In Connecticut, the issue of unionizing home care attendants has sparked charged debate. Meanwhile in California, nurses – in the midst of contract negotiations – plan to picket at Sutter Health’s Sacramento headquarters and at nine of its hospitals; and, in Texas, nurses filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board regarding Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center’s sick leave policy.
PBS NewsHour Examines Role Of Religious Leaders In Morocco’s Fight Against HIV/AIDS
In this post in PBS NewsHour’s “The Rundown” blog, journalist Ray Suarez reports on the role of religious leaders in Morocco’s battle against HIV/AIDS and stigma. Suarez examines social and cultural factors influencing HIV/AIDS prevention programming in Morocco, speaks with HIV/AIDS activists in the country, and highlights an HIV educational program that utilizes Muslim imams to spread HIV prevention messages. He concludes, “In many ways the country is on the road to a successful response to AIDS. There are still thousands of new infections annually in this country of more than 30 million, guaranteeing the response to HIV must stretch for decades into the future” (12/21). The article is accompanied by a video report (Suarez, 12/21).
Scientific American Examines Relationship Between Climate Change, Health
Scientific American examines the interface between climate change and human health, writing, “WHO research suggests that current warming of global average temperatures of just under one degree Celsius is responsible for an additional 150,000 deaths per year, largely due to agricultural failures and diarrheal disease in developing countries. … As a result, WHO — and a consortium of other public health organizations — declared climate change to be among the most pressing emerging health issues in the world at the recent climate negotiations … in South Africa.”
BBC News Magazine Examines Antiviral Drug Research
BBC News Magazine examines an antiviral drug called Draco, developed by Todd Rider, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “which has proven successful against all 15 viruses to which it has been applied in lab trials with human tissue and mice,” including “the common cold, H1N1 or swine flu, a polio virus, dengue fever, and the notorious and fatal Ebola virus.” The magazine discusses ongoing research, provides information on how Draco works, and provides a link to an audio program discussing “the search for a broad-based antiviral” on Discovery from the BBC World Service (Hegarty, 12/20).
Russia Will Not Use HIV Spending To Fund Needle Exchange, Methadone Therapy, Reuters Reports
Though Russia is doubling its budget for HIV in 2012 over 2010 levels, “no money will go to such internationally recognized efforts as needle exchanges” and methadone replacement therapy, Reuters reports. “Moscow doesn’t believe these approaches help slow the spread of HIV/AIDS,” and “[s]ome health workers and global HIV authorities are angered and baffled by Russia’s approach, which they say will only aggravate the problem,” the news service writes. The article examines how government spending for HIV will be used, with only three percent of about $600 million expected to go toward prevention programs in 2012, and how non-governmental organizations are coping with cuts in funding from international donor programs (Ferris-Rotman/Koppel, 12/21).
Obama Administration Should Provide Food Aid To N. Korea ‘As Soon As Is Practical’
Recounting the factors that led to and conditions that persisted during the North Korean famine between 1995 and 1998, New Yorker staff writer Steve Coll says in this opinion piece in the magazine, “Better harvests and international food aid ended the worst suffering by 1998. Yet chronic food insecurity and shortages persist to this day.”
