Latest KFF Health News Stories
Congressional Negotiators Begin Talks On Payroll Tax Cut, ‘Doc Fix’
Although Demcratic and Republican lawmakers differ on how to pay for it, they seem to agree there needs to be a deal in order to prevent a deep, scheduled cut in Medicare physician payments.
In State Of The Union Speech, Health Law Gets Short Shrift
President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address was light on health policy references, but he did say he would not “go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your coverage, or charge women differently than men.” News outlets also reported on Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels Republican response and looked forward to what Obama is doing today to spin his speech.
PMI-Supported Study Aims To Measure Malaria Among Pregnant Women In Rwanda
This post in the Malaria Free Future blog reports on a study underway in Rwanda that aims to measure the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy (MIP). The research is supported by the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and is being carried out through its Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) “so that the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) can have data to design appropriate MIP interventions as the country moves towards malaria elimination,” the blog notes. According to the blog, the study of more than 4,000 women “focuses on pregnant women during their first visit to focused antenatal care (FANC) for their current pregnancy” and is currently at the half way mark (Brieger, 1/25).
Global Fund Executive Director Kazatchkine Steps Down; Board Appoints General Manager
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine on Tuesday announced he will “step down in mid-March after leading the organization for five years,” according to a Global Fund press release (1/24). In a message to staff, Kazatchkine said he “concluded that I should not continue as executive director” following a November decision by the Global Fund Board to “appoint a general manager to oversee implementation of the Consolidated Transformation Plan who will report directly to the Board.” The statement continues, “I respect this decision and trust that it was made in the best interests of the Global Fund. … I am committed to an orderly transition, and I will do all that I can to ensure that the Global Fund emerges from it as a stronger organization” (1/24). In a statement, Board Chair Simon Bland said, “I thank Michel for his remarkable contribution and I look forward to working with him to ensure an efficient transition” (1/24).
In a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, “told European lawmakers in Brussels not to cut aid to poor countries despite the economic and budgetary problems facing” European Union (E.U.) countries, Agence France-Presse reports. Gates “praised the [E.U.] whose support in health and development he said has been greater than that of the United States,” AFP notes (1/24). On Wednesday, Gates “will be at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he plans to exhort wealthy donors — especially governments — to keep funding a range of crucial projects in the developing world, from tuberculosis drugs and antimalaria bed nets to maternal care and vaccines,” the Wall Street Journal writes. Gates “plans to make his case by showcasing ideas, backed by his foundation, that have helped cost-effectively tackle problems in global health,” according to the newspaper (Naik, 1/25).
New Super PAC Ad Attacks Romney’s Health Care Record
The advertisement charges that GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney “invented government-run health care” based on his health care record while governor of Massachusetts.
State Roundup: Mass. Closing A Mental Hospital; Adult Day Care In Calif.
News outlets report on a variety of state health care issues.
States Continue To Wrestle With The Politics Of Health Exchanges
Also in the news, a New Jersey hospital has formed an ACO.
Kansas, California Medicaid Changes Ahead, Despite Objections
Activists worry about the impact of cuts.
GOP: Survey Showing Increase In Uninsured Is Proof Of Health Law’s Failure
Some House Republicans circulated this new Gallup data yesterday, before President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
High Court’s Review Of Health Law’s Medicaid Expansion ‘Very Serious’ Issue
Some lawyers representing challenges to the health law see the Medicaid-related questions as going “to the heart” of the overhaul’s constitutionality.
HHS Rules On Contraception Coverage; Insurance Labels Draw Attention
The Wall Street Journal reports on the reaction by some Catholic leaders to the White House’s decision to require religious employer’s health plans to cover contraception. Meanwhile, KHN reports that consumer groups are urging the Obama administration not to weaken the health law’s provisions related to insurance labels.
Viewpoints: Health Care Is MIA In The State Of The Union; Gingrich’s Earnings For Health Views
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
USAID Plans To Assist In Creating Global Development R&D Teams At U.S. Colleges, Universities
The Washington Post’s “In the Loop” blog reports that USAID has released a draft form of a plan to create research and development (R&D) teams at colleges and universities across the country aimed at tackling problems of global development. “USAID characterized the plan … as a way of tapping into the collective wisdom of academia,” according to the blog, which notes, “They’ve suggested setting up an unnamed number of centers — some at individual colleges and universities, some comprised of several such institutions.” The blog adds, “They say no budget has been set, but an individual college might get a million or so, while a collaborative center made up of a few schools could get $4 million to $5 million” (Heil, 1/24).
Blog Examines How Honduras Has Achieved Vaccination Coverage Averaging 99%
This post in the U.N. Foundation’s “Shot@Life” blog examines how Honduras, “one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere,” has achieved “one of the highest vaccination coverage rates in the world, averaging close to 99 percent.” The blog writes, “We wanted to see firsthand how Honduras has achieved such amazing results, so last week Shot@Life traveled there with a U.S. Congressional staff delegation to learn more about their extremely effective immunization programs” and details the vaccination efforts of the rural town La Ca
U.S. Officials Report On Progress Made In Somalia Famine But Note Aid Still Needed
During a briefing on Tuesday, U.S. officials said famine conditions in Somalia have improved, but more than 13 million people in the Horn of Africa remain in need of emergency food, shelter or other aid, the Associated Press reports. “David Robinson, acting assistant secretary for population, refugees and migration, told reporters Tuesday the flow of refugees out of Somalia into neighboring countries has diminished, but thousands are still trying to get out and new camps are opening in Ethiopia and Kenya,” the news agency writes (Birch, 1/24). Bruce Wharton, deputy assistant secretary for public diplomacy for the Bureau of African Affairs, noted the U.S. has provided about $870 million in humanitarian aid to the region, with about $205 million going specifically to Somalia, according to the briefing transcript (1/24).
U.N. Official Urges Global Community To Act On Drought, Hunger In Africa’s Sahel Region
Olivier De Schutter, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, on Tuesday “urged the global community to take quick action to prevent millions of people in Africa’s Sahel region from slipping into a full-scale food emergency, warning that drought, poor harvests and rising food prices have left the region on the brink of a humanitarian crisis,” the U.N. News Centre reports. “The area currently affected by the crisis covers a vast swath of territory, including Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger but concerns have also been extended to other countries in the region such as Burking Faso and Senegal,” according to the news service (1/24).
Improving Global Health Through Smart Public Policy, Innovative Partnerships
“As the World Economic Forum kicks off this week in Davos, Switzerland, the importance of global health — and the health of the globe — is getting special attention,” Karl Hofmann, president and CEO of Population Services International (PSI), writes in this post in The Hill’s “Congress Blog.” He continues, “The world’s still massive bottom of the economic pyramid — some 2-3 billion people — represents a potential $5 trillion in purchasing power,” but without access to “quality health care and services, … their global economic impact suffers. Imagine if by simple investments in health, we turned these struggling individuals and families into healthy, active consumers and producers.”
Yemen Faces Child Malnutrition Crisis After Year Of Unrest
“A year of Yemen’s turmoil has exacerbated the number of malnourished children under the age of five to around 750,000, UNICEF said Tuesday, appealing to the government and the international community to help develop the country’s infrastructure to tackle the problem,” the Associated Press reports (Al-Haj/Batrawy, 1/24). “Conflict, poverty and drought, compounded by the unrest of the previous year, the high food and fuel prices, and the breakdown of social services, are putting children’s health at great risks and threatening their very survival,” UNICEF Regional Director Maria Calivis said today, concluding “a two-day visit to Yemen where she saw first-hand the impact of malnutrition on children’s health,” a UNICEF news note states (1/24).
Celebrating The Global Fund As It Turns 10
“As the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] turns 10 on January 26, 2012, Nigerian families should join in the celebration of this innovative initiative that has saved the lives of millions here in Nigeria and across the globe,” Bello Bissalla, project manager for private sector and government partnerships at Friends of the Global Fund Africa, writes in Nigeria’s BusinessDay. “Much of the Global Fund’s success could be attributed to its performance-based financing mechanism, which creates room for transparency in the purchase, distribution and administration of drugs for these three diseases,” Bissalla continues, noting the grant review process “ensures that grant recipients show verified evidence of performance before receiving the next tranche of funding, thus ensuring transparency and implementation of the grant according to the plan.”
