Latest KFF Health News Stories
HHS Approves Ariz. Medicaid Cut
Federal officials approve an additional 5 percent cut in payments to Arizona hospitals and other providers. Meanwhile, in Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has rare kind words for Sen. Landrieu and New York struggles with its Medicaid payment computer system.
Medicare’s Doughnut Hole Shrinks
The Associated Press reports that Medicare’s prescription drug program coverage gap is getting smaller and, for many beneficiaries, easier to manage.
Viewpoints: What Now For Deficit Cutters; Berwick’s Replacement
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
Partisanship A Part Of Calls For Justices To Step Away From Health Law Case
House Democrats recently demanded that Justice Clarence Thomas step aside while Senate Republicans have increased their calls for Justice Elena Kagan to take herself off the case. Meanwhile, lobbying efforts are expected to increase as part of efforts to shape the high court’s decision.
Some States Slow Health Law Implementation Pace
Much of this slow down is related to the creation of health exchanges, as some states are wondering if they should hold tight until the high court’s decision is made. In other news, media outlets detail some of the specifics of the measure’s preventive benefits as well as rate review processes.
An Unfolding Success Story: Electronic Medical Records Transition Moves Ahead
Stateline reports that, in part because of a provision in the 2009 stimulus law, the national push toward electronic medical records is advancing.
First Edition: November 28, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about President Barack Obama’s pick to succeed Donald Berwick as chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as news about the Supreme Court’s consideration of the health law and more on the nation’s budget.
AP: Health Law Cuts Seniors’ Doughnut Hole Expenses 40%
Medicare actuary’s numbers show that the provision to close the doughnut hole — in which seniors must pay all their prescription costs — reduces average costs from $1,504 to $901.
Lobbying Push To Focus On Health Law’s Day At The Supreme Court
The Hill reports on the lobbying blitz expected on the case. Meanwhile, AP looks at efforts to have Justices Thomas and Kagan recuse themselves.
Drugs Seniors Use Most Often Cause 60K Hospitalizations Annually
A new study finds that diabetes and blood-thinning medicines account for two-thirds of drug-related hospitalizations.
Analysts Wondering About Tavenner’s Prospects For Senate Confirmation
Marilyn Tavenner, nominated by President Obama to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, may or may not have an easier time than her predecessor, Dr. Donald Berwick, for gaining confirmation.
Future Medicare Beneficiaries May Face Benefits Cap; Super Committee Fallout Continues
According to The New York Times, the political parties may be moving toward agreement on Medicare premium support.
Bloomberg examines how a trade agreement being negotiated by leaders of the nine Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries — Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States — could potentially make it more difficult for people in TPP nations to get new generic drugs and may impact U.S.-led global efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS as outlined by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a recent speech at the NIH.
Obama Should Announce Scale-Up Of AIDS Treatment Programs
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent speech calling for an “AIDS-free generation” through the use of multiple prevention strategies, including more widespread antiretroviral therapy, “was a dramatic reversal of U.S. policy, which has historically viewed treatment more as a costly expense rather than our most powerful prevention investment,” physician Loretta Ciraldo and Katrina Ciraldo, a student at Boston University School of Medicine, write in this Miami Herald opinion piece.
UNICEF Report Says More Than 30M Children In East Asia, Pacific Lack Essential Services
“More than 30 million children in seven countries in East Asia and the Pacific are deprived of at least one essential service such as basic health care, safe drinking water or access to education, according to a United Nations study (.pdf),” AlertNet reports. According to UNICEF’s “Child Poverty in East Asia and the Pacific: Deprivations and Disparities” report, “more than 13 million of the 93 million children in Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vanuatu and Vietnam suffer from two or more such deprivations.”
Why Foreign Aid Should Matter To GOP Presidential Candidates
“I suggest that GOP presidential candidates apply … personal finance principles to evaluate why foreign aid is worth the investment,” Samuel Worthington, president of InterAction, writes in a CNN opinion piece. He says foreign aid is “like an insurance premium” because it is a small portion of the federal budget but “small cash outlays can prevent major expenses later,” such as investing in food security to prevent famine. Small investments now will help “today’s aid recipients [become] tomorrow’s consumers of American exports,” which helps support domestic jobs, he writes.
High-Tech Information Innovations Sparking Sharing Of Research
An award is offered for sequencing of DNA of centenarians, and a medical journal reaches out to smartphone users.
