Latest KFF Health News Stories
Disease Outbreaks, Looting Hampering Relief Efforts In Somalia Famine
“Outbreaks of measles and cholera are striking down Somali children already weakened by hunger, resulting in dozens of new fatalities,” the Guardian reports (Rice, 8/13). According to the WHO, “181 people have died from suspected cholera cases in a single hospital in Mogadishu, and there have been several other confirmed cholera outbreaks across the country,” the New York Times writes (Gettleman, 8/12). UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado “said Friday that tens of thousands of children have died and countless more are particularly at risk of cholera and other diseases because of drought and violence in East Africa,” the Associated Press/NPR notes (8/12).
Somalia Famine Highlights Need For Long-Term Food Security Initiatives
Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) write in a USA Today opinion piece about their visit last week to the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, stating, “Amid the devastation, we saw the impact of [U.S. and international] aid. We saw inexpensive oral rehydration packs bring listless babies back to life. We saw children getting vitamins and vaccines that will stop the spread of deadly diseases throughout the camps.”
South Africa Expands AIDS Program To Allow Earlier ARV Treatment
The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) on Saturday endorsed a new National Health Council policy to expand the country’s AIDS program “to allow people living with HIV to start antiretroviral [ARV] treatment earlier” by raising the CD4 count necessary to access treatment from 200 to 350, Agence France-Presse reports (8/14). Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi “said the plan would be integrated into the proposed National Health Insurance system,” SAPA/News24 writes (8/13).
Anti-Health Law Measure Secures Place On Ohio Ballot
States wrestle with a range of health policy issues.
Viewpoints: Health Reform ‘Tax’ Vs. ‘Penalty’; Super Committee Forecast; Boomer Tsunami
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Medigap Policies Could Come Under ‘Super Committee’s’ Budget Knife
The Connecticut Mirror reports that a Washington advocacy group is issuing warnings about provisions that have been on the table that could impact Medicare beneficiaries.
Patient Information-Sharing Network Under Development By VA, Defense
The Washington Post reports on how this emerging electronic health record system is impacting the marketplace. In other Health IT news, the Twin Cities’ market appears to be full of “early adopters” of online care services, according to the Pioneer Press.
IPAB Draws Sustained Opposition From GOP, Health Industry Lobbyists
The Independent Payment Advisory Board, which is one of the health law’s central tools for cutting Medicare costs, continues to be a topic that draws significant opposition.
Feds Offer More Details, Money For Health Exchange Creation
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $185 million in grants to 13 states. The government also clarified how states will be expected to determine who is eligible to participate in exchanges under the health law.
U.N. Should Make Reduction In Salt Intake A Global Health Priority, Researchers Say
Researchers from the Universities of Warwick and Liverpool in a report published on Thursday in the British Medical Journal called for the U.N. to “make reducing salt intake a global health priority,” stating that “a 15 percent cut in consumption could save 8.5 million lives around the world over the next decade,” BBC News reports. “The researchers say there is a ‘consistent, direct relation between salt intake and blood pressure,'” which “in turn is linked to heart disease, stroke and kidney problems,” and “[t]hey point to the U.S., where cutting salt intake by a third would save tens of thousands of lives and save up to $24 billion annually in health care costs,” the news agency reports.
Nearly 6,000 Dead In Haitian Cholera Outbreak, Health Ministry Says
“The number of cholera fatalities in Haiti has risen to just short of 6,000, the health ministry said Sunday,” Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports. “By 31 July, 5,968 had died with 10 more people succumbing every day, the ministry said,” and “[m]ore than 420,000 people have been infected since the outbreak started in October and another 600 cases are registered daily,” the news agency notes.
First Edition: August 15, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about Friday’s ruling on the health overhaul as well as other action related to the law and highlights from the weekend’s health policy developments.
Bachmann Victory, Pawlenty Dropout Could Alter GOP Health Care Tone
Bachmann is reiterating her message that the health law should be repealed.
Perry’s Candidacy Shines Light On Health Care Record, Beliefs
Like other Republican candidates, the Texas governor vows repeal of the health law.
11th Circuit Court Of Appeals Finds The Health Law’s Individual Mandate Unconstitutional
The 2-to-1 decision marks a major blow to the Obama administration in its legal battle over the health law. But in the ruling, which addresses the challenge filed by 26 states, the court also disagreed with a lower court’s ruling and will allow other provisions of the law to remain “legally operative.”
Pelosi Adds Her Picks To Deficit Reduction Committee
With House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s selections now made for the ‘super committee,’ the panel is complete. The next step: analyzing what positions they will bring to the negotiations and what the likelihood is that the group will strike a deal.
With Panelists Now In Place, Possible Dynamics Of A Deal Emerge
News outlets analyze how the health law and specific parts of the health industry will fare under various deficit panel scenarios.
Mixed Reports From Aid Organizations In Somalia After Al-Shabab Pulls Out Of Mogadishu
The news from the Horn of Africa is “mixed,” NPR’s “All Things Considered” reports, adding, “More food is getting through and security has improved for now, but tens of thousands of children have already died and many more are at risk.” According to NPR, “Aid groups were pleased last week when al-Shabab, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, pulled out of the capital, Mogadishu. That made a dangerous country a little bit less so for aid workers” (Keleman, 8/10).
IRIN Examines Access To Water And Sanitation In Zambia
IRIN examines access to water and sanitation in Zambia, where “only 58 percent of Zambians have access to adequate sanitation and 13 percent lack any kind of toilet,” according to a 2008 study by the local non-governmental organization Water and Sanitation Forum.
