Three Drug Companies To Pay $421 Million In Fraud Settlement
December 8, 2010
Morning Briefing
Roxane, Abbott and B. Braun were accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid by inflating prices.
Canadian PM, Tanzanian President Open Meeting To Develop Framework For $40B Maternal And Child Health Initiative
January 26, 2011
Morning Briefing
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete were in Geneva on Wednesday to open a meeting aimed at “developing a framework” to monitor the implementation of a $40 billion U.N. maternal and child health initiative, according to CBC News. Harper and Kikwete are co-chairs of a commission that is charged with ensuring accountability for the pledges.
Text: Berwick’s Prepared Testimony – ‘I Pledge To Be Open And Transparent’
November 16, 2010
KFF Health News Original
Tomorrow, Dr. Donald Berwick, the adminstrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Finance. Here is an advance copy of his prepared statement.
Inadequate Sanitation Costs India Close To $54B, World Bank Report Finds
December 21, 2010
Morning Briefing
“Inadequate sanitation cost India about 6.4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or the equivalent of $53.8 billion (Rs.2.4 trillion today) in 2006, according to a new report (.pdf) from the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), a global partnership administered by the World Bank,” Livemint reports (Ghost, 12/21).
Global Fund Approves 79 Grants With Two-Year Commitment Of $1.7B
December 16, 2010
Morning Briefing
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Board of Directors on Wednesday approved 79 grants with a two-year commitment of “$1.7 billion dollars for projects against the diseases, amid warnings that some hard-hit African countries were being left out,” Agence France-Presse reports. The commitment, according to Ethiopian Health Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who chair’s the Global Fund’s board, “shows that even in hard economic times, we can continue to expand the fight against the three diseases” (12/15).
Dr. Donald Berwick – A Resource Guide
November 16, 2010
KFF Health News Original
Dr. Donald Berwick, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is well-liked and known as a passionate advocate for improving the health care system. Some Republicans accuse him of favoring health care rationing – a charge Democrats dismiss as nonsense.
Donors Pledge Almost $49.3B For World Bank’s International Development Association Fund
December 17, 2010
Morning Briefing
The World Bank on Wednesday announced that its International Development Association (IDA) fund will receive $49.3 billion over the next three years, Bloomberg reports (Christie/Martens, 12/15).
Debunking Medicare Myths
By James C. Capretta
September 2, 2010
KFF Health News Original
Critics say Medicare Advantage plans are inefficient and costly. But those same critics oppose vouchers for Medicare — even though that approach would set up a direct competition between the private plans and the traditional fee-for-service program.
Text: Fiscal Commission’s Recommendations On Health Care Spending
December 2, 2010
KFF Health News Original
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released its long-awaited report on recommendations to cope with the national debt, now and into the future, “The Moment of Truth.” Seven of the 66 pages concerned health care spending, especially focusing on Medicare.
U.N. Launches Largest Ever Annual Aid Appeal, Asking For $7.4B In 2011
December 1, 2010
Morning Briefing
In its annual appeal, the U.N. on Tuesday asked “governments and private donors for a record $7.4 billion next year to provide 50 million people worldwide with food, clothing and other urgent humanitarian aid,” the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (11/30).
Health Law Expands Medicare Coverage Of Preventive Care
By Michelle Andrews
August 10, 2010
KFF Health News Original
In addition, beneficiaries will get free annual wellness visits that include a health risk assessment and a review of functional and cognitive abilities.
Breast Cancer: How Politics Is Driving Up Costs
By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times
August 16, 2010
KFF Health News Original
In spite of clear evidence that the high-priced drug Avastin does not benefit breast cancer patients, politicians want the FDA to maintain approval.
Campaign Claims: Health Law Myths And Facts
By Julie Appleby, KFF Health News and N.C. Aizenman, The Washington Post
October 19, 2010
KFF Health News Original
The debate that preceded passage of the health-care overhaul resumed as a heated issue in the midterm elections. Politicians and advocacy groups seeking repeal of the law are making dramatic claims about the its cost and effects. How valid are they? We evaluate some of the most common criticisms.
GAVI Says Pentavalent Vaccine Price To Fall, But $3.7B Still Needed To Vaccinate Children In Developing Countries
November 29, 2010
Morning Briefing
The average price of a vaccine that protects children against five diseases is expected to “drop to $2.58 next year compared to the current average price of $2.97,” the GAVI Alliance said Friday, Reuters reports. The group credits the expected price decline, which “represents a decrease of 30 percent over the last seven years,” in part to an “increased demand for the pentavalent, or five-in-one vaccine,” according to the news service (Kelland, 11/26).
Financing HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment Could Cost $400B-$700B Over 20 Years
October 8, 2010
Morning Briefing
A new report published by the Results for Development Institute in the Lancet “has offered governments and donors a glimpse into the future of HIV epidemics
Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine Produces Better Immune Response Than Trivalent Vaccine, Study Says
October 26, 2010
Morning Briefing
The bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) was found to induce a “significantly higher immune response” than the existing trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV), according to a study published on Tuesday in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports (Kelland, 10/26).
Today’s Opinions: Broken Promises, Boehner’s Plan B And Implementing Reform
October 12, 2010
Morning Briefing
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of Tuesday’s health care editorials from around the U.S.
Obama Administration Expected To Announce $4B Pledge To Global Fund
October 5, 2010
Morning Briefing
“The Obama administration is expected on Tuesday to announce a large increase in its pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and to call for reform of the organization,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The pledge of $4 billion over the next three fiscal years to the Geneva-based organization comes as governments and donors around the world have slowed increases in spending to combat HIV/AIDS, with weaker economies straining budgets,” the newspaper adds (McKay, 10/5).
Federal Task Force On Preventive Care Faces New Challenge Under Health Law
By Christopher Weaver
July 15, 2010
KFF Health News Original
Panel’s recommendations on preventive care will determine which services are covered fully by insurance. That could make it a political lightning rod for lobbyists and disease advocates and conflict with its tradition of scholarly dedication to the science of randomized medical trials.
