Viewpoints: Obama’s Lessons From LBJ; Plan B Positions; Choosing Gingrich
December 9, 2011
Morning Briefing
A selection of opinions and editiorials on health policy from around America.
Viewpoints: Politics Overtakes Plan B; Gingrich’s Entitlement Plans; Cheeseburgers And Death
December 8, 2011
Morning Briefing
A selection of editorials and opinions about health policy from around the country.
UNAIDS Says Africa Must Rely Less On Foreign Aid For HIV/AIDS Treatment, Prevention Programs
January 30, 2012
Morning Briefing
Speaking on Saturday at the African Union Summit, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said huge advances in HIV treatment and prevention have been made over the past decade in Africa, “[b]ut these gains ‘are not sustainable,’ … because they are heavily dependent on foreign aid,” the Zimbabwean reports (1/30). “An estimated two-thirds of AIDS expenditures in Africa come from international funding sources, according to a new UNAIDS issues brief titled “AIDS dependency crisis: sourcing African solutions” (.pdf), Xinhua writes (1/29).
Free Birth Control For Many, Courtesy of HHS
By Jenny Gold
August 1, 2011
KFF Health News Original
With co-payments of $10 to $35 a month, birth control pills can add up to an expensive precaution for American women, even those with private insurance. But a new rule issued today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services makes those fees a worry of the past for many insured women. Under the health […]
U.N. Issues $1.5B 2012 Joint Appeal For Humanitarian Aid In Somalia
December 14, 2011
Morning Briefing
The U.N. on Tuesday issued its 2012 consolidated appeal process (CAP), or joint appeal, for $1.5 billion to fund 350 projects in Somalia, “where famine and conflict have already cost tens of thousands of lives,” the Guardian reports (Chonghaile, 12/13). “The $1.5 billion appeal is based on a realistic assessment of the emergency needs of four million people in crisis, tens of thousands of whom will die without assistance,” Mark Bowden, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said, Agence France-Presse notes.
Who Is Influencing Health Care?
By Jessica Marcy
August 26, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Salon / Global Post: What’s Happening To A Model Healthcare System? Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh once vowed to flee to Costa Rica if President Barack Obama’s health care reforms took effect. Limbaugh might have overlooked a couple of critical […]
First Edition: December 8, 2011
December 8, 2011
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the HHS decision on the Plan B morning after pill, as well as the latest progress reports from Capitol Hill on the payroll tax break extension and the doc fix.
Viewpoints: The High Cost Of Treating Patients Who May Die; Young Girls And Plan B
December 13, 2011
Morning Briefing
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Keeping Global Health Relevant As Part Of Sustainable Development Agenda
January 20, 2012
Morning Briefing
“In 2012 there will be a major strategic shift in global health, away from development and towards sustainability,” a Lancet editorial states. “Since 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), driven by a macroeconomic diagnosis of global poverty, have focused on investment in a small number of diseases as the most effective approach to decrease poverty, … [b]ut this approach is now delivering diminishing returns,” because of emerging challenges such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), climate change, and financial security, as well as a heightened focus on integration and accountability, the editorial says.
Health Care Recommendations From Previous Bipartisan Deficit-Reduction Groups: Document
August 2, 2011
KFF Health News Original
The debt-ceiling agreement calls for a bipartisan “super committee.” This is not the first effort to find a bipartisan agreement on reducing the federal deficit; here is a guide to the health-care recommendations from four groups.
IOM Recommends Free Birth Control For All
By Jenny Gold
July 19, 2011
KFF Health News Original
American women ought to be able to get their birth control for free, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The group is the latest to weigh in on which preventive services health insurers should have to offer at no cost under the new health law. Officials at the Department of Health […]
Viewpoints: Blocking An Abortion Option For Military Women; Plan B Pushback; Solving Wis. Doc Shortage
December 12, 2011
Morning Briefing
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
Medicare 2012 Part B Premiums Will Be Lower Than Expected
October 28, 2011
Morning Briefing
The Obama administration cheered the news regarding the cost of Part B premiums in part because it could give a political boost to President Barack Obama’s popularity among older voters.
Perry And Other GOP Candidates Knock Romney On Mass. Health Reform, Blast Health Law
October 12, 2011
KFF Health News Original
The Republican candidates for president spent their latest debate Tuesday night criticizing features of the health care law, including the IPAB. Newt Gingrich brought up “death panels” and Gov. Rick Perry faced questions about Medicaid in Texas.
Does President Obama Really Want To Means-Test Medicare? Probably Not
By Julie Rovner, NPR News
July 18, 2011
KFF Health News Original
President Obama (and many, many others) have been throwing around the phrase “means testing” as they talk about ways to cut spending for Medicare. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means,” says Inigo Montoya, Mandy Patinkin’s character in one of the many now-famous lines in the […]
Today’s Headlines – July 15, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
July 15, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Happy Friday! In preparation for the weekend, here’s what we’re following to start the day. Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that the debt-ceiling strategy appears to moving toward a “plan B.” The New York Times: ‘Decision Time’ On Budget, Obama Tells Leaders The president said he might summon the […]
IPS Profiles Maternal Shelter In Kenya’s North Eastern Province
December 20, 2011
Morning Briefing
Inter Press Service profiles the Garissa Maternal Shelter in North Eastern Province, Kenya, “the only such facility in an area with the country’s highest maternal mortality rate.” The news service writes, “At 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births, [the maternal mortality rate] is almost double the country’s average, [b]ut despite this, there are only seven women here in a facility that can accommodate 24.”
Medicare Part B 2012 Premiums Lower Than Projected
October 27, 2011
Morning Briefing
Kaiser Health News tracked stories about today’s HHS announcement that premiums for Medicare Part B coverage in 2012 will be $99.90 a month for most beneficiaries, a smaller-than-expected increase over the $96.40 paid this year by a majority of elderly and disabled beneficiaries.
Health On The Hill Transcript: Obama Tries To Aid Deficit Talks With Meetings
June 28, 2011
KFF Health News Original
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about President Obama’s separate meetings with Senate leaders Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid in which the trio is trying to find common ground on Medicare cuts to help lower the deficit.
First Edition: October 28, 2011
October 28, 2011
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the health law’s public support, the latest on the super committee and news about the cost of Medicare Part B premiums.