Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama Attacks GOP Budget On Medicare Changes, Entitlement Spending Cuts
In what has been described as a searing speech, President Barack Obama charged that the GOP budget would end Medicare “as we know it,” and included GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney in his criticisms. KHN is following the news coverage of the speech.
Revamping Medicare: A Guide To The Proposals, Politics And Timeline
Competing ideas and election-year politics will thwart major legislation in 2012, but look for budgetary action at year’s end.
Today’s Headlines – April 3, 2012
Good morning! Here’s what the health policy news looks like this morning: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Obama Calls House GOP Budget Plan A Trojan Horse For ‘Radical’ Change Obama, in a speech to newspaper executives, is sharply criticizing a $3.5 trillion budget proposal pushed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which passed on a near-party-line vote […]
Obama Confident The Health Law Will Be Upheld
In his first public comments about the law since last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments, President Barack Obama not only defended the measure and maintained confidence that it would not be overturned, but he also offered warnings against judicial activism.
Health Law Action At The High Court Takes A Political Toll
Findings from a new poll indicate that the public felt less favorable about both the health law and the Supreme Court after last week’s oral arguments.
FTC Blocks Ohio Hospital Merger; Kan. Mental Hospital’s ‘Poor Working Conditions’
A summary of hospital news from Kansas, California, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Norway Study Raises New U.S. Mammogram Overdiagnosis Questions
An analysis showing significant mammogram overdiagnosis in Norway has raised new questions about mammograms in the U.S., where some say the overdiagnosis problem could be more rampant because of how early most women begin getting them.
FTC Approval Of Express Scripts-Medco Merger Triggers New Battlegrounds
Drug stores and community pharmacists have pledged to fight on in the courts, but some consumer advocates see a silver lining in the merger.
Health Care Issues Among Women Voters Fueling Obama Lead On Romney
A new poll finds that President Obama leads GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney among women in 12 swing states — a finding fueled mostly by health care, the top issue for women, according to the poll.
Measuring Health County-By-County
Wondering how your county measures up on health? The 2012 County Health Rankings are out this week from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The rankings assess the health of nearly every county in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and they allow you to compare […]
The New York Times reports on how these diffences in opinion on regulatory policies have played out.
Blues Insurers Win Antitrust Case In Mich., See Profits Increase 20% In Minn.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Michigan won a hospital pricing antitrust case. In Minnesota, nonprofit insurer UCare readies to return $8 million to the state, while Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s profit rose 20 percent in 2011.
Wash. State Suspends ER-Payment Plan; Penn. ‘Slashes’ Kids From Medicaid Rolls
A selection of Medicaid news from Pennsylvania, Washington state, Colorado and California.
CMS: Medicare Advantage, Part D To Get 3 Percent Boost In 2013 Reimbursements
Also in the news, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced nearly $50 million in grants to state agencies to help seniors better understand Medicare.
New County Health Rankings Released
Researchers found distinct regional patterns: They reported that excessive drinking rates were highest in the Northern states, while rates of teen births, sexually transmitted infections and children in poverty were highest in the South.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Oral Arguments Showcased Justices’ Personailities
The New York Times reports that last week’s action at the Supreme Court gave the public an in-depth view of the insitution and the justices. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that, in a recent speech, Justice Sonia Sotomayor didn’t give any hints about what the high court will do on the health law question.
State Roundup: Docs Fight Over HMO In Fla.; Calif. Mulls Public Employee ‘Bill Of Rights’
A selection of state health care stories from Florida, Minnesota, California and Georgia.
Ryan Budget Plan Draws Tough Talk From Obama While Insurers Keep Their Distance
President Barack Obama offers sharp critcism of the GOP budget plan, which passed the House on a near-party-line vote last week and which has been embraced by GOP presidential hopefuls. Although the plan, written by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would greatly expand the role of private insurers in Medicare, the insurance industry has been mostly silent as well.
IPS Examines Efforts To End FGM In Liberia
Inter Press Service examines efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) in Liberia. “[T]hrough cooperative efforts with traditional leaders, the government of Liberia is quietly moving to … bring an end to female genital cutting in Liberia,” IPS writes, adding, “International organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund argue that FGM is a human rights violation that denies women ‘their physical and mental integrity, their right to freedom from violence and discrimination, and in the most extreme case, their life.'” According to the news service, “FGM remains a highly sensitive issue for the government, and officials interviewed maintained that it would take years to put an end to the practice” (Lupick, 4/2).