Latest KFF Health News Stories
Five Senators Seek Investigation Of Physician-Owned Distributorships
The senators are seeking health from the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General to determine if these entities, which fuction as middleman and can allow surgeons to profit from the medical devices they use on patients, are legal.
WellPoint To Buy CareMore, A Provider Of Senior Health Care Services
With this deal, WellPoint is signaling its interest in moving beyond its traditional health coverage business. CareMore is known for its ability to provide intense monitoring and treatment of chronically ill older patients while holding down costs.
Obama Administration Launches New Program To Spur Health IT Innovation
The initiative, announced Wednesday, uses prizes and challenges to encourage accelerated research and development activities in the health IT sector.
Deadline Extended For ACO Pioneer Program
The new deadline is Aug. 19. Meanwhile, in other policy-related news, the White House pushed back against study findings released earlier this week by McKinsey & Co. that as many as 30 percent of companies may stop offering health insurance to their employees and said the president’s healthcare plan “will reduce costs overall.”
Roundup: Maryland Program Treats Prisoners’ Medical Problems
News outlets report on state health policy issues.
Longer Looks: Dr. Oz As Patient; Utah Puts Medicaid Enrollees To Work
This week’s survey includes articles from Time, Huffington Post, Governing, The Root and Forbes.
Several State Legislatures Debate Abortion Restrictions
Texas lawmakers seek to strip funds from public hospitals that perform elective abortion while the N.C. House approves new rules for women seeking a procedure.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from yesterday’s action in an Atlanta courtroom where oral arguments were held in an appeal related to the multi-state challenge to the health law.
Appeals Court Judges Ask ‘Skeptical’ Questions As Health Law Arguments Unfold
In today’s action, the government asked for a reversal of a lower-court ruling that struck down President Barack Obama’s health-care legislation.
U.N. Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution On Peacekeeping And AIDS
The U.N. Security Council “has unanimously adopted a resolution underlining the need for continued international action to halt the impact of HIV and AIDS in conflict and post-conflict situations,” VOA News reports.
UNICEF Representative Highlights Humanitarian Challenges In Yemen
Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, said the country is facing humanitarian challenges and is “absolutely in dire need of humanitarian assistance,” Reuters reports.
VOA News Examines Debate Over U.N. Women Funding Levels
VOA News examines advocates’ concerns over funding levels for U.N. Women.
Eight Out Of 10 Countries Using mHealth Services, WHO Report Says
Eighty-three percent of countries are using mobile phone technology for health services, according to a WHO study (.pdf) released on Tuesday at the Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, Agence France-Presse reports (6/7).
Number Of New E. Coli Cases Abating But More Deaths Expected
“Germany reported two more deaths and 300 more E. coli cases Wednesday, but its health minister insisted that new infections were dropping, giving some hope that the world’s deadliest E. coli outbreak was abating,” Associated Press reports (Greishaber, 6/8).
