Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Law Challenges Take Center Stage In Appeals Court
Today’s arguments were the first among the many health law legal challenges to reach the federal appeals court level. Almost everyone agrees the cases will eventually go to the Supreme Court.
U.K. Parliamentary Committee Report Says U.N. Response To Pakistan Floods Was ‘Patchy’
The U.N.’s response to severe flooding in Pakistan was “patchy,” according to a report from the U.K.’s International Development Committee, which also said leadership and humanitarian coordination since the flooding started has been poor, AlertNet reports (Nguyen, 5/10). As of February, about $1.2 billion of the U.N.’s $1.9 billion appeal had been received, according to the report, Reuters writes. Of the money received, only $720 million in aid has been delivered, the report said (5/9).
Washington Post Examines Iraq’s Baghdad Hospital
In an article looking at Baghdad Hospital, the Washington Post reports that “[i]t is difficult to overstate how far [the hospital] has come since the worst days of the war, when supplies were so scarce that doctors sometimes performed open heart surgery without gloves. … Arriving at work was a small miracle: The hospital has lost at least 40 doctors to assassins since 2004
GlobalPost Examines Pres. Obama’s Global Health Initiative
GlobalPost has published two articles on President Barack Obama’s Global Health Initiative (GHI). “In a series of reports over the coming months from Washington and in capitals around the world, GlobalPost will examine the behind-the-scenes decisions in the Obama administration as well as what diplomats and health experts are doing now in several countries to try to bring to life this new, but what some say is a stumbling approach in global health,” the publication writes.
The risk of dying in a natural disaster is decreasing worldwide, but the economic toll weather-related catastrophes inflict is rising “often due to a lack of investment,” according to a new U.N. report released in Geneva on Tuesday, Reuters reports. According to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, “[d]amage to infrastructure
Viewpoints: NY Times Warning On Women’s Rights; WSJ On ‘Romneycare’; Dutch Model For Medicare
A selection of opinions and editorials from various news organizations.
Study: Many Patients Screened For Colon Cancer More Often Than Recommended
This research, along with other studies, was published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Heart Docs Dismiss Bias Claims Stemming From Industry Support Of Meeting
ProPublica reports that these physicians say the heart society meeting is an important source of information about new research and products.
State Roundup: Calif.’s Central Valley Facing Health Problems
News outlets across the country report on developments in health policy.
Govt. Audit Finds Antipsychotic Drugs Often Overused In Nursing Homes
More than half of the antipsychotics paid for by Medicare in the first half of 2007 were “erroneous,” the audit found, costing the program $116 million during those six months.
Tenet Rejects Community Health’s ‘Best And Final’ Offer
That rejection marked the third since Community Health offered its first unsolicited bid in December.
USA Today: Uninsured Hospitalizations Result In A Hefty Unpaid Tab
The unpaid costs of hospitalizations is estimated to be as much as $49 billion.
News outlets report on developments in state Medicaid policies.
Single-Payer Bill Slated For Introduction
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., plans to introduce legislation to establish a single-payer health care system. His measure comes on the heels of a successful push within his state to implement single-payer. This step, however, adds to federal-level interest in allowing states waivers to pursue their own reforms.
Boehner Draws Line In Sand On Debt-Limit Vote
One of his main themes was the need for “honest conversations” about how to control the costs of the Medicare program – a statement some viewed as a signal that the GOP is still committed to restructuring at least some elements of the health insurance program for the elderly.
Medicare, Entitlement Reform Continue To Trigger Political Rifts
The AP reports that, as unlikely as it may seem, the Obama administration and congressional Republicans may share some common ideas regarding Medicare costs. Still, the issue of how to address the programs – and the related proposals – still are causing rifts within the GOP.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including advance reports on today’s appeals court action surrounding challenges to the health law.
