Latest KFF Health News Stories
Longer Looks: Health Policy Picks That Will Fascinate, Captivate
Every Thursday, KHN’s Jessica Marcy compiles this selection of interesting perspectives, from a variety of publications, on health care in America.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new GAO report showing success in health insurer appeals and a decision by Blue Shield of California to retreat from proposed rate increases.
House Passes FY11 Measure To Fund Government With $6B Worth Of Cuts
The House passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday “that would cut $6 billion from current discretionary-spending levels and keep the government operating through April 8,” National Journal reports. The House voted 271-158 to approve the bill (Sanchez, 3/15).
FAO Head Highlights Food Security Concerns, Need For More Agriculture Investment
Rising oil prices and the recent drawdown in global cereal stocks could lead to a supply crisis and raise the risk of food riots in developing countries similar to those that occurred between 2007 and 2008, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director General Jacques Diouf said in an interview with Reuters on Monday.
WHO Says It Is Ready To Assist Japan With Nuclear Challenge As Situation Develops
The WHO on Tuesday said it is ready to assist Japan with its emerging “nuclear emergency after some reactors were damaged by last week’s deadly earthquake” and tsunami, Agence France-Presse reports.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Tuesday named former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and former President of Botswana Festus Mogae to co-chair “an external review of its financial systems, amid heightened scrutiny from donors over misuse of some grants and a potential funding reduction from the U.S.,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Amid growing concerns over the long-term sustainability of access to affordable HIV/AIDS drugs, UNAIDS, WHO and the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) on Tuesday released a policy brief (.pdf) advising countries on how they can successfully use rules written into the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to lower the cost of and increase access to HIV treatment, Intellectual Property Watch reports.
Short-Term Budget Bill Reveals Deepening Intra-GOP Differences
The House measure, which is now expected to gain Senate approval, would keep the government running unti April 8 and does not include the controversial policy “riders” that have become a sticking point within the Republican caucus.
State, Federal Health Law Implementation Efforts Examined
Media outlets report on a range of health overhaul issues, including efforts in some states to use the sweeping measure for their own coverage expansion plans or to step up their oversight of the insurance industry.
State Medicaid Budgets Face Serious Cuts, Funding Battles
New reports highlight plans to cut the Medicaid program in New York, Ohio and Arizona.
MedPAC Recommends Patients Help Pay Home Health Care Costs
The advisory panel also urged that payments for physicians and hospitals be increased and that the home health care payment formula be reworked. In related news, a Ways & Means subcommittee hearing on Medicare payment issues quickly turned into an exploration of a GOP proposal to replace the program’s current structure with a voucher system.
Report: Many Docs Sanctioned By Hospitals Not Punished By State Boards
The consumer group Public Citizen released a report finding that state boards have failed to discipline more than half of the nation’s doctors who have been sanctioned by the hospitals where they had privileges.
Viewpoints: Wis. Medicaid Dilemma; An Army Doc’s Rx For Cutting Costs; Rep. Boren On Repeal
A selection of viewpoints from news organizations around the country.
White House: Don’t Fast Track Virginia’s Health Law Challenge To Supreme Court
Because the measure’s individual mandate does not take effect until 2014, Administration lawyers are arguing that there is “no persuasive reason” to speed the Supreme Court’s consideration of this lawsuit.
Health Law Battle Lines Prominent As 1st Anniversary Approaches
Some Democrats say their party should embrace the law in the upcoming campaign season, just as some tea party lawmakers are questioning the GOP leadership’s commitment to repeal it. In the background, “death panels” have again emerged as a topic of congressional investigation.
State Roundup: Moving Ahead On Exchanges; Ga. Training Minority Docs
A roundup of news from various states, including Florida, Georgia, California, Massachusetts, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado and Maryland.
Abortion Funding Limits May Be At Odds With GOP Interest In Tax Benefits
Bloomberg reports that House Republican efforts to limit abortion funding “are colliding” with the GOP aversion to limiting tax benefits. Meanwhile, NPR takes a look at state abortion legislation and what may be motivating those who support these proposals.
Individuals Face Roadblocks In Buying Health Insurance
According to the Commonwealth Fund, difficulty getting health coverage – combined with rising treatment costs and high unemployment levels – triggered a jump in the number of Americans who struggle to pay their medical expenses.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how some states are putting “their own spin” on health law implementation as well as other developments related to Medicaid cuts, health law waiver tallies and more.
