Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinions and editorials from around the country.
Company Reaches $28 Million Settlement For Medicare Program
Healthways Inc. will return a portion of the $72 million it received from CMS for a Medicare pilot program that didn’t meet expectations.
Military Health Costs Skyrocket
Military health costs skyrocket as Washington tries to cut military spending on health care.
Conn. Addresses Insurance Rates, Mass. Physician Groups Evaluate Controversial Payment Plan
States address a range of health policy issues.
Employers Pay More For Health Insurance, Number Of Uninsured Rises
A new study by the Commonwealth Fund found employer cost for health insurance has increased 41 percent over the past six years
Texas Health Officials Confronting Medicaid Costs
Texas health officials say a Medicaid opt-out would leave millions uninsured, but the current system needs reform.
A Senate investigation found questionable stent implantations by a Maryland doctor cost the program $3.8 million over two years
New Health Affairs Study Reexamines Cost Issues Related To Care In McAllen And El Paso
A new Health Affairs study reexamines cost issues related to care in McAllen and El Paso, which was made famous by a piece last year by Atul Gawande.
N.Y. Charges 33 With Selling Prescriptions To Dealers
Patients on Medicaid were among those who sold OxyContin and other prescriptions for as much as $1000, officials say.
Some In Health Industry Raising Concerns About Accountable Care Organizations
The medical device industry warns CMS about their concerns connected to financial incentives with ACOs.
Test Vote On Health Bill For Ground Zero Workers Expected
Senate Democrats need one Republican vote for the bill to pass.
First Edition: December 7, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that Senate leaders appear to be nearing a one-year fix for Medicare’s physician pay problem.
First Edition: December 6, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Health Experts, Mobile Service Providers Discuss Potential For Mobile Health In Africa At Summit
“Some 80 health professionals and telecom operators [met last week for the mHealth Africa Summit] in the Ghanaian capital Accra to explore ways to use mobile phones for better healthcare delivery,” IRIN reports in an article that details a variety of successful projects relaying health information through cell phones in Africa. The article describes how mobile phones are being used in Africa to educate populations about HIV/AIDS, TB and improve maternal health, as well as means to track medicines and other health supplies, including mosquito nets.
Guardian Examines Difficulty Of Delivering Polio Vaccines In War-Torn Parts Of Africa, Like DRC
UNICEF is calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) so that polio vaccinators can access millions of children in an effort to beat back the re-emergence of the disease in several African nations, the Guardian reports. “We are calling on all parties to the conflict to respect the vaccination days and cease fighting,” said Pierrette Vu Thi, UNICEF’s representative in the DRC. “All children have the same right to health,” Vu Thi said.
Campaign To Inoculate Millions Across Africa Against Meningitis Kicks Off In Burkina Faso
On Monday, a campaign started in Burkina Faso to “inoculate tens of millions of West Africans with a new vaccine in what scientists hope will be the beginning of the end of ravaging meningitis epidemics” across the continent, the New York Times reports. Burkina Faso marks the first country in a drive aimed at “bringing the disease under control and saving an estimated 150,000 lives by 2015 in a belt of 25 nations that girds the continent,” according to the newspaper (Dugger, 12/4).
In Mass., Health Insurance Program Falters; Long Term Care Costs Increase
Privacy advocates question OPM effort to set up a research database with federal employees health records while Mass. officials are disappointed that cities are not signing up for a new program to help cover workers’ insurance needs.
New Poll Reflects Views On Palin And Abortion; Abortion Clinic Protests Planned
A new poll, by Planned Parenthood, finds that most voters don’t trust Sarah Palin on abortion issues.
