Latest KFF Health News Stories
Congress Passes One Month ‘Doc Fix’ While Lawmakers Seek Longer Term Solution For Medicare Payments
Several news outlets examine different elements of Medicare payments.
African Agriculture Fund Designates $135M To Expand Food Production
The African Agriculture Fund (AAF) announced Monday that it has designated $135 million for expanded food production, agricultural processing and distribution, especially for small holder farms, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.
The growing evidence supporting the promise of new HIV prevention products, like microbicides, requires that groups start planning now for how best to roll-out prevention interventions in the future, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby and Special Advisor on Health Policy to the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Ezekiel Emanuel said Monday during a USAID Microbicide Stakeholders Meeting in Washington.
The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa is projected to greatly outpace treatment resources by the end of the decade, according to a report released Monday by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Reuters reports (Fox, 11/29).
Congress agreed to delay – for one month – a cut in Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors, but did not repeal a controversial part of the health law related to businesses buying more than $600 in goods.
Health Law Causing Ripples In Congress, Insurance Industry, Among Doctors
The new health reform law is just starting to kick in, but some are already predicting its success or dire impacts.
Opinions and editorials from around the country.
The Complexity Involved In Efforts To Dismantle The Health Law
Individual states, congressional Republicans and court challenges threaten the survival of the health care overhaul.
California’s Largest Insurers Fined Nearly $5 Million
News outlets report on the insurance industry.
Medicare Often Overpays For Wheelchairs, Durable Medical Equipment
But, beginning in January, some parts of the country will replace the current fee schedule with a competitive bidding system in hopes of reducing costs.
States address a range of health policy issues.
Flawed Health Care System Fuels Low Life Expectancy Rank For U.S., Researchers Say
A recent analysis ruled out other factors including obesity and smoking.
Health Care Models: Accountable Care Organizations, Medical Homes
Expecting the federal health law to encourage wider use of ACOs, organizations plan for more coordinated care.
Quality Issues Persist At Hospitals, Plastic Surgery Centers; Use Of CT Scans In ER Increases
Media examine a six-year study of N.C. hospital quality, the increasing use of CT scans in ERs, and patchwork rules for plastic surgery centers in Calif.
Medical Records And Medical Device Interests Gain Attention From Big Names, Congressional Delegation
Rep. Billy Tauzin decides to continue lobbying while eight bipartisan lawmakers from Minnesota raise concerns about how the FDA contemplates changes to medical devices.
Vets Compare VA Hospitals Online; Government Doctors May Face Pay Freeze
The Veteran Affairs Department’s Hospital Compare Web site allows veterans to see how VA hospitals perform; Obama proposes a two-year pay freeze for government doctors.
Deficit Plans Target Politically Protected Medicare Program
The politically sacrosanct Medicare program is in the crosshairs of plans to cut the deficit, prompting possible battles between seniors’ advocates and debt-conscious lawmakers.
First Edition: November 30, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on congressional action on the Medicare doc ‘pay fix’ as well as results from a new poll related to how the public thinks Medicare should be addressed in the context of deficit reduction.
