Latest KFF Health News Stories
Firm Sees Drugs Sales Rising 5 to 7 Percent Next Year, Other Drug Industry News
The Associated Press reports that global prescription drug sales should rise 5 percent to 7 percent next year, “reaching at least $880 billion, fueled by new drugs and rising sales in developing countries, according to drug data firm IMS Health.”
States address a wide range of health policy issues.
HHS Official: Medical Loss Ratio Rules Will Allow ‘Flexibility’
A senior health official has promised insurers “discretion” – especially for “smaller” and “newer” plans – in pending regulation that will require them to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health services.
Websites Bridge Gaps Between Patients And Doctors And
Two new websites seek to bring consumers more treatment information, some provided by marketers.
A California Chamber of Commerce political action committee bankrolled in part by insurance companies is helping fund TV ads for Republican nsurance commissioner candidate Mike Villines, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Device Maker Study: Hospital Middlemen Arrangement Wastes Billions
The payment arrangements of group purchasing organizations wastes billions of dollars each year, according to a new study funded by the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, a trade group that represents device makers.
N.Y. Officials Seek To Ban Purchase Of Sugary Drinks With Food Stamps
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson push to keep New Yorkers on food stamps from buying sugary drinks.
Doctors Say Practices Disrupted By Piecemeal Medicare Payment Fixes
News outlets report on workforce issues affecting doctors and nurses.
Tight Finances Creates Competition Among AIDS Researchers
“As the economic downturn depresses global investment in AIDS prevention, scientists and those who fund them are struggling to set priorities among several competing research methods that could slow the spread of the disease, which causes about 2.7 million new infections worldwide a year,” CQ HealthBeat reports.
First Edition: October 7, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights include stories on waivers given some companies that offer only minimal health insurance coverage, insurers’ political efforts during this campaign season and efforts in New York to bar the use of food stamps to buy soda.
Bloomberg reports that 30 companies have secured a waiver from the federal government to avoid a new, health law consumer protection that would prohibit capping insurance costs.
Health Care Votes Haunt Anti-Abortion Dems; Republicans Confront Challenges With ‘Pledge’
Politico reports that anti-abortion Democrats are facing stiff opposition in their bids for re-election. Organizations like the Susan B. Anthony List and other anti-abortion groups are now attacking former allies who once sided with them on abortion.
Today’s OpEds: Mini-Meds, Ariz.’s Anti-Health Mandate And Are Premium Refunds A Bad Thing?
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of Wednesday’s health care opinions and editorials from around the country.
Health Law Rhetoric Increases In Races Across Country
In races around the U.S., the health care law is proving to be a main factor in deciding who gets elected, with Republicans promising repeal and Democrats defending the tenets of the law.
States address a range of health policy issues.
Donors Pledge Nearly $12B For Global Fund, Missing Lowest Funding Target
Donors at a replenishment meeting in New York on Tuesday pledged $11.7 billion over three years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, “higher than past support but below the lowest target set by the agency in its efforts to combat disease in the developing world,” the Financial Times reports (Jack, 10/5).
Medical Device Industry, Advocates Weigh In On Proposed Expedited Approval Process
The Hill’s Healthwatch blog reports that players are weighing in on a proposal to expedite the approval process for some medical devices.
Should Medicare Consider Cost-Effectiveness When Setting Reimbursement Rates?
Medicare reimbursement rates should be based on how effective the treatment is for a particular illness, according to a piece by two policy experts in the October edition of Health Affairs.
U.S. ‘Among The Lowest’ In Aid Quality And Effectiveness, Report Finds
The U.S. “ranks among the lowest in terms of the quality and effectiveness of its aid,” according to a new Center for Global Development (CGD)/Brookings Institution report, Foreign Policy’s “The Cable” blog writes. The report examined “30 separate, measurable indicators and evaluated them in terms of four dimensions: maximizing efficiency (how smartly the money is distributed), fostering institutions (whether the money is helping host governments), reducing the burden on recipient countries (how much the host countries need to do to get the money), and transparency and learning (how much we know about how the aid is being spent).”
