Latest KFF Health News Stories
On Friday, Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht met to “present a status report on the ongoing free trade talks” that some health advocates fear could limit the supply of generic medications in developing countries, according to Business Standard. “An EU source said the report would signal that talks had made excellent progress and should be wrapped up by early next year,” according to the news service (Aiyar, 12/10).
The rate of health care-associated infections in developing countries is more than three times the rate of cases in the U.S. and more than double the rate in Europe, according to a study published Friday in the Lancet, BBC reports (12/9).
HHS Slaps ‘Mini-Med’ Plans With New Restrictions
The Department of Health and Human Services offers new guidance on “mini-med” health plans, requiring that insurers selling these limited coverage offerings must inform consumers “in plain language” how such plans fall short of the health law’s minimum coverage standards.
In the midst of the lame duck session, House lawmakers approve a one-year Medicare pay fix for physicians – clearing the measure for the president’s signature; meanwhile, the Senate falls short of votes needed to pass legislation to provide 9/11 Ground Zero workers with health benefits and other compensation.
In Effort To Curb Preventable ICU Infections, New Reporting Requirment Kicks In Jan. 1
A new rule will require hospitals to report infections the follow a patient’s treatment in intensive-care units. Meanwhile, a new study finds mortality risks related to dialysis are higher at for-profit chains.
States address a variety of health policy issues and challenges.
Deals, Expansions And ACOs Mark Hospital Sector Activity
Hospitals and health systems are the subject of proposed deals and acquisitions. Meanwhile, the concept of accountable care organizations continues to trigger interest and curiosity within the health care sector.
The New York Times: Aetna’s Former Chief Executive Ponders The New Health Law
Insurers continue to “ponder” their future under the new order of the health law and, in California, rate increases trigger a blame game.
GOP Lawmaker Calls Government Funding Bill A ‘Trojan Horse’ For Health Reform
Politics continue to swirl around health overhaul and deficit reduction issues. A new Bloomberg poll, for instance, indicates that the public wants the deficit addressed, but still wants Congress to stay away from Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs.
This week’s research roundup includes studies from the Annals of Internal Medicine, Health Affairs and the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
OpEds: Palin On The Ryan Roadmap, Seniors And Primary Care Docs, Arizona Transplant Controversy
Today opeds come from The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Arizona Republic and The San Francisco Chronicle.
First Edition: December 10, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report about the Obama administration lawyer charged with defending the health law.
Three-Day Meeting On Eliminating River Blindness Kicks Off In Nigeria
A three-day meeting of the WHO African Program for Onchocerciasis (River blindness) Control (WHO/APOC) opened in Abuja, Nigeria, on Tuesday, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports (12/8).
News Outlets Report On Polio Outbreaks In Central, East Africa
“Bad immunisation strategy has been blamed for an outbreak of polio, which has killed nearly 200 and is believed to have caused paralysis in more than 2,000 others across Angola, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” the Mail & Guardian writes in a story examining the emergence of the disease in the three countries and efforts to control it.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) “moved rapidly Wednesday to put her mark on U.S. foreign policy as the incoming chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” McClatchy reports (Clark, 12/8).
Senate Approves Medicare ‘Doc Fix’
The Senate approved a one-year delay in scheduled Medicare physician pay cuts Wednesday. The measure will now will go to the House.
Powerful GOP Lawmakers Clarifying Plans For Cutting Health Costs, Repealing Reform Law
The Republican lawmaker who will take the chair of the House’s main investigative committee has made clear his interest in examining the overuse of expensive medical procedures while a newly tapped GOP subcommittee chief pledges to undo the health law.
As rulemaking continues to be the new focus in the health overhaul debate, media outlets report on the Obama administration use of waivers regarding a key aspect of the new law.
