Latest KFF Health News Stories
Officials on Tuesday said they had confirmed the first case of cholera in Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, the Associated Press/Forbes reports (11/16). Bautista Rojas, the Dominican health minister, said the patient is a 32-year-old Haitian construction worker who recently returned from Haiti, the BBC reports. The patient is receiving treatment in isolation in the eastern town of Higuey, Rojas said (11/16).
OMB is on track to reach the White House goal of reducing improper payments.
Doctor Groups Urge Congress To Grant Temporary Reprieve From Medicare Payment Cuts
Cuts are scheduled to go into effect next month
Insurer News: 2010 Could Be Record Profit Year; Anthem Settles Underpayment Cases
A California health insurer will pay seven hospitals $1.62 million to settle a dispute over alleged underpayments.
Study Shows End-Of-Life Care Varies Widely
Some Medicare patients who have terminal cancer may receive expensive aggressive treatments near the end of life, while others recieve palliative care, a new study finds.
Deficit Panel Recommends Ways To Curb Medicare, Medicaid Costs
A deficit panel created by the Bipartisan Policy Center will release recommendations today on ways to reduce the debt and curb Medicare and Medicaid spending.
First Edition: November 17, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the recommendations from a second deficit reduction panel and about the unveiling of new Medicare and Medicaid projects aimed at improving the quality of care.
Reuters Reports On PLoS Medicine Series On Water, Sanitation
“Nearly 20 percent of the world’s population still defecates in the open, and action to improve hygiene, sanitation and water supply could prevent more than 2 million child deaths a year, health experts said” on Monday, following the release of a series of papers on water and sanitation published in the journal PLoS Medicine, Reuters reports (Kelland, 11/15).
Berwick To Testify For First Time As Medicare/Medicaid Chief
Donald Berwick will testify before a congressional committee Wednesday for the first time since President Obama avoided the Senate confirmation process – to Republican protest – by using a recess appointment to install Berwick as CMS administrator.
Republicans Confront Realities Of Health Overhaul, Position Themselves In Congress
The Christian Science Monitor reports that the health overhaul is resting in the GOP’s crosshairs.
Opinions and editorials from around the country.
Health Officials Gather In Uruguay To Discuss WHO Anti-Smoking Treaty
“As sales to developing nations become ever more important to giant tobacco companies, they are stepping up efforts around the world to fight tough restrictions on the marketing of cigarettes,” the New York Times reports in an article ahead of a conference in Punta del Este, Uruguay, that started on Monday. There, health officials are debating guidelines to enforce a global anti-smoking treaty known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) (Wilson, 11/13).
Regional U.N. Meeting Explores African Development
Africa has the potential to expand development with the help of international support and stability, Asha-Rose Migiro, U.N. deputy secretary general, said on Sunday at the opening of the 11th Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Next reports.
CQ Today Examines Prospects For Foreign Aid Reform In 112th Congress
CQ Today looks at how changes in Congress after the November 2010 elections could affect efforts to overhaul the foreign aid system.
Medicare Roundup: Payment Cuts Irk Healthcare Industry; Officials Mull New Prostate-Cancer Treatment
Lame-duck Congress faces decision on looming Medicare cuts; health-care companies endangered by Medicare cuts.
Maine Has Most Improved Health Care Quality; Kansas Needs More Dentists
States address a wide range of health policy issues.
Kansas May Join Health Lawsuit; 71 Lawmakers From 26 States Ask To File Brief To Support Law
Governor-elect Sam Brownbeck said he would direct Attorney General-Elect Derek Schmidt to join the lawsuit.
Nevada AG Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Health Care Merger
News outlets report on consolidation in the health care marketplace.
New Safety Reporting Website For Electronic Health Records Launches
EHRevent.org will allow doctors and health-care workers to confidentially report errors arising from electronic health records.
