Latest KFF Health News Stories
Rising Health Costs Straining Public Budgets In Massachusetts
Rising health costs and generous benefits for public employees in Framingham Mass. are putting a strain on the town’s budget, leading to layoffs and other cuts.
Florida Health Agency Will Use Voice Recognition To Crack Down On Health Fraud
Officials announce project in which caregivers will have to call from patients’ homes to verify that they are working. In other news, a Miami clinic owner is convicted in $5.8 million health fraud scheme.
Advocates: Nonprofit Hospitals Too Quiet About Charity Care
Two advocate groups say hospitals make it too difficult for patients to find out whether they are eligible for free or discounted care.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest on the Medicare doctor payment fix and the WellPoint rate flap.
Fortune: AT&T, Verizon, Others Considered Dropping Health Benefits
Fortune magazine is reporting that internal documents requested by Congress show that four companies, AT&T, Verizon, Caterpillar and Deere are “weighing the costs and benefits” of dropping insurance coverage for employees and retirees, “in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government.”
Understanding The New Health Care Law — The Diane Rehm Show
Landmark legislation passed by Congress in March transforms America’s health care system. Reporters who covered the legislation – and are now following its implementation – talk about what it means.
Sebelius: States Should Check WellPoint’s Math On Rate Hikes
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said states should investigate if WellPoint Inc. made math errors in justifying rate hikes this year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
White House Unveils Subsidies To Preserve Early-Retiree Coverage
A new health-overhaul program will help companies pay for up to $5 billion worth of medical bills of early retirees that they continue to insure.
GOP’s ‘Repeal Health Law’ Strategy May Backfire In General Election
A new poll by Republican group suggests “repeal and replace” campaign is not widely accepted by independent voters.
As the 2010 World Economic Forum on Africa begins Wednesday in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, advocates from more than 10 African countries plan to “stage a demonstration” highlighting the need for funding for HIV/AIDS and other diseases, health-e reports (Thom, 5/5).
African Lawmakers Appeal For U.N. Resolution Banning Female Genital Mutilation
The two-day Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) ended Tuesday in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, with participants, including lawmakers from 27 African countries, appealing to the U.N. to adopt a resolution that bans FGM on the basis it is “contrary to human rights,” RFI reports (Bojang, 5/4).
Greenwire/New York Times Examine Water, Sanitation In Kenya
Greenwire/New York Times examine how water “binds urban sanitation with energy, tourism, agriculture and other sectors throughout sub-Saharan Africa,” with a focus on Kenya’s “water woes.” Kenya’s problems have been compounded by changing weather, population growth, “volatile politics,” culteral taboos around sanitation, the article states.
Officials In 25 States Probe American Trade Association Insurance
The incidence of health insurance scams is on the rise amidst the continuing recession.
The Minnesota House passed a bill on health care Tuesday that readies it for implementing the federal health care overhaul and makes $170 million in cuts to mental health and other social program, The (St. Paul, Minn.) Pioneer Press reports.
Officials Investigate If Use Of Surgical Robot Led To Injuries
Injuries at a small New Hampshire hospital that uses a surgical robot have some questioning the use of the machines to operate, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In March, President Obama achieved a victory that has eluded lawmakers for years: an overhaul of the U.S. health care system. Staff from the national desk of The Washington Post recount steps that led to this historical event in a new book, Landmark: The Inside Story of America’s New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All. KHN provides specific passages.
Study Finds Medical Homes Help Lower Health Care Costs, Maintain Quality
As part of a Health Affairs issue that explores primary care in America, another study released Tuesday found that primary care doctors will on average earn $2.7 million less than a specialist.
States Face Medicaid Losses, Low-Income Patients Struggle To Find Lasting Health Care Sources
As states face the prospect of losing Medicaid funding from the expiring stimulus package, low-income patients continue to struggle in their searches for reliable health care services.
