Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lawsuit Shows Insurer Targeted HIV Patients For ‘Rescission’
A court case has revealed that the insurer Fortis, now called Assurant Health, automatically targeted customers diagnosed with HIV with fraud investigations geared toward finding reasons to revoke their coverage.
CBO Is Straining Under The Weight Of Health Care Requests
The Congressional Budget Office is straining under the burden of health care requests as Democrats move toward releasing a reconciliation bill, “a stressor that may have contributed to the recent incorrect scoring of a draft House provision,” Politico reports.
Health Care Fraud, Prescription Theft Lead To Significant Losses
Last year about $184 million in prescription drugs were stolen in the U.S. Theives generally hit cargo in trucks or containers, although warehouses are sometimes targeted.
GOP Strategy: Delay, Block, Repeal
As Democrats focus on advancing health overhaul legislation in the House, Senate Republicans are plotting ways to delay or block the effort.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that Democrats are inching closer to securing the magic number of votes and that GOP leaders are plotting steps to bottle neck the measure’s progress.
Dems Move Forward With ‘Deem And Pass’ Strategy; Some Holdouts Express Support
Two congressmen who supported the House-passed abortion provisions now say they find the Senate’s language acceptable.
U.N. Secretary-General Launches Report Aimed At Meeting MDGs By 2015
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “warned on Tuesday that failure to meet” Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets by the 2015 deadline could result in “increased instability, violence, epidemic diseases and overpopulation,” Agence France-Presse/Mail & Guardian reports (3/17).
U.N. Secretary-General Names New UNICEF Head, Board Expected To Approve Selection
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday selected President Barack Obama’s nominee to head UNICEF — Anthony Lake, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. UNICEF’s board must approve Ban’s selection and is expected to do so, the newspaper writes (3/17).
“Canada’s ‘signature’ initiative at June’s G8 summit
Dems Newly-Favored Tactic To Advance Health Measure Draws GOP Rage
The latest strategy House leaders have considered for passing the health overhaul bill would allow lawmakers to approve a Senate-passed version of the bill without a direct vote.
Democrats Take Aim At Deficit Targets, Continue To Wait For CBO Numbers On Health Overhaul
Democrats continued to wait Tuesday to see if the Congressional Budget Office would release its latest health package scores.
Health Overhaul Supporters, Critics Duel On Airwaves
Lawmakers and activists on both sides of the health debate are waging a messaging war as Congress approaches what could be the final days of legislative wrangling.
Nature News Examines GAVI Alliance’s Budget Gap
Nature News examines GAVI Alliance’s multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall ahead of a donors meeting in The Hague March 25-26. The meeting, which marks “the first time that the global-health partnership, based in Geneva, Switzerland, has brought together all of its major donors – countries and philanthropic organizations – at a single fund-raising event,” also demonstrates “the current woes at the organization, which since its creation in 2000 has taken vaccination rates in low-income countries to record highs,” the news service writes.
Study Finds The Cost of Cancer Care Is Skyrocketing
New drugs, surgery options and radiation advances have driven spending to fight cancer from $27 billion in 1990 to $90 billion in 2008, study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds.
Pennsylvania officials say health program hit hard by rising costs as it has become a magnet for the sickest people in the state.
Drugmakers Are ‘Under-Exposed’ In Emerging Markets, Report Says
Growing markets for pharmaceuticals in China, Brazil, Russia and India are outpacing Europe and the U.S., but major drugmakers have been slow to expand in these new markets and may lose opportunities to local firms, a new study finds.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a sampling of opinions and editorials from around the country.
House Democratic Leaders Twist Arms Of The Rank-And-File; Track Health Reform Vote Tally
Democrats are pressuring fellow members to accept the health care reform legislation and playing hardball trying to win votes for the landmark overhaul.
Device Manages Care Online For Chronic Disease Patients
A pilot project at the Cleveland Clinic that monitored 250 patients with chronic diseases using a medical device that shared daily patient data online with doctors and nurses showed patients better managed their care using the system.
