Latest KFF Health News Stories
Study Finds Some Vegetative Patients Show Awareness, Raising Ethical Questions
Report in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that five patients thought to be in vegetative state showed brain activity indicating awareness and one appeared to answer simple yes and no questions.
VA Hospitals Urged To Accommodate Growing Number Of Female Veterans
VA hospitals are taking steps to upgrade the quality of care for the growing number of female veterans.
First Edition: February 4, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including details of a new report tracking increases in U.S. health care spending.
Obama Urges Senate Dems Not To Give Up On Health Legislation
President Obama spoke and took questions during the Senators’ day-long issues retreat.
House Dems’ Next Step In Health Reform: Repeal Of Insurance Antitrust Exemption
A top lawmaker also says that Democrats are working on a compromise health bill, but it’s unclear when the legislation will be ready for votes.
Lobbying, Ads Slow Down On Health Reform
Lobbyists are ramping down their work now that efforts to overhaul the system have stalled, but they remain on high alert for renewed activity.
New York Times Examines WHO Process For Getting H1N1 Vaccines To Countries In Need
The New York Times examines the WHO’s role as “clearinghouse” for getting H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines to lower income nations. Though H1N1 has died down in North America and many wealthier nations “are trying to get rid of their [vaccine] surpluses,” the virus continues to circulate in regions of North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, according to the newspaper.
Despite Improvements, Aid Delivery Bottlenecks Persist In Haiti
Three weeks after a major earthquake struck Haiti, challenges in getting aid to those in need persist, the Washington Post reports. “Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said the relief effort has escalated in recent days and will continue to do so. Emergency food aid has been provided to more than a million people in and around Port-au-Prince, but 2 million people are estimated to need such assistance, he said.
NPR Examines Obama Administration’s Global Family Planning Policies
NPR’s “Morning Edition” examines how global family planning fits into the Obama administration’s global health policy. “The administration has already restored funding for the United Nations Population … Fund, which for eight years received no U.S. support. And in his first week, President Obama lifted an executive order that existed in the Reagan and Bush administrations that prohibited U.S.-funded programs from providing information about abortion services,” according to NPR.
Lawmakers Sound Off On President’s Budget And Health Costs
Some lawmakers want more attention paid in President Obama’s budget to how driving down health care costs could help cut the budget deficit, McClatchy reports.
Today’s Opinions and Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of today’s opinions and editorials.
New African Union Chair’s Focus To Include Food Security; First Ladies Discuss HIV/AIDS
The African Union (AU) Summit concluded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday with newly elected AU chairman Bingu Wa Mutharika, of Malawi, encouraging African leaders to make agriculture and food security a top priority, Angola Press reports (2/2).
States change Medicaid plans amid struggling budgets and face other challenges in providing care to low-income populations.
Study Linking Autism And Vaccines Is Retracted By Medical Journal
The Lancet has formally retracted a controversial paper published 12 years ago that purported the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism.
States Consider Their Own Health Reform Ideas
States are grappling with some of the same issues Congress explored.
Poll: Health Care ‘Damage’ To Democrats ‘Has Been Done’
Democrats will face an uphill climb in the 2010 elections regardless of whether they pass health care legislation according to a new poll.
AP Offers Advice On Choosing Medicare Advantage Plans
The many available Medicare Advantage plans often confuse consumers.
Questionable Health Insurance Plans Cause Concern
Officials worry about questionable health insurance plans.
Court Weighs Patents For Human Genes
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a genetics company that holds patents on breast- and ovarian-cancer-causing genes, saying their claims on the two genes hinders further research by other companies and scientists.
