Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Struggle To Maintain Medicaid Programs Before Health Law Expansions Kick In
Some states are looking to hospitals to pitch in funding for growing Medicaid programs.
FDA OKs ‘Vaccine’ To Treat Prostate Cancer
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a “vaccine” to treat prostate cancer.
Philadelphia Insurer To Implement Pay-For-Performance Model
The Philadelphia region’s largest health insurer, Independence Blue Cross, will begin a pay-for-performance model that pays physicians more for shifting to a patient-centered model that delivers higher quality care at less cost.
Studies and briefs in this week’s roundup come from the CDC, the Archives of Internal Medicine, JAMA, Health Affairs, the Urban Institute, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Mathematica and the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Boston Hospital Program Prepares Doctors For Emergency Medical Situations
Children’s Hospital in Boston has set up a “startlingly realistic simulation program to help prepare American health workers for the scent they’ll find” in Haiti, WBUR/NPR report.
Florida Senate Approves New Abortion Restrictions
State roundup: New Oklahoma abortion law slated for court hearing next week; Florida legislature passes curbs on pain medication clinics; N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg urges governor to veto bill that increases rent relief for HIV/AIDS patients.
Florida Congress Members Introduce Bill To Stiffen Medicare Fraud Laws
Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Ron Klein, D-Fla., say their bill would make criminal penalties tougher, including a doubling of the fines for those convicted of some types of fraud.
Studies Prompt Attention To Streamlining Medical Billing
Two studies look at the time and resources that billing practices consume in a doctor’s office.
WellPoint Cancels 39-Percent Rate Hikes In California
Anthem Blue Cross, a California-based unit of WellPoint, withdrew its request to raise rates by up to 39 percent for some policyholders after state regulators concluded its plan included “all kinds of methodological mistakes.”
New Health Law Will Penalize Hospitals For Poor Quality
CNNMoney reports the new health law puts the nation’s hospitals on strict notice. Either they improve the safety and quality of care for patients or the government will hit them where it hurts the most — their revenue.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about state decisions regarding new health insurance pools; insurers’ plans regarding the early adoption of some reform law provisions; and the politics of health reform.
Divisions Linger Over Health Law, Survey Finds
Americans remain divided over the health legislation that became law last month, with 42 percent of respondents to a Harris Interactive/HealthDay survey saying they support the new law, and 44 percent opposing it.
The Financial Times reports on some of the challenges non-governmental organizations and development agencies face as they grow more accustomed to partnerships with businesses.
Newsweek Examines Advocates’ Views Of PEPFAR Under Obama
Newsweek examines HIV/AIDS advocates’ concerns that the Obama administration’s focus on the six-year, $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI) is compromising PEPFAR’s reach.
IPS Examines How Uganda’s Anti-Counterfeit Bill Could Impact Access To Generic Drugs
Inter Press Service examines Uganda’s “controversial Counterfeit Goods Bill,” which some say will limit the public’s access to “life-saving generic medicines.”
U.S. Lawmakers Reach Trade Deal To Help Haiti; News Outlets Examine Health Care, Housing
“Top U.S. lawmakers said on Wednesday they have reached a bipartisan deal to help Haiti rebuild its earthquake-shattered economy by opening the U.S. market to more Haitian clothing and textiles,” Reuters reports. The deal would almost triple “the amount of certain Haitian knit and woven clothing products that qualify for U.S. duty-free treatment.”
Health Insurers Adopt Reform Changes Early; WellPoint Reports Rising Profits
Following announcements by leading health insurers that their firms would end the practice of rescission, or stripping the sick from their roles, the broader insurance industry followed suit according to a letter from America’s Health Insurance Plans to congressional Democrats.
Health Law Keeps 200,000 In State Insurance Plans Instead Of New High-Risk Pools
About 200,000 people already enrolled in 35 state high-risk pools will not allowed to seek far cheaper coverage in a new high-risk pool July 1 as part of the new health reform law, USA Today reports.
