Latest KFF Health News Stories
Groups – Including Catholic Bishops – Press Democrats To Finish Health Reform
Several health care organizations are urging President Obama and Congress to finish health reform.
State Budget News From Kansas, Massachusetts and Idaho
News outlets report on state budget news in Kansas, Massachusetts and Idaho.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a sampling of Thursday’s opinions and editorials from around America.
Federal Panel Awards Almost $500 Million To La. To Replace New Orleans Charity Hospital
A new hospital is a key to plans to build a $1.2 billion academic medical center in the Mid-City neighborhood. Meanwhile, other states grapple with quality and coverage issues.
Obama Appeals For Health Reform Despite Recent Setbacks
President Obama Wednesday appealed to Congress – albeit less prominently than before – to agree on and pass health care reform, but the bill remains in jeopardy.
WellPoint’s Profits Are Up; CEO Says Premiums Would Rise Under Health Overhaul
WellPoint’s fourth quarter profits are up eight-fold. Meanwhile, CEO Angela Braly says premiums would rise under the Democrat’s plan to require insurers to cover all Americans.
Increased Cost Sharing May Hurt Seniors’ Health Care
Cost sharing and increased co-pays, even if it’s just a few dollars, can lead seniors to put off visits to the doctor and result in increased hospital admissions and longer hospital stays, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds.
Pelosi Says House Could Pass Senate Bill Under Two-Track Approach
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that the House might pass the Senate health bill under a two-track approach.
Lawmakers Prod White House To Release Health Reform Deal Documents
A group of Republicans and Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who chairs the Energy and Commerce committee, are prodding the White House to release documents detailing agreements cut with industry groups in exchange for their support for health reform.
FDA Cautions Drug Makers About Potential Abuse
The Food and Drug Administration releases voluntary guidelines and warns drugmakers to “look beyound traditional indicators” to determine the potential abuse of new drugs.
One In Five Nursing Homes Receive Poor Quality Ratings, Analysis Finds
USA Today reports that ratings by Medicare are based on inspections, complaint investigations and other data.
McDonnell Says Democratic Agenda, Including Health Care Effort, Is Too Expensive
In his response to President Obama’s State of the Union address, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said, “Americans wanted affordable health care, but they didn’t want the government to run it.”
Texas Tribune: Will Local Docs Overcome Obstacles To Go Paperless?
American hospitals have lots of reasons to go digital, as well as a handful of motives to stick with paper.
First Edition: January 28, 2010
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the President’s comments on health reform during his State of the Union address.
Obama To Congress: ‘Don’t Walk Away’ From Health Reform
President Obama urged passage for a health reform bill that would ‘relieve the burden on middle-class’ Americans.
Pelosi Says If Senate Accepts Reconciliation, House Can Pass Health Bill
Though it is unlikely that the President’s State of the Union speech will offer a specific plan for moving health reform forward, diverse groups — including the Catholic bishops and the largest labor union federation — were urging Democrats not to give up.
African Vaccine Maker Plans To Increase Production Capacity Sevenfold By 2013
Biovac Institute, a South African vaccine maker, said Monday that it is working with other major pharmaceutical firms to increase its annual capacity sevenfold to 35 million doses by 2013, Reuters reports. Morena Makhoana, the company’s deputy chief executive, said that 25 million of those doses will remain in Africa.
“Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she resents criticism of the U.S. effort to help stricken Haiti and pledged to redouble efforts to help survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake,” the Associated Press/CBSNews.com reports. “I deeply resent those who attack our country, the generosity of our people and the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous conditions after the earthquake,” she said.
Canada To ‘Champion’ Major G8 Initiative To Tackle Maternal, Child Mortality
As president of the G8 in 2010, “Canada will champion a new G8 identity focused on ending child mortality and other health woes in poorer countries when it hosts the club of industrialized nations in June, the government said Tuesday,” Agence France-Presse reports. A spokesman for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper explained Tuesday that Harper will use his keynote address at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to provide more details about the new G8 agenda, according to AFP (1/26).
