Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medical Schools Scramble To Address Doctor Shortage
The Wall Street Journal reports on the shortage of doctors the country is facing – “150,000 in 15 years.”
Health IT Roundup: Data Exchange, Personal Health Records On The Rise
More patients are using consumer-friendly health records online, but those with lower incomes and more chronic disease who have the most to gain are slower to adopt the new technology.
Massachusetts Judge Denies Insurers’ Requests For Double-Digit Rate Hikes
After losing request for preliminary injunction, insurers will pursue appeals with state Division of Insurance and can eventually take the case back to court.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Senate’s procedural vote to extend COBRA subsidies and a ruling by a Massachusetts court rejecting a bid by health insurers to raise premiums.
Navajo Nation Expects Changes From Health Reform
Indian Country Today reports on the changes coming to the Navajo Nation as health care reform law gets implemented.
Senate Poised For Today’s COBRA Subsidy Extension Vote
As Congress reconvenes today, one of the first orders of business is a procedural vote on the 65 percent subsidy that helps laid-off Americans pay for their COBRA health insurance premiums.
Boston Globe Examines How PEPFAR Budget Pressures Are Affecting AIDS Clinics In Africa
“U.S. officials have asked some AIDS clinics overseas to stop enrolling new patients in a U.S.-sponsored program that provides lifesaving antiretroviral drugs, in a bid to stem the rising costs of one of the most ambitious US assistance programs, according to interviews with doctors and official correspondence,” the Boston Globe reports.
Experts Begin Probe Of WHO’s Response To H1N1
Health experts on Monday began a probe of how the WHO responded to the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic “nearly a year after global alarm was raised over the new swine flu strain,” Agence France-Presse reports (Capella, 4/12).
News Outlets Report On Food Crisis In Sahel Region of Africa
A food crisis is developing across the Sahel region
San Diego Union-Tribune Examines Pharma’s Growing Interest In Neglected Diseases
The San Diego Union-Tribune examines the pharmaceutical industry’s growing interest in developing new treatments for what are known as “neglected diseases.”
AP Examines Micro-Insurance In Africa
The Associated Press examines the growth of micro-insurance in Africa, “a product accessible to those earning less than $2 a day, who pay tiny weekly premiums of sometimes less than a cent.”
Consumer Questions Flood Health Reform Hotlines As Reform Specifics Continue To Shake-Out
Nonprofit and advocacy Web sites, online “chats” with government officials, and hotlines for lawmakers are getting barraged with questions about how the health law will affect Americans.
More Treatment Doesn’t Mean Better Outcomes, Studies Show
USA Today reports that “doctors have long been rewarded for providing more care, though more isn’t always better. Three recent studies show that a doctor’s instincts are no match for hard science.”
California Hospital Error Data Reveals Fines, Gaps In Reporting
“California regulators have fined hospitals just over $1 million for failing to report incidents such as leaving a foreign object in a patient after a surgery or operating on the wrong person,” California Watch reports.
Dems Defend Health Votes; GOP Hoping For Repeat Of 1994 Elections
Congressional Republicans are hoping Democrats suffer the same fate in 2010 as they did after President Clinton’s failed health reform bid in 1994.
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Small Businesses Continue Search For Health Reform Information
Small businesses continue efforts to assess the impact the health reform law will have on them.
Health Insurance Customers In California, Mass. Await Decisions About Premium Increases
State roundup: The effects of closing St. Vincent hospital’s emergency room in New York City; state officials in Mass. may consider dropping insurance companies’ nonprofit status; some people fear that new law in Idaho could undermine provisions that guarantees dying patients a right to opt out of medical treatment.
