Latest KFF Health News Stories
Doctors Prepare To Take Recertification Tests; California Case Examines Patient Safety
Under rules that changed in the 1990s, doctors are starting to take exams to be recertified. Meanwhile, a doctor at a prominent Los Angeles medical center says the hospital did not provide equipment needed for patient safety.
Senator Chuck Grassley wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week saying federal officials have failed to stop the growing trend of “phantom pharmacies” that bill millions to Medicare in prescription drug costs then disappear, ABC News reports.
Annual Medicare Report Delayed To Reflect Impact Of Health Law, The AP Reports
“The Obama administration is delaying release of the annual report on the financial health of Social Security and Medicare so that the new report can reflect the impact of the recently passed health care overhaul,” The Associated Press reports.
Insurers Sue Mass. Regulators Over Rejected Rate Hikes
Massachusetts insurers are suing the state government after regulators rejected proposed double-digit premium rate increases that would have gone into effect April 1.
Berwick, Blumenthal May Form Dream Team At CMS
New leadership at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may bring innovation, improve quality, according to news outlets.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report about a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts insurers who are seeking to reverse the state insurance commissioner’s decision regarding rate hikes.
Prescription Drug Trafficking ‘Major Source’ Of Medicare Wasted Spending
“With all the increased attention on drug costs, there’s one area health policy experts and law enforcement officials say is being overlooked: the trafficking of prescription drugs,” the San Diego Business Journal reports.
Foreign Minister Says Canada’s G8 Maternal, Child Health Plan Will Not Include Abortion
At this summer’s G8 meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will move forward with his “‘signature initiative’ on maternal and children’s health, despite disagreements with the United States and Britain over funding for abortion in the developing world, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon says,” the Globe and Mail reports (McCarthy, 4/4).
Some Democrats Facing Resistance At Home – From Both Sides – For Health Reform Votes
Some Democrats around the country are facing serious political opposition for their health refom votes, while liberals who had criticized some Dems are returning to the fold.
Preventive Care, Illegal Immigrants And Other Health Law Notes
News reports continue to explore aspects of the health reform debate, as well as lingering issues, such as coverage for young adults and the new tanning-salon tax.
World Health Day To Focus On Making Cities Healthier
As part of this year’s World Health Day, the WHO on Wednesday will launch a program to encourage cities to become more healthy to help mitigate the health risks associated with rapid urbanization, Agence France-Presse/Inquirer.net Global Nation reports.
60 Minutes Examines PEPFAR In Uganda
CBS News’ 60 Minutes reports from Uganda about how PEPFAR has helped people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the country and the challenges Uganda still faces in fighting the spread of the virus. The show includes interviews with Peter Mugyenyi of the Joint Clinical Research Center in Kampala, Uganda, and other doctors on the ground, who discuss how HIV-positive children and adults are alive today as a result of PEPFAR and how the program has helped to improve the way Africans view the United States.
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of Monday’s opinions and editorials from around the country.
TIME Examines Haitians’ Concern About Aid, Recovery
“[A]s crucial as the donor news [from last week’s conference in New York] was, many Haitians made homeless by the temblor … have simply tuned out,” TIME reports in an article examining Haitian attitudes to the international reconstruction effort.
Officials Focus On Inequalities In Medical Research
The Houston Chronicle reports that officials are trying to find a way to encourage more minorities to join the medical research trials for new treatments.
Mass. Municipalities Could Be Hard Hit By Cadillac Tax
State roundup: New York high court refuses to order access for lawyers to some psychiatric patients; San Francisco officials begin advising HIV patients to immediately begin antiviral treatment; Maine passes ban on health benefits cap.
New Health Law Will Ban Future Physician-Owned Hospitals; The Trauma And Cost Of Patient “Dumping”
Ban on new doctor-owned hospitals will also limit development in existing facilities.
Few Veterans Seek Review Of Disability Rating, Panel Finds
“Only a small fraction of wounded veterans who could get better benefits have applied in the two years since Congress, acting on concerns the military was cutting costs by downplaying injuries, ordered the Pentagon to review disputed claims,” The Associated Press reports.
