Latest KFF Health News Stories
Political Ripples Of Overhaul Remain Uncertain
Lawmakers received mixed receptions at home after last week’s vote, and speculation continued to swirl about how the health overhaul will play out in November’s midterm elections.
Cutting Off Coverage? An Examination Of A Case In California
After a near fatal car accident and more than $4 million in hospital bills, Heather Galeotti was informed that her health insurance coverage was not in effect at the time of her accident.
Health Industry Will See More Patients With Reform; Physicians Give Mixed Reviews
News reports examine the impact the overhaul may have on different sectors of the health industry.
Industry Groups, Lobbying Firms Gain From Health Overhaul
Under the new health care law, “pharmaceutical lobbyists won new federal policies they coveted and set a trajectory for long-term industry growth,” according to the Associated Press.
Woman Sentenced In Michigan Medicare Fraud Case; Medicaid Fraud Alleged In NY Dental Clinics
A Michigan woman was sentenced after bilking Medicare while dentists use hawkers to lure Medicaid cardholders in New York.
Massachusetts Governor’s Race Focuses On National Health Question: Cost Control
The Massachusetts governor’s race “is focused on the question that now confronts the nation: how to keep spiraling costs from bankrupting the experiment,” The New York Times reports.
Democrats Reflect On Importance Of Reconciliation In Health Bill Strategy
Reconciliation proved critical to health care reform passage. Meanwhile, for some on Capitol Hill, the end of the debate leaves a void.
Shinseki Tries To Squelch Rumors About Health Reform And Vets
Last week, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Erik Shinseki “addressed fears that some veterans have expressed that their health care and, specifically, their TRICARE medical coverage will be adversely affected by the health-reform legislation.”
Obama’s Calm Demeanor, Pelosi’s Firm Stand Helped Propel Health Care Law
Romney’s support of health reform in Massachusetts may be a political liability.
‘Ultra-High’ Medicare Billing Program Causes Waste, Abuse
The special billing categories was intended to be used for only 5 percent of the patients needing highly specialized care and rehabilitation, but the number of patients being put in the program has skyrocketed. Some experts say the overpayments across the country could reach into the billions of dollars.
Health Reform Will Create Demand For Primary Care Physicians, Rural Docs Especially Squeezed
Primary care physicians, already in short supply, will face more demand for their services because of health reform. The problem is especially acute in rural areas.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including policy reports about the newly enacted health overhaul law and articles about the political climate facing lawmakers in the post-vote environment
White House Reportedly Set To Name Dr. Donald Berwick To Head Medicare
President Barack Obama will nominate the head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has been without a permanent chief for three years, according to news reports.
Pelosi Signs Final Health Bill, Sends To President Obama
On her 70th birthday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed the health care reform reconciliation bill and sent it to President Obama for his signature.
Event Addresses How TV Can Raise Awareness Of Global Health Issues
At an event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday sponsored by the Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) program of the University of Southern California, panelists discussed how TV storylines can raise the American public’s awareness of global health issues, the Washington Examiner’s blog, “Yeas & Nays” reports (Schwab/Palmeri, 3/25).
The U.N. top aid chief “in Somalia has fired back at a report that suggests food aid is being skimmed off by contractors as ‘a cost of doing business’ in the war-torn nation, an allegation he calls ‘completely misleading,'” CNN reports. CNN continues: “A March 10 report by the world body’s Somalia Monitoring Group found that humanitarian aid was being diverted to military uses in the conflict, and that some Somali contractors hired by aid agencies were channeling profits into armed opposition groups. One part of the report suggested as much as 45 to 50 percent of World Food Programme [WFP] shipments may have been skimmed off by transport companies, local distributors and the armed groups that control the districts in which they operate” (McKenzie, 3/25).
Africa Not On Track To Halve Poverty By 2015, Economic Commission for Africa Head Says
U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary Abdoulie Janneh said the global economic downturn will keep Africa from meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving poverty by 2015, Reuters reports. According to the news service, “Africa was thought to be largely insulated against the worst effects of the global economic crisis but saw healthy growth projections slashed due to the crisis.”
It’s Over: Congress Completes Work On Health Overhaul With Approval Of ‘Fixes’
Congress finished its work on health care reform Thursday night when the House passed a Senate-changed bill of fixes to the health care overhaul law.
State HIV Programs Face Cuts, CDC Notes High Prevalence In Young African-Americans, Gay Men
“As states struggle with budget shortfalls, many are looking to trim costs by chopping health spending. And funding for HIV/AIDS programs has been a prime target,” NPR reports.
