Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicaid Woes Lead To A Creative Solution In Utah, Cuts In Kansas
A round-up of state and local news.
USAID Administrator Nominee To Meet With Sen. Coburn
“In what’s seen as one of the few remaining steps before he could come up for a Senate confirmation vote, USAID chief nominee Rajiv Shah is due to meet with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)” on Thursday, Politico’s Laura Rozen reports on her blog.
A Selection Of Today’s Opinions And Editorials
A sampling of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Report Estimates How Many Would Gain Coverage Under Senate Health Bill
A new study by the advocacy group Families USA estimates the number of people in each state that would gain coverage with health insurance reform legislation.
USDA Joins Global Alliance To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Increase Food Security
The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) said on Wednesday it has joined the Global Research Alliance, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase access to food worldwide, Reuters reports. “The USDA will increase its spending on agricultural climate change mitigation research by $90 million to more than $130 million during the next four years,” the news service writes.
During the Forum of the African AIDS Vaccine Program (AAVP) in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, Alan Bernstein, the director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, discussed ongoing efforts to launch an experimental HIV vaccine trial
Obama Signs $447B Omnibus Spending Bill
“President Barack Obama signed a $447 billion omnibus spending bill into law Wednesday, assuring that federal agencies will be able to operate through the remainder of fiscal 2010,” Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports. The bill provides appropriations for the State Department and several other agencies.
HHS Money Targets Chronic Disease Management For Seniors
The Department of Health and Human Services will release money to treat chronic disease among older adults.
Reform Issues In Play: Selling Insurance Across State Lines, Medicare’s Doughnut Hole
News outlets report on some of the major health policy issues being considered by the Senate, including a proposal to let insurers sell plans across state lines and an effort to close the Medicare ‘doughnut hole.’
Senate Health Reform Vote By Christmas In Doubt As Sides Draw Lines
Democrats who hope to start the clock on a Senate health bill vote are seeing their timeline stretch.
Lieberman’s Health Care Move Still Reverberating
Senator Joe Lieberman’s refusal to support a Medicare expansion in the Senate health bill, which led to the measure being dropped, has garnered mixed reviews.
GOP Delay Tactic Could Be First Shot In Protracted Senate Health Bill Battle
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., used a procedural maneuver to require that a 767-page amendment, offered by Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, be read aloud before discussion could begin, delaying the health overhaul debate for three hours before Sanders withdrew the measure. And that may only be the beginning of a full fledged campaign of delays.
Pelosi Signals Openness To Bill Without Public Option, Others Also Eye Possibilities
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled Wednesday that she is open to health care reform that doesn’t include a public option, “a strong signal that Congress could agree on a plan early next year,” McClatchy reports.
House Votes To Extend COBRA Benefits, Delay Medicare Physician Pay Cuts
The House seeks to delay Medicare doctor payment cuts and extend COBRA benefits.
First Edition: December 17, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest Democratic efforts to hold the caucus together and the work by the GOP to delay the health bill’s progress.
Obama: Government ‘Will Go Bankrupt’ Without Health Reform
In an interview with ABC’s Charles Gibson, the president says health bill offers the “best chance” of curbing Medicare and Medicaid cost increases.
White House Rejects Dean’s Challenge To Senate Health Bill
The former DNC chair urged that the Senate bill be scrapped.
Polls: Public Cooling To Health Reform As Debate Continues
Two new polls suggest that Americans’ support for health care reform has dropped, with some people fearing the overhaul will hit them with increased health costs.
Obama ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ On Reform After Meeting With Senate Democrats
President Barack Obama told Senate Democrats Tuesday in an hour-long meeting that they are on the “precipice” of health reform and later said that he was “cautiously optimistic” that health reform would soon get done.
