Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nelson Asks Reid To Cancel Nebraska Medicaid Deal
Sen. Ben Nelson asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to extend the Nebraska Medicaid deal to all states, or remove it from the bill altogether.
Republicans Decry Dems’ Deal With Labor
Democrats’ breakthrough deal with labor groups on the health overhaul yesterday is now attracting criticism as a handout to special interests.
Dems Wrap Up Talks For The Weekend
Officials waiting for cost analysis on some proposals, but tightening polls in the Massachusetts Senate race are adding pressure for final health overhaul package.
WHO Official Rejects Claims Agency Overhyped Threat Of H1N1
Keiji Fukuda, the special adviser to the WHO director general on pandemic influenza, on Thursday dismissed allegations that the agency exaggerated the threat of the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic and has been influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, the Washington Post reports. Fukuda’s defense came amid reports this week that the Council of Europe will investigate the WHO’s actions and as several countries slash H1N1 vaccine orders.
Obama Announces $100M In Aid For Haitian Earthquake Recovery
At the White House on Thursday, President Barack Obama “promised $100 million along with more American troops for the relief effort in Haiti, vowing that the United States would stand with the impoverished nation as it grappled with the devastation of its capital city,” the New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, Obama “said the financial aid was only a first installment and would grow over the coming year. ‘Help is arriving,’ he said. ‘Much, much more help is on the way'” (Cooper, 1/14).
Study Raises Concerns About Drug-Resistant HIV
The emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV could one day threaten efforts to control the global HIV pandemic, according to a study published online Thursday in the journal Science, HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report reports. The researchers based their findings on “a mathematical model that tracks the transmission of multiple strains of HIV” in San Francisco, the news service writes (1/14).
Unions, Democratic Leaders And White House Reach Agreement On ‘Cadillac’ Health Insurance Plans
The agreement removes one of the last obstacles to President Obama’s health care overhaul.
MedPAC Urges Congress To Lower Medicare Hospital Payment Rates To Recoup Overpayments
Modern Healthcare reports that the Medicare Payment Advisory commission is recommending Medicare adjust payments to hospitals over three years to recover overpayments that happened in 2008 and 2009 because of recent documentation and coding changes.
Today’s OpEds – A View From Abroad, Doctors and Medicare
The Ecnoomist, Slate, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News are among the news organizations offering opinions today.
Minnesota County Says State Plan To Cover Costs Of Health Care For The Needy Is Unfair
Additionally, The Tulsa World reports that Oklahoma health providers will face lower Medicaid payments after the Oklahoma Health Care Authority approved Thursday a 3.25 reduction in reimbursement rates to providers.
Health IT Roundup: Problems With Privacy, Access To Records Highlighted In News Reports
Reports explore data breaches, privacy concerns and patients’ access to their own medical records.
Massachusetts Senate Race Tightens Over Health Care Reform
A new poll show the race for the Senate seat formerly held by Sen. Edward Kennedy is in a dead heat, putting the critical 60th vote in the Senate on health care reform in jeopardy.
Sen. Feingold Asks Democratic Leaders To Remove Special Deals From Health Bill
News outlets focus on lawmakers, including Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.
Today’s roundup of research and analysis explores studies on care for low-income patients in New Orleans, why the rise is bioresearch funds is declining, new physician guidelines for dealing with caregivers, and aspects of the health overhaul debate.
Nevada Governor Considers Dropping Out Of Medicaid
State governors and other lawmakers continue to worry that an expansion of Medicaid could put their budgets in crisis.
Democrats Endure Political Anxieties As Health Talks Continue
President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are closing in on the deals necessary to finalize their sweeping health overhaul package.
Obama Signals Interest In Reducing The Protections For Biologic Drugs
Lobbyists for generic biologic drugmakers are fighting to undercut a provision that would protect brand-name pharmaceutical companies from lower-cost, generic competition over new products for 12 years.
Obama Rallies House Democrats During Caucus Retreat
President Barack Obama promised to wage “a great campaign” in support of health reform, and he praised lawmakers who made “tough choices” with possible electoral consequences during the House Democrats’ annual retreat Thursday on Capitol Hill.
GOP Governors Say Health ‘Deals’ Are Being Cut Without Their Input
“Twenty Republican governors and governors-elect are accusing the White House of providing too little transparency on health care, causing worry that ‘deals’ are being cut without their input,” Politico reports.
