Latest KFF Health News Stories
House Vote On Abortion Amendment Continues To Cause Democratic Divisions
Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak’s amendment to the health reform bill would deny abortion funding in a proposed health insurance exchange.
States Mull How Medicaid Expansion Might Affect Budgets
States consider how health legislation on Capitol Hill might affect their Medicaid programs and budgets.
Seniors Struggle With Drug Costs While Congress Debates Medicare ‘Doughnut Hole”
House health care bill would address a gap in Medicare drug coverage, but the Senate’s provisions are not set yet.
White House Reports Billions Lost In Improper Payments For Medicare, Other Government Programs
The figure for misspent money announced Tuesday was a 37.5 percent increase over the 2008 figure. Bad Medicare payments made up a third of the total. President Obama will issue an order to crack down on the problem, officials said.
Senate Health Reform Bill Timeline Slipping, Reid Plans Caucus Meeting Today
Health bill action may slip as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid waits for the CBO score on his latest version of the bill, which could come today.
AARP Tells GOP It Won’t Reverse Support For Democrats’ House Health Bill
“House Republicans want the AARP to rescind its endorsement of comprehensive health reform legislation after a government report showed it could cause some providers to stop accepting Medicare patients,” CongressDaily reports.
Tempest Over New Mammography Guidelines Affect Health Legislation, Insurance Coverage
As stunned doctors and patients continued to digest new recommendations on mammograms, some Republicans called them a “first step” towards rationing, as insurers look into whether to change coverage.
House Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Vote Likely Thursday Amid Disputes About Cost, Role In Health Reform
The House is set to vote on a bill Thursday that raises fees for doctors treating Medicare patients, averting a 21 percent scheduled cut to their payments next year, as well as smaller annual reductions in future years.
First Edition: November 18, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include the latest on the Senate bill and analysis regarding its possible long-term care and coverage mandate provisions.
Health Reform’s Roots Lay In Conservative Movement: Otto Von Bismarck
The Boston Globe reports that as Republicans protest over health care reform, the first mandatory health insurance plan was pushed by German Otto von Bismarck.
Senate Minority Leader Raising His Voice, And Profile Over Health Care Reform
Roll Call reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, is rising as he sounds off on health care reform.
Dem Leaders Eye Dec. 18 To End Congressional Session And Still Await CBO Figures
As Democratic leaders say Dec. 18 will be their target for the last day of the congressional session, other lawmakers are offering their take on how health reform will move forward.
Polls Find Deep Divisions On Health Care Reform
Polls find that “deep divisions linger” on health care reform.
Senate Committee To Markup Foreign Aid Reform Bill
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to “mark up the Kerry-Lugar foreign aid reform bill Tuesday,” Foreign Policy’s blog, “The Cable” reports.
FAO Head ‘Not Satisfied’ With Omission Of Hunger Eradication Deadline From Summit Declaration
Jacques Diouf, head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “is not satisfied” that the World Summit on Food Security’s final declaration excludes “exact targets to reduce hunger,” the BBC reports.
Health, Policy Experts Gather For 3-Day Conference On Family Planning
By offering family planning services to people seeking HIV/AIDS information and treatment, Africa’s population growth rate could be curbed by 2.5 percent, health experts said Monday during an international family health conference in Kampala, Uganda, Agence France-Presse reports (11/16).
Global Alliance For Chronic Diseases Announces Targets
The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) on Monday outlined plans “to invest tens of millions of dollars in heart and lung disease studies in a battle against a global epidemic of chronic disease,” over five years, Reuters reports.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
A sampling of opinions and editorials from around the country.
New Technology Drives Therapies For Older Patients, Those With Alzheimer’s
Technology is allowing older people to stay in their homes longer.
