Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of Monday’s and the weekend’s opinions and editorials.
H1N1 Cases Increase In China, Japan; Afghanistan Attempts To Contain Virus
The WHO on Friday reported on a rising number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in China and Japan, Reuters/Washington Post reports. “In China, after an earlier wave of mixed influenza activity (seasonal H3N2 and pandemic H1N1), pandemic H1N1 influenza activity now predominates and is increasing,” the agency said. “Sharp increases in pandemic flu infections continue to be reported throughout Japan, particularly on the northern island,” the news service writes (Nebehay, 11/6).
Access To Health Care: Neighboring Communities Suffer Differently
“For people lacking health insurance in the Washington [D.C.] region, where they live can make all the difference in getting affordable health care,” The Washington Post reports.
U.S., U.N. Perspectives On Food Aid To Somalia Examined
Emergency food aid to Somalia has been interrupted, partly because of a recent U.S. decision to delay food contributions to the country out of concern that it would end up in the hands of terrorists, U.N. officials said on Friday, the New York Times reports.
House Bill Abortion Deal Creates A New Set Of Reform Challenges
A last-minute compromise on abortion funding in a government-run public option for health insurance has some liberals saying they’ll find the votes to defeat it when a final version is considered.
Kenya To Launch MSM Survey To Help Control Spread Of HIV
TIME examines the Kenyan government’s upcoming survey of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the country’s “three biggest cities” in an effort to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. The survey, which will launch next year, “is considered a landmark because the government and the vast majority of Kenyan people have long refused to address homosexuality in the fight against AIDS,” the magazine writes.
Narrow House Vote Is Prologue To Senate Health Reform Battle
A 220-215 vote in favor of health reform in the House of Representatives foreshadows a potentially tougher fight in the Senate.
Employees Face Rising Health Care Costs During Open Enrollment Season
Employees learn more about premiums and rising health care costs during open enrollment season.
Cao Gives Dems Lone GOP Vote For Health Overhaul
Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, R-La., was the only Republican to support the health reform bill.
Health Bill Triggers Some Complaints From Industry, Though Some Will Benefit
Health care companies stand to gain from legislation that would expand their market to millions of new consumers, but many are also complaining about specific provisions of the House health care overhaul bill.
Military And VA Struggle With Mental Health And Other Health Care Issues
The events at Fort Hood highlight the military’s struggle to provide mental health care for soldiers, veterans and the therapists who treat them. Meanwhile, military families often face difficulty receiving care. And in Iowa, one military wife sues the government for delaying health care to her husband, a Vietnam vet.
Needle Exchanges Could Be Limited Under Congressional Bill
The New York Times reports on federal legislation that could limit needle exchanges.
Obama Applauds House Health Bill Passage, Urges Quick Senate Action
President Obama is pressing the Senate to pass health care legislation as soon as possible.
With House Hurdle Cleared, Democrats Reflect On Health Bill Compromises
Flush with victory, Houses Democrats reflect on the compromises they made along the way.
Age Rating To Continue Under Health Care Bills
The health care proposals being considered by Congress would prohibit insurers from charging higher premiums based on preexisting conditions, “[b]ut the far reaching clampdown on insurers leaves one highly controversial element untouched: the issue of charging higher premiums to older policyholders than to younger, presumably healthier consumers who are less likely to file costly claims,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Costly ER Bills Raise Questions, Concerns
The high cost of emergency room care, especially for the uninsured, provokes questions and concern.
First Edition: November 9, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more analysis of the late-night Saturday House passage of health reform legislation and what might happen next in the Senate.
On The Sunday News Shows, GOP And Democratic Leaders Parse Health Reform Politics, Senate Support
Although yesterday’s House vote to approve Democratic-backed health reform legislation was an important advance, the push to overhaul the nation’s health care system will face a rocky road in the Senate. It’s opponents say Democrats who support it will pay a political price.
Democrats Hail Historic House Health Reform Bill, Turn Focus To Senate
News outlets are still digesting the House of Representatives’ passage of a landmark health care overhaul and also looking ahead to the Senate, where an effort to meld two health reform bills is stalled.
A Divided House Approves Sweeping Health Reform Legislation, 220-215
After months of debate and negotiations, the House of Representatives approved one of the most ambitious efforts ever to change the country’s health care system, with 219 Democrats and one Republican voting for the bill and 39 Democrats voting against the bill.
