Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Survey Examines Disease R&D Investment In 2008
According to an annual survey released Tuesday by the George Institute for International Health that looks at R&D funding of diseases that affect the developing world, the U.S. government in 2008 “remained the single biggest contributor as it again provided almost half of the total funding but the report notes developing countries like Brazil [and] India … were becoming a growing force,” AAP/Sydney Morning Herald reports (Rose, 12/15).
A Selection Of Today’s Opinions And Editorials
A sampling of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Senate Democrats Trying To Push Health Reform Bill Ahead
Senate Democrats are beginning to rally for a push to pass a health bill before Christmas, but vote couting continues to be frustrating.
Reid Says Medicare Part D ‘Doughnut Hole’ Will Be Closed
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised to help close the Medicare “doughnut hole” of prescription drug coverage in Medicare Part D as part of health care reform, CBS News reports.
Business Concerns Focus Of Obama’s Holiday Party Lobbying
The president urged the Business Roundtable’s chief to stick with the reform effort.
States Battle Budget Cuts And Recession
A round-up of state and local health news.
Medical Device Makers Divided Over Reduced Tax
Some in the industry appear more willing than others to accept a truce.
