Latest KFF Health News Stories
AHIP, Chamber Of Commerce Ramp Up Opposition To Health Reform
Insurers and the Chamber of Commerce are stepping up lobbying against a health care overhaul with new television ads.
Cuomo Announces New Database To Guide Insurers’ Prices, Unveil Doctors Fees
A new database operated by a New York nonprofit will help insurers determine their rates for out-of-network care and give consumers a heads-up on what to expect their policy to pay when they seek such care.
Lawmakers Struggle With How Age Should Influence Insurance Premiums
Rules for setting health insurance premiums for older people vary by state, but congressional committees looking at reform agree that older people should pay higher premiums. The question is how much more.
Cost Issues Surround Long Term Care Insurance, Nursing Homes
As Congress considers a proposed long-term care insurance program, nursing homes costs are going up.
Obama Seeks Health Reform Support From Small Businesses
White House officials are appealing to small businesses and people in rural areas to support health care reform.
Is An Individual Mandate Constitutional? Legal Scholars Are Divided
Some legal scholars are questioning the constitutionality of a proposed mandate that would require most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a tax penalty, The Washington Times reports.
First Edition: October 28, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations — with many headlines detailing Senate responses and reactions to the inclusion of a public insurance optioin in that chamber’s sweeping health overhaul bill.
Lieberman, Other Lawmakers Express Opposition To Reid’s Public Plan
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., says he’ll filibuster Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill.
The Stakes Are High For The Top Medicare Job
The job of administrator at the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services has been vacant since Barack Obama became president, but its importance will increase under pending health reform proposals.
House Republicans Take Aim At AARP
The House Republican Conference has circulated talking points to lawmakers and congressional staff about how the organization’s business arm would benefit from Democratic health overhaul plans in Congress.
New York Times Examines Journal Editorial On Neglected Tropical Diseases In Islamic Nations
The New York Times examines the conclusions drawn in a recent PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial that the Islamic world is suffering from a “devastating burden” of neglected tropical diseases. “The article, a combination of analysis and editorial written by the journal’s editor, Peter J. Hotez, shows that the member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference [OIC] account for 40 percent of the world’s infestations with intestinal worms[,]
More Than 150 Health Ministers Meet In Ethiopia To Discuss Maternal Mortality
At a U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, “[h]ealth ministers from around the world have agreed that swift action must be taken to reduce the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth,” the BBC reports. While there appeared to be some agreement “that family planning was the most cost-effective way of [tackling] the problem … no unanimous declaration was adopted at the Addis Ababa talks,” according to the news service (10/26).
Global Health Promotion Conference Begins In Kenya, Maternal Mortality Addressed
At the 7th Global Conference on Health Promotion, which kicked off in Kenya on Monday, participants discussed reducing maternal mortality and the related Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the Daily Nation reports. According to the newspaper, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki “said that globally, the number of maternal deaths had
Gateses To Appeal For Ongoing U.S. Funding Of Global Health
Bill and Melinda Gates are expected to ask Washington officials on Tuesday to “continue funding global health initiatives despite the recession and to commit to nearly halve the number of child deaths worldwide by 2025,” the Washington Post reports.
HIV Infections, Deaths Declining In Caribbean, Senior Official Says
Ahead of the regional Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) meeting, a senior official announced that the number of new HIV infections in the region has fallen since last year, Agence France-Presse reports. PANCAP reports there were “a recorded 17,000 new infections last year compared to 20,000 the previous year” and “11,000 deaths compared to 14,000 during the same period,” the news service writes.
Developing Countries Paying More For Food, WFP Executive Director Says
Despite drops in commodity market prices due to the global economic downturn, “[m]ost of the developing world is paying more for food,” and the price of food staples in developing countries has risen, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), said Monday, the Associated Press reports.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
A selection of columns and editorials include items on: Medicaid costs, tort reform, health care affordability and how one town gives all of its citizens health care.
Reid’s End Game? Senate Bill Will Have Public Option With ‘Opt Out’
Senate Leaders included an opt-out provision in a health care reform bill Monday while they search the upper chamber for votes from both moderates and liberals.
House Democrats Continue Courting, Counting Votes For ‘Robust’ Public Option
Liberals are warning their leaders that they will not vote for a public option if it is not “robust,” but Republicans have so far failed to offer their own alternative.
