Latest KFF Health News Stories
Government Closely Monitors Swine Flu Vaccine
The federal government has mobilized to watch for any unusual reactions to the new swine flu vaccine amid consumers’ concerns.
First Edition: October 15, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Insurers’ ‘Triple-Barreled Assault’ Triggers Counter Attacks
A “triple-barreled” insurance industry attack on the Senate Finance Committee’s health legislation includes separate reports sponsored by America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, as well as television advertisements in six states.
Medicare Advantage Premiums Could Climb 25% Next Year
“Premiums that seniors pay for Medicare Advantage plans will increase an average of 25% next year, largely because insurers, in response to new federal requirements, are canceling many plans that carry no premiums, a top Medicare official said Wednesday,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
Reid: Repeal “Damaging” Antitrust Exemptions For Insurers
Leading Senate Democrats moved today to repeal a law protecting insurers from antitrust taboos in the wake of an industry-sponsored report that condemned a key reform proposal.
Snowe’s Vote Prompts Speculation About Broader Bipartisan Support
Democrats earned a single, coveted Republican vote for health reform legislation
Atlantic Examines Flu Vaccine, Antiviral Skepticism
As countries around the world roll out H1N1 (swine flu) virus vaccine campaigns, the Atlantic examines, “[W]hat if everything we think we know about fighting influenza is wrong?”
New York Times Examines HIV Stigma In Vietnam
The New York Times examines the story of Vietnamese orphans from the Mai Hoa AIDS Center who were turned away from a local primary school because they are HIV-positive. Though the principal at the primary school agreed to accept the children, the parents of the other students at the school refused to allow their children in classes with the orphans, leading the principal to turn the students away.
New Food Reports Highlight Growing Global Hunger
Reforms are required to curb global hunger, which was already “growing” before the worldwide financial downturn, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a report, released in Rome, ahead of World Food Day on Friday, the BBC reports.
Abortions Worldwide Decline, Unsafe Abortions Kill 70,000 Women Annually, Report Says
Fewer abortions are taking place worldwide because of increased contraceptive use, a study by the Guttmacher Institute has found, Reuters reports. The study also indicates that 20 million “unsafe abortions, mostly in poorer countries and often carried out by the women themselves using inappropriate drugs or herbal potions, or by untrained traditional healers,” still occur each year and kill 70,000 women.
After Key Vote, Senate Still Has Long Way To Go On Health Care Reform
The passage of Senate Finance Committee health reform bill has started new tussles as lawmakers look toward floor debate and votes.
Snowe’s Vote Paves Way For Other Centrists To Support Baucus Health Bill
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, voted for a health reform measure on Tuesday, but she had already been involved for months in shaping its key elements.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s selection of opinions and editorials.
Senate Finance Committee Passes Health Bill, But With Plenty Of Grumbling
The Senate Finance Committee Tuesday became the fifth and final committee to pass a health care reform bill.
House Bill Would Extend Parents’ Coverage For Young Adults
In a new development in the House health bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has agreed to insert language allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance plan through the age of 26.
Senate Finance Bill Protects Some Medicare Advantage Patients
Most current Medicare Advantage patients in competitive markets such as southern Florida could keep their benefits under a provision added to the Senate Finance bill by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
Error In CT Scan Machine Led To Radiation Overdoses In LA Hospital
The Los Angeles Times reports that more than 200 people got eight times the normal dose of radiation in a Los Angeles area hospital since February 2008 because the hospital reset the scanner.
Regional Health Care Experts Weigh In On Health Reform Efforts
Officials and lawmakers from around America are talking health care reform in their own communities.
