Latest KFF Health News Stories
Tentative Agreement Reached With Oklahoma Lawmaker Stalling Veterans’ Health Bill
A wide-ranging Senate bill focusing on caregivers of veterans injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been stalled by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., because it isn’t paid for.
Obama Nominates Senior USDA Official To Lead USAID
President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the nomination of Rajiv Shah
Updated WHO Data Finds Deaths Caused By Tainted Food Are Underestimated
New WHO data finds that unsafe food kills an estimated 1.2 million people over the age of five in Southeast Asia and Africa each year, including three times more adults than previously thought, Reuters reports. “It is a picture that we have never had before,” WHO Food Safety Director Jorgen Schlundt said. “We now have documentation of a significant burden outside the less than five group, that is major new information.”
Report Predicts Africa’s Tobacco Use Will Double Within 12 Years Without Intervention
“Africa faces a surge in cancer deaths unless action is taken in the next decade to stem rising smoking levels in a continent where anti-tobacco laws remain rare, U.S. scientists said Wednesday,” Reuters reports (Kelland, 11/11).
CVS Settles With New York Over Expired Product Sales; North Carolina Gets Grant For High-Risk Pool
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that CVS, the drug story chain, has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle charges that it sold products years after their expiration dates.
Lawmakers Call For Emergency Sick-Leave Requirement
Lawmakers are calling for new legislation that would require businesses to provide paid emergency sick leave because of the swine flu pandemic.
Health Insurance Industry Profits Examined
The characterization of the health insurance industry as high-profit is “a little mystifying” and “rather silly” given that their profit margins are thin compared to other industries, according to analysts interviewed by ABC News.
Food Prices ‘Stubbornly High’ In Developing Countries, Report Says
Food prices in developing nations continue to be “stubbornly high … despite a strong cereal harvest this year, and 31 countries need emergency aid,” the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its “Crop Prospects and Food Situation” report released Tuesday ahead of next week’s Rome World Summit on Food Security, Agence France-Presse reports.
Disability Plan Could Be Another Roadblock To Health Reform Bill
The CLASS Act, an idea to collect premiums from American workers to allow disabled or elderly people to avoid nursing homes, is proving another stopping point for moderates and Republicans.
Cost Control Issues Take Center Stage In Health Care Reform
Cost control issues receive increased attention.
Health Care Sector Leaves Small Environmental Footprint
The health care industry puts out less than its share of emissions compared to its size in the U.S. economy, a University of Chicago study has found.
Young Adults Don’t Welcome Health Insurance Mandate
Young people who don’t view health insurance as a priority are wary of health-overhaul legislation now in Congress that would require them to buy it or face a penalty.
Health Overhaul Proposals Test Limits Of Democrats’ Unity
Democrats are pushing back at each other over contentious health care reform votes in Congress as Republicans plot ways to drum up support against the bills.
South Florida Man Inspires ‘Ian’s Law’
Ian Pearl, a South Florida man born with muscular dystrophy, raises attention about the issue of discriminatory health insurance practices against the disabled and provides the inspiration for “Ian’s Law.”
Health Debate Breaks Uneasy Peace On Abortion Policy
Democrats have found themselves straddling a difficult position on abortion.
Clinton Rallies Senators To Pass Health Reform, Timeline Becomes Key
Senators give varying accounts of the timing for finishing a health bill as former President Bill Clinton tells senators “the worst thing to do is nothing.”
Psychiatrist Delivers High-Risk Meds, Poor Care In Chicago Nursing Homes
ProPublica/The Chicago Tribune examine the case of a controversial psychiatrist who delivered an anti-psychotic medication to thousands of Medicaid patients in Chicago’s nursing homes.
Health Reform Has Fiscal, Political Burdens For States
Federal health reform would place steep demands on state governments’ coffers, and perhaps in some cases, state leaders’ political fortunes.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
First Edition: October 11, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including former President Bill Clinton’s remarks to Senate Democrats and the timeline for action in that chamber.
