Latest KFF Health News Stories
Reid Works To Convince Moderate Dems To Vote For Senate Health Bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is in the “awkward position of looking for votes on a major health care reform bill that doesn’t quite exist,” Roll Call reports.
Prayer Treatments Covered In Health Care Reform Bills
The provision has high powered backers in the Senate, but it raises questions about what constitutes healing and the separation of church and state.
Party Leaders Say House GOP Bill To Be Released Soon
Republicans in the House are nearing an unveiling for their health reform plan.
Senate Might See Health Overhaul Vote Slip Into 2010
Democrats will likely see the possibility of passage of health reform slip into next year as differences remain among lawmakers and they wait for a CBO score.
Insurers Pressed About Use Of Premium Money For Non-Medical Expenses
An analysis released in a letter by Sen. Jay Rockefeller suggests that the amount of money insurance companies spend to cover medical claims could be less than the companies claim.
The Uninsured, Putting Off Care, Facing Debt
Several news outlets published stories about uninsured Americans.
Democrats Still Face Roadblocks To Health Reform: Abortion, Immigration
Some Democrats are threatening to block passage of a health care reform bill in the House over the issues of abortion and illegal immigration.
First Edition: November 3, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the timing, politics, costs and contents of pending health overhaul bills, as well as a soon-to-be released GOP alternative.
Zuma Calls For Renewed Effort In Fight Against HIV/AIDS
South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday called for a renewed effort in the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS, the Star/Independent Online reports. During a speech to South Africa’s National Council of Provinces, which also addressed the country’s economy, Zuma pointed to what he called “chilling statistics” reflective of the “devastating impact HIV and AIDS” is having on the country (du Plessis, 10/30).
Insurers, Other Interest Groups Prepare For Final Health Reform Votes
Insurance companies are arguing that the health reform legislation progressing in Congress would increase premium costs for many Americans. Meanwhile, some of the coalitions seeking reform have begun to splinter.
Individual, Employer Mandates Prove Thorny Topics For Lawmakers
The current House reform bill unveiled last week, would require Americans to do purchase insurance something the Congressional Budget Office in the early 1990s once called “an unprecedented form of federal action.”
GOP Is Preparing Its Strategy, Version Of Health Overhaul Legislation
House Republicans are set to push their alternative health care reform bill just as the House prepares to consider Democrats’ reform legislation.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of opinions and editorials from around the nation.
Washington Post Examines How Altman ‘Revitalized’ The Kaiser Family Foundation Mission
The Washington Post examines how Drew Altman led the Kaiser Family Foundation to become “a vast repository for facts and figures on health-care issues and the refrm debate.”
U.S. Officially Ends HIV Travel Ban
The White House on Friday announced an end to a 22-year-old travel ban on HIV-positive foreigners visiting the U.S. or seeking residency, the New York Times reports. The newspaper writes that President Barack “Obama announced that a rule canceling the ban would be published on Monday and would take effect after a routine 60-day waiting period” (Preston, 10/30).
Malaria Conference Begins In Nairobi, Will Highlight Outlook For RTS,S Experimental Malaria Vaccine
The 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference “kicked off in Nairobi late Sunday with a call for substantial and sustained support for research to guide evidence-based policies and the development of new malaria tools, which together could save countless lives,” Xinhua reports (11/2).
Senate, House Split Over Taxes To Pay For Health Overhaul
A health care overhaul that would expand health insurance coverage to millions isn’t free, and in addition to proposed cuts, bills would raise revenue with taxes and fees.
With State Budgets Tight, Services Are Cut; Kansas Looks To Avoid Mandates
Cut or frozen budgets are impacting services for the poor in California and Wyoming while Kansas lawmakers consider state measures to allow that state to opt out of congressionally mandated health insurance coverage.
Deaths From H1N1 Rise By 700 In One Week, WHO Reports
The number of deaths from H1N1 (swine flu) rose by 700 in a week, to top 5,700 since the virus was first identified in April, the WHO reported Friday, Agence France-Presse reports (10/30). “The biggest rise in the past week was recorded in the Americas, w[h]ere 636 more people were reported killed by swine flu, bringing the region’s death toll to 4,175, the UN agency said, AFP reports in a second story. “Fatal cases in Europe also climbed to at least 281, while those in Asia-Pacific rose to 1,070” (10/31).
