Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama On The Road Again, Pitching Health Reform To The Middle Class
President Barack Obama on Wednesday took his health reform pitch on the road, with stops in Raleigh, N.C., and Bristol, Va., where he targeted Americans who already have health insurance.
Lobbyists Continue Pressing Their Cases
Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, advocacy groups and others with a stake in health reform continue to lobby in hopes of winning concessions in a health overhaul, or at least surviving the changes unscathed.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
White House: Opponents Misrepresent End-Of-Life Issue In Reform Debate
The White House says opponents of the President’s health care reform effort are misrepresenting parts of the House and Senate legislation including a provision on end-of-life care. Meanwhile, critics say they fear health care reform could lead to excessive government intervention in end-of-life issues.
Insurers Struggle In Downturn As Senators Consider Adding New Tax
“Earnings from the nation’s big health insurers show signs of a new uptick in medical costs related to the recession: As unemployment rises, people who have lost their jobs or are fearful of losing them are rushing to see doctors to get medical tests before their benefits expire,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Recession-Battered States Cut Funding For Health Services
State budget cuts slash funding for health services from Connecticut to California. Such cuts frustrate providers and cause lawmakers to look for ways to limit harm.
Health Overhaul Ads Intensify Emotional Messages
“The healthcare overhaul fight in Washington is bursting into America’s living rooms, and interests from many bands on the political spectrum are trying to transform an often wonky debate over 1,000-page bills into an emotional pitch that can be captured in 30 seconds,” The Boston Globe reports.
Dozens Arrested In National Medicare Fraud Bust
Dozens were arrested in a major Medicare fraud bust across the country with the bulk of arrests in the Houston area. The recent bust highlights a nationwide problem that Congress tried to address with a bill earlier this year.
Polls Find Public Support For Health Overhaul Losing Steam
Two new polls show support for President Barack Obama’s health care plan slipping over the past month.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Pharma Funding For Medical Classes Draws Scrutiny
“A government watchdog will tell Congress Wednesday that the pharmaceutical and medical device industries’ billion-dollar spending spree for medical education is threatening the judgment of physicians across the country,” The Associated Press reports.
Energy and Commerce Blue Dogs Make Deal With House Leaders, Liberal Members Rebel
Breaking an impasse, the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman have agreed on a deal that would cut costs from the health overhaul bill. While the deal means that a committee vote could happen this week, liberals object and say the deal endangers the public plan.
Senate Committee’s Reform Bill Could Cover 95 Percent Of Uninsured
The Finance measure is expected to include health insurance cooperatives, but not a public insurance option.
Democrats: During August Recess, Obama Has ‘Major Responsibility’ To Promote Health Overhaul
As Congress prepares to leave Washington for the August recess, congressional Democrats worry the vacation will “kill momentum on health care reform.”
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Budget That Cuts $52M From HIV/AIDS Programs
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday signed a state budget in which he made $489 million in line-item veto cuts that “will affect child welfare and children’s health care, the elderly, state parks and AIDS treatment and prevention, going beyond the dramatic cuts that were part of the deal Schwarzenegger negotiated with legislative leaders,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday approved by voice vote its fiscal year 2010 spending bill draft, which excludes funding for abstinence-only sex education programs and, unlike the House bill, does not include language lifting the ban on the use of federal funding for needle-exchange programs, CQ Today reports.
HIV/AIDS Education Project Targeting Pennsylvania Black Women Examined
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiled the Girlfriends Project, a domestic violence and HIV/AIDS education program implemented by the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force that targets at-risk black women in three Allegheny County, Pa., cities.
Anti-Smoking Initiative Targets China’s Medical Professionals
China Daily explores how a new anti-smoking initiative in China targets the country’s medical professionals.
U.S.-China Talks Expected To Include Collaboration On Fighting Infectious Disease
China’s Deputy Health Minister Yin Li on Tuesday said that public health cooperation between China and the U.S. can improve the health of both countries and be strategically significant to world peace and development, Xinhua/China View reports (7/29).
