Latest KFF Health News Stories
Kenya To Launch Measles Vaccine Campaign
The Kenya Ministry of Public Health on Saturday will launch a $1.8 million measles vaccination campaign targeting “1.3 million children who have not been vaccinated against the disease since July 2006,” Business Daily Africa reports. “Measles has become a major public concern in the country and in northern Kenya refugee camps in particular,” as the government has found itself “unable to screen refugees flooding into the country through Kenya’s porous northern border,” the newspaper writes.
Some Senators Fear New Tax Meant To Control Health Costs Could Spiral
A tax on generous health benefits in the health reform plan unveiled this week by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has raised eyebrows around Congress. Some senators worry the tax could have the unintended consequence of dragging in more people over time, like the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Lawmakers Wonder If The Baucus Plan Does Enough To Control Premiums
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers fear a new plan unveiled by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., could impose added costs on middle-class people, raising the question of affordability of future health insurance premiums.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s selection of opinions and editorials.
A New Study Links 45,000 Deaths A Year To Lack Of Insurance
A new study finds that lacking insurance increases a person’s risk of death by 40 percent. But, some question the study’s merits.
Sound Off: Some Lawmakers Talking Up Baucus Bill, Grassley ‘Resents’ President’s Remarks
Lawmakers continue to react regarding plans to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
Parties Plot Strategies, Next Steps On Baucus Bill
Both parties are planning their next move as efforts to advance a health reform proposal gain steam.
During a news conference Thursday, U.N. secretary Ban Ki-moon highlighted the need to focus on the poorest people in the world even as “economists in developed nations are cautiously pointing to the first signs of renewed economic growth,” the New York Times reports.
Nine Countries Pledge H1N1 Vaccine Donations To Developing Countries
A group of nine countries on Thursday announced they would share H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine supplies with developing nations to protect the world’s poorest from the H1N1 virus, Reuters reports. The U.S. joined Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and Britain in the pledge, according to the news service. The new donations add to the 120 million vaccine doses pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi-Pasteur pledged to WHO.
Doctors Discuss Defensive Medicine And Primary Care Pay
Doctors call for tort reform in North Carolina. Their colleagues in Colorado say low pay keeps new doctors from going into primary care.
Rural Coloradans Have Trouble Getting Health Care, Attracting Physicians
Rural Coloradans are hoping that health care reform helps with their worsening problem: They often have to travel dozens – if not hundreds – of miles to see a doctor.
Research Counters Criticisms Of Canadian Health Care System
Allegations that the Canadian health care system offers inferior treatment, rationing and long lines are wrong, according to wide-ranging and long-standing research.
Governors Worry About Major Medicaid Expansion
Some governors, especially Republicans, fear that a health care overhaul will be a burden to state governments.
TIME Examines Voluntary Airline Tax That Aims To Fund Global Health Projects
TIME examines a voluntary airline tax, to be introduced in the U.S. and several European countries in January, that aims to “make up a shortfall in official government aid to poor countries – a shortfall exacerbated by the world financial crisis.” The tax will be used to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and it will also go towards improving maternal health and reducing child mortality.
Drug Sellers, Benefit Managers Poise For Court-Ordered Price Cuts
“A forthcoming rollback of benchmark drug prices – a court-approved move meant to benefit consumers – should have little effect on the bottom line for pharmacy-benefit managers or their clients, as companies have taken protective steps,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Opinion Piece Examines Vacant USAID Administrator Position
The Obama administration “has yet to announce a candidate to head” USAID, despite the talk “about how super-important foreign assistance is these days,” columnist Al Kamen writes in a Washington Post opinion piece examining the vacant USAID administrator position.
Medicaid: Budget Gaps, Informants, And A Plan To Expand Coverage By Going Private
States are dealing with their unique Medicaid problems in different ways: New Mexico plans deep cuts, Florida seeks new informations, and a California gubernatorial candidate wants to privatize the program in the interest of covering the uninsured.
White House Offers $25 Million For Medical Malpractice Projects
In a bipartisan gesture, the White House Thursday announced $25 million in new grants for pilot programs to explore alternatives to the medical malpractice system.
Study: Racial Health Disparities Cost $229 Billion From 2003-2006
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland report that racial health disparities cost the U.S. $229 billion between 2003 and 2006.
