Latest KFF Health News Stories
U.S. Should Provide More Leadership In Finding TB Vaccine, Opinion Piece Says
Tuberculosis deserves an effort as “substantial” as the one mounted against swine flu “to develop a new vaccine,” David McMurray, a TB expert at Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, writes in a Houston Chronicle opinion piece. “Since April, … nearly one million men, women and children have died from TB, compared to 4,200 who have died from H1N1 flu globally. Why didn’t you see any headlines? Because 98 percent of the nearly two million people who die each year from TB live in the developing world, in places like Kenya … Yet TB continues to be a problem in [the U.S.] as well because in an age of globalization, germs cross borders without a passport,” McMurray writes.
Study Suggests Better Health Care Improves Cognitive Development For Kids
Wider access to health-care may pay off in better cognitive skills for kids.
Coburn Opposes Medicare Part B Premiums Freeze, McCain Calls Drug Pact ‘Unsavory’
Sen. Tom Coburn blocks a request to keep Medicare Part B premiums constant next year while Sen. John McCain calls President Barack Obama’s deal with the pharmaceutical industry “unsavory.”
GOP Continues Health Reform Opposition, Quotes Concerned Democrats
The political battle over health reform continues, with Republicans pointing out that two Democratic governors have serious concerns about a Medicaid expansion.
Obama, Health Care Regain Ground In Public Opinion Polls
President Obama’s approval rating climbed in a recent Associated Press-GfK poll. Supporters and opponents of health reform were neck-and-neck at 40 percent.
‘Tens Of Thousands’ Of Pregnant Indian Women Die From ‘Preventable Causes,’ Report Says
Despite a government guarantee of free maternal health care, tens of thousands of pregnant women in India die from mostly “preventable causes,” according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, released on Wednesday, the BBC reports.
Senate Finance Committee Could Vote Within Days, Still Looking For White House Guidance
A Senate Finance Committee vote on the proposed health care reform bill could come within days, but members are still seeking to influence the bill’s merger with the Senate Health Committee’s version.
North Carolina To Penalize Smokers, The Obese; States Face Medicaid Cliff
State news Thursday explores Medicaid cuts, highlighting a new North Carolina policy for state employees – they pay more if they’re heavy or smoke – and examines San Francisco’s unusual city health program for the uninsured.
Americans Cut Back On Health Care, Consumers Union Finds
Americans have cut back on health care to try to save money during the past year, according to a new poll by Consumers Union.
Health Care Varies Significantly Among States, Study Finds
A new Commonwealth Fund study shows sharp disparities in health care cost and quality across states.
Hospital Ethics Panels Help Families Make Difficult Decisions
Hospital ethics panels help patients’ families decide difficult medical and moral decisions when family and physicians disagree or there’s no written advance directive.
Minority Groups Gear Up To Push For Health Care Reform
Minorities are so far missing from the cacophony of voices
First Edition: October 8, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
AP: An Updated Primer To Compare Health-Reform Proposals
The Associated Press/New York Times has an updated primer on all the major health reform proposals, including an outline by House Republicans.
The Congressional Budget Office released its updated cost estimates for the sweeping health reform measure now pending a final vote by the Finance Committee.
House Democratic Caucus Considers Larger Medicaid Expansion, Public Option
The problem of a public option remains for House Democrats, who emerged from a caucus meeting Wednesday without a clear sense of how they will tackle the issue, but lawmakers may also push a larger Medicaid expansion than initially proposed.
Party Leaders Handle Key Finance Panel Undecided Votes Differently
Sen. John Rockefeller’s Finance Committee vote is up in the air, even as the President works to convince him to support the committee bill.
Health Reform Bill Vote Delayed
Senate Finance Committee Republicans and Democratic moderates are asking for more time to consider their vote on the health overhaul proposal, once the Congressional Budget Office “scores” the bill.
While Some Votes Are Still In Play, Other Lawmakers Vie For Audience With Reid
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s table will remain small as he merges the two Senate health care reform bills ahead of debate on the Senate floor.
UNICEF Issues Progress Report On Protecting Children
According to a U.N. report released Tuesday, millions of children worldwide are subjected to trafficking, abuse, violence and child labor, United Press International reports.
