Latest KFF Health News Stories
Connecticut: Small Businesses Struggle With Soaring Premiums, Unintended Consequences Of Old Law
“Premiums for small employers have been rising by double-digit increases for a few years, and they don’t have the negotiating power of larger employers,” the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reports.
Oregon Hospital Building Boom Slows Down
Oregon’s hospital spending boom is winding to a close as hospitals cut back on projects.
New Hampshire Officials: Need For Mental Health Services Increasing
Amid tough economic times, people increasingly need mental health services and providers struggle to offer adequate care.
Massachusetts Lawmakers Seek To Expand Insurance Services
“Massachusetts legislators this year have filed a flurry of bills – more than 70 in all – that, if passed, would substantially expand the medical services insurers are required to cover for patients but also potentially raise healthcare costs,” The Boston Globe reports.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
PBS’ Online NewsHour, Lancet Examine Counterfeit Malaria Drugs In Cambodia
PBS’ Online NewsHour examines how “poor-quality and counterfeit malaria drugs” in Cambodia is contributing to a “growing resistance to treatment for the disease near the Thai-Cambodian border.”
Taxing Health Insurance Plans Gaining Favor
Lawmakers and White House officials are increasingly talking about taxing insurance companies on high-cost plans.
Lawmakers Struggling With Health Overhaul Bills
A centrist Democrat says that the party needs the GOP to pass a health overhaul, while experts say current proposals don’t sufficiently rein in costs.
Health Industry Spends $1.4 Million A Day On Lobbying
“In a new report released today, the government watchdog group Common Cause found that major health care interests have spent upwards of $1.4 million a day to lobby Capitol Hill so far this year.,” the National Journal reports.
House Leaders Still Facing Trouble On Overhaul Bill From Dissident Dems
Despite signs of a breakthrough earlier today, Democratic leaders in the House still seem to face significant hurdles on health reform.
Few Health Insurers Dominate Around America, Band Against Public Plan
Because most regions of the United States have only one or two major insurers, the groups are finding it easier to band together to rise up against Congressional proposals, such as the one to create a public plan, Business Week reports.
House Democrats Renew Threats To Bypass Energy Committee On Reform
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has threatened to bypass his own committee and force a floor vote on health reform over an impasse and break in the Democratic ranks, The Associated Press reports.
Needle Exchange Programs Needed To Prevent Spread Of HIV, Letter To The Editor Says
“Despite making strides in addressing HIV/AIDS, we have not reached all individuals and communities with the full range of prevention tools needed to reverse the epidemic,” Jirair Ratevosian, chair of the American Public Health Association International Health Section’s Advocacy and Policy Committee, writes in a Washington Post letter to the editor.
Zuma, Branson Collaborate To Establish Disease Control Center In South Africa
South African President Jacob Zuma and Virgin Group founder and chair Richard Branson “intend [on] establishing a disease control centre in South Africa as soon as next year,” SAPA/The Times reports.
Removal Of Ban On Federal Funding For Needle Exchange Programs To Be Debated In Congress
An amendment to the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for health, labor and education programs opposing the lifting of the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs will come to the House floor for debate today along with four others, CQ Today reports.
Global Health Officials Working To Prevent H1N1 Spread
“Global health officials are scrambling to try to prevent the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus, with U.S. officials moving Thursday with a recommendation that the Food and Drug Administration approve or license a [new H1N1] vaccine,” without waiting on the results from “clinical trials to test its safety and efficacy,” Wall Street Journal reports (Dooren/Winning, 7/24).
HIV/AIDS Research Efforts Of New York Scientist Featured
The Brook Community Newspapers/Connecticut Post profiled New York researcher Jeffrey Laurence, who “helped at the outset to fully identify” HIV along with French virologist Luc Antoine Montagnier and others.
National HIV/AIDS Advocate, Physician Joel Weisman Dies In California
Joel Weisman, “one of the first physicians to detect the AIDS epidemic and who became a national advocate for AIDS research, treatment and prevention,” died on Saturday at his home in Westwood, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports.
