Latest KFF Health News Stories
Mass. Panel Recommends Scrapping Doctors, Hospitals Payment System
A Massachusetts panel wants the state to scrap the current system for paying for health care, in which each service or visit generates a separate fee, instead paying a yearly lump sum for each patient.
Today’s early-morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Health Care Reform At a Glance: Rural America
The American Chronicle reports that The House health reform bill maintains Congress
With Pressure Building, Baucus, Reid Weigh In On Timeline
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Thursday it was possible that his committee could have a bipartisan deal by the end of the day.
Under questioning by members of the Senate Budget Committee, CBO director Douglas Elmendorf said bills crafted by House leaders and the Senate health committee do not propose the changes necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount.
Federal Grant Awarded To Austin, Texas HIV/AIDS Organization Targeting Former Inmates
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded AIDS Services of Austin a five-year, $1.6 million grant to fund a program targeting black residents who were recently incarcerated, the Austin Business Journal reports.
Amarillo, Texas To Use State Grant For HIV Surveillance Activities
The Amarillo, Texas City Commission on Tuesday received a grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services, of which $51,636 will be used for HIV surveillance activities across the Texas Panhandle Region, NewsChannel10.com reports.
Boston Arm Of Multi-City Study To Focus On Sexual Health, HIV Risk Among Black Gay, Bisexual Men
Boston-based Fenway Health and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition “have launched the recruitment phase of a new study aimed at learning more about the sexual health of black gay and bi[sexual] men and finding effective strategies for HIV prevention within the black gay community,” Bay Windows reports.
USA Today Examines Afghan Health Sector Successes, Need For Further Improvements
When considering an overhaul of “the failure-plagued Afghanistan reconstruction program,” U.S. development officials are looking to Afghanistan’s health sector, “where more than $1 billion in international aid since 2002 has produced measurable results,” USA Today reports.
South American Health Ministers Gather In Argentina To Discuss H1N1 Preparedness
The health ministers of six South American countries gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday to “coordinate defenses against” the H1N1 (swine flu) virus which has killed nearly 200 people in the region,” the AFP/Google.com reports.
Senate Panel Advances Health-Care Overhaul, But Battle Lines Sharpen
A key Senate Committee cleared its health overhaul package Wednesday, but criticism quickly emerged from industry players and moderate Democrats who have been courted for months, calling into question the prospects for a bipartisan bill.
House Committees Prepare For Votes On Health Reform Bill
The House Education and Labor and Ways and Means committees will start voting today on a $1.5 trillion plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
Obama Presses Lawmakers On Health Reform
New fault lines are opening in President Obama’s push for health reform, but the administration is pushing back with ads, speeches and back-room negotiations, according to news reports.
Recent studies and surveys on issues in health care reform.
Families Struggle In Low-, Middle-Income Countries To Pay For Health Care, Study Shows
IRIN examines a Health Affairs report that found “one in four families living in the world’s poorest countries borrows money or sells assets in order to afford health care.”
Massachusetts Hospital Sues State Over Cost Of Universal Care
A hospital that serves thousands of indigent Massachusetts residents sued the state on Wednesday, charging that its costly universal health care law is forcing the hospital to cover too much of the expense of caring for the poor, according to the New York Times.
Cost Emerges As Lightning Rod Issue
The cost of health care reform has emerged as a key battle in overhaul efforts. Several publications look at how costs will affect specific groups including the middle class and businesses.
Senators Seek $100 Billion For Health Reform From Insurers
“Key senators say they want to force the health insurance industry to pay as much as $100 billion toward the 10-year cost of the health care overhaul sought by President Obama,” CQ Politics reports.
Proposals May Limit Insurance Choices and Squeeze Some Middle Earners
“President Obama and leading Democrats have stressed that people who like their employer-sponsored insurance would be able to keep it, under a health care overhaul. But they haven’t emphasized the flip side: That people who don’t like their coverage might have to keep it,” Kaiser Health News reports.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Kaiser Health News presents a selection of Thursday’s opinions and editorials from around America.
