Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Lawsuits Allege Some Medical Device Companies Gave Kickbacks To Surgeons
Whistleblowers allege in lawsuits unsealed Wednesday that some medical device companies gave kickbacks to heart surgeons to get the doctors to use their products to treat a heart condition, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Lobbyists Elbow For Attention As Health Reform Votes Loom
Conservatives and lobbyists doing some work for them are saying President Obama’s revamp of the health care system in America will produce a costly government-run program that limits patient choice, The Associated Press reports.
Hospital Rankings Released By U.S. News And World Report
“This is Year 20 for America’s Best Hospitals, a tool for patients who need medical sophistication that most facilities are unable to provide,” reports US News and World Report.
Obama Administration Proposes Big Changes In Medicare Payment Oversight
Determined to cut Medicare costs, the White House unveiled a plan that would shift much of the power over Medicare payment rates from Congress to the executive branch.
Insurer, Tech Vendor Plan Major ‘Telehealth’ Network
A major health insurer, UnitedHealth, and a computer networking company, Cisco Systems, are teaming up to create “a network of virtual clinics to make medical care available in offices, stores and rural areas around the country,” Bloomberg reports.
Today’s early-morning highlights from major news organizations.
Obama Continues To Press The Importance Of Health Reform
Putting more and more of his own political stake behind the effort, Obama continues to prod Congress to meet the August recess deadline for passing health overhaul legislation.
Senate HELP Commitee Completes Health Bill
The Senate panel approved along party lines this sweeping, $600-billion measure that would expand coverage to nearly all Americans by requiring individuals get insurance and employers to contribute to the cost.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on Tuesday announced plans to invest $97 million over 10 years “to improve research, development and access to AIDS drugs in Africa,” Reuters reports.
Media Looks At Surgeon General Nominee’s Potential Influence On HIV/AIDS, Other Health Issues
The AP/Lexington Herald-Leader on Tuesday examined the nomination of Alabama physician Regina Benjamin for U.S. Surgeon General by President Obama, the history of the position and how former Surgeon Generals have addressed health issues such as HIV/AIDS.
