Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Newly Nominated Surgeon General Will Need To Talk More Openly About HIV/AIDS, Opinion Piece Says
Newly nominated Surgeon General Regina Benjamin has a “tall order” ahead of her being “[c]hief health educator” of the U.S., “and, if confirmed, she will have to talk to us all in terms we plainly understand,” Lorraine Teel, executive director of the Minnesota AIDS Project, writes in a Minneapolis Star Tribune opinion piece.
Review Of Brazil’s HIV/AIDS Treatment Programs Shows Importance Of Generic Drugs, Researchers Say
“Brazil has been successful in its nearly 20-year effort to treat people living with” HIV/AIDS, and generic medicines have been “a large part of the solution,” according to a recent Health Affairs review, UPI reports.
House Democrats’ Health Bill Would Tax Rich To Finance Insurance Expansion
The measure, which seeks to insure an additional 37 million Americans, would fund a large portion of the expansions with an up to 5.4 percent surtax on the incomes of the wealthiest Americans.
Despite Some Progress, Key Senators Say August Deadline A Longshot
A day after President Obama told lawmakers to hurry, three key Finance Committee senators expressed doubts about meeting the President’s August deadline for passing a reform proposal.
Obama May Settle For Democrat-Only Support To Pass Health Reform
“President Barack Obama may rely only on Democrats to push health-care legislation through the U.S. Congress if Republican resistance doesn’t eventually give way, two of the president’s top advisers said,” Bloomberg reports.
New Hampshire’s Medicaid Program Almost Out Of Money
New Hampshire is just 39 Medicaid enrollees away from putting the program’s budget in the red as rising unemployment strains resources.
Two Major Companies Could Join Wal-Mart In Backing Employer Mandate
Target, the second-biggest U.S. discount retailer, and Kelly Services, a temporary worker agency, may support a mandate for businesses to insure employees as part of health reform.
Economy Squeezing Access To Health Care
As unemployment rises, many Florida women are “turning to federally subsidized mammograms and pap smears, and county health officials are worried they could be overwhelmed.”
How Much Health Care For $1 Trillion?
USA Today asks what the additional $1 trillion cost of a health care overhaul over 10 years will actually buy.
Women Vets Don’t Always Get Privacy At VA Clinics
Veterans Affairs hospitals and outpatient clinics under review are not always complying fully with federal privacy requirements, often exposing women when they bathe or receive exams, according to government auditors, The Associated Press reports.
J & J: Hospital Deal Will Hurt Medical Device Sales
The CFO for Johnson & Johnson’s said Obama’s deal with hospitals will reduce the sales of medical devices.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
A Selection of Opinions and Editorials
Massachusetts’ Budget Forces Retreat From Universal Coverage
“The new state budget in Massachusetts eliminates health care coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants,” the New York Times reports.
Bio Manufacturers Poised To Follow Senate Victory With House Win
A proposal by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., would protect brand-name biologic products from competition for 12 years. A similar proposal cleared the Senate health committee earlier this week.
Iowa Lawmakers Discuss Reform And Increased Coverage For Children
An overhaul of the U.S. health care system would probably help maintain improvements already made in Iowa, Gov. Chet Culver and other health advocates said Tuesday, according to the Des Moines Register.
Minnesota Delegation Wary Of Proposed Health Care Reform
“Here’s a little secret you might not know about the health care reform being debated in Washington: Minnesota might not want it,” Minnesota Public Radio reports.
Medicare Fraud Taints California Device Maker And New Jersey Clinic
A California device maker settles a Medicare fraud case while a New Jersey doctor and his office manager are accused in a Medicare fraud scheme.
South Dakota Could Provide Model For Medicare Reform
South Dakota has a high efficiency standard for Medicare and officials hope their state model will shape reform.
Pick Of Benjamin For Surgeon General Puts Primary Care In Spotlight
If she’s confirmed as surgeon general, Regina Benjamin is expected to focus on primary care.
