Latest KFF Health News Stories
With Baucus Bill No Longer a Mystery, Party Leaders Contemplate Strategy
Republicans and Democrats are both ezpressing concerns about the bill’s particulars as congressional vote-counters focus on who will ultimately support the measure.
Baucus Bill In At $774 Billion, Would Reduce Deficit By Nearly $50 Billion Over Decade
News outlets examined the costs of Sen. Max Baucus’ health overhaul proposal.
Republican Wish List Has Stark Differences And Surprising Similarities To Democratic Proposals
The Republican leadership lacks a flagship health reform plan, but a variety of ideas and proposals have emerged from rank-and-file members that outline the party’s reform principles.
CNN Says Obama May Be Seeking Backup Plan Even As He Rallies Dems
After a long-anticipated overhaul proposal was unveiled by Sen. Max Baucus Wednesday to a chilly reception, President Barack Obama “quietly” held a meeting with Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, the cosponsors of an earlier, bipartisan plan.
White House Says Baucus’ ‘Building Block’ Is Not The End Of The Debate
The president’s spokesman, Robert Gibbs, called the plan “an important building block” and “gets us closer to comprehensive health care reform.”
Plans Could Change How Medicare Pays Doctors, Hospitals
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has unveiled a plan to reform health care, and pick up the price tag, in part by reconfiguring the way doctors and hospitals are paid for their services.
Debate Focuses On Cost For Coverage Mandates
The Democratic health reform proposals in Congress mandate that people have health insurance and provide government subsidies but debate continues over how much people should pay for their health care.
Many Industry Groups Favor Baucus Plan
A round-up of stories on industry’s mostly positive response to the Baucus bill to overhaul the health care system.
Proposal Renews Calls For Tax On Sugary Beverages
In a new proposal Wednesday, a group of experts renew calls to tax soft drinks at a rate of 1 cent per ounce to pay for programs for better health for Americans.
Health Policy Research Roundup
A roundup of recent health policy findings and reports.
World Bank Says Additional 89M In ‘Extreme Poverty’ By 2010, Asks For Increased Aid
An additional 89 million people are expected to be pushed to levels of “extreme poverty” by the end of 2010, according to a new World Bank report that urges developed nations to increase aid to developing countries, Bloomberg reports. Ahead of a meeting of the G20 in Pittsburgh, “World Bank President Robert Zoellick is calling on leaders of the biggest industrial economic powers to avoid slashing donations and other assistance to low-income countries, which the report said face a ‘long and muted recovery,'” the news service writes (Rastello, 9/16).
Some Governors Worry About Proposals To Expand Medicaid As Part of Reform Effort
A possible expansion of Medicaid in the health care overhaul raises concerns among some governors about increased financial burdens on their states.
WHO In Talks With Developed Countries About Sharing H1N1 Vaccine With Developing Nations
The recent news that a single dose of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine can protect adults against the virus has sparked conversations between the WHO and developed countries about sharing their vaccine stockpiles with developing countries, Bloomberg reports.
Parents’ Insurance Status Affects Their Children’s Health Care–Even When The Children Are Insured
Insured children are less likely to have necessary health-care services if their parents are uninsured, new study finds.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the nation.
Merck, Wellcome Trust To Launch Vaccine Center In India To Produce Vaccines For Developing Countries
The pharmaceutical company Merck and the Wellcome Trust have joined together to create a non-profit,
Intermittent Preventive Treatment Could Prevent A Third Of Infant Malaria Cases, Study Finds
Research into intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infants (IPTi) found that one-third of malaria cases in African babies can be prevented by giving them regular doses of malaria drugs even if they have not contracted the disease, according to a Lancet study, published on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Two-Day Forum Addresses Maternal, Child Mortality In Asia-Pacific Region
Poor health care, gender inequality, violence and poverty are to blame for Asian-Pacific countries’ failure to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality rates in the region, Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said during the Asia-Pacific Forum on International Conference on Population and Development in Bangkok, VOA News reports.
Food Aid Hits 20-Year Low As Number Of ‘Critically Hungry’ People Increases, WFP Says
Global food aid is at a 20-year low even though the number of “critically hungry people” is expected to reach the highest level ever, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday, Reuters reports (9/16).
