Latest KFF Health News Stories
Senators Have Second Thoughts About Taxing Health Benefits
A Senate Democrat involved in health legislation negotiations said senators may be souring on a plan to tax employer-provided health benefits.
Obama Notes Progress, Reiterates Support For Public Insurance Plan
President Barack Obama on Tuesday welcomed progress on efforts to craft a health care overhaul as a top aide signalled flexibility in how a public option would work.
Obama Supports Long Term Care Benefit
President Barack Obama offered his support for efforts to create a new government program to provide long term care insurance as part of the broader health care overhaul.
U.S., Russia Sign Agreement To Cooperate On Health Goals
The White House announced on Monday that the U.S. and Russia have signed on to a “memo of understanding” to cooperate on several public health and medical science projects, ModernHealthcare.com reports.
Global HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs are already feeling the effects of the global economic crisis, according to a report released Monday by UNAIDS and the World Bank, AFP/Google.com reports.
Developing Countries Need $1B By End Of Year To Cope With H1N1, U.N. Says
Developing countries will need an estimated $1 billion by year’s end to ensure their access to antivirals and vaccines to protect against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday, AFP/Google.com reports.
Developed Countries Must Address Global Warming To Prevent Disease, Hunger In Developing World
Pollution from the world’s wealthiest countries is spreading disease and hunger in developing countries, according to a new Oxfam International report, which calls on developed countries to address global warming when G8 leaders meet in Italy, the Globe and Mail reports.
G8 Summit Begins Wednesday; WFP Calls For ‘Twin-Track’ Approach To Food Security
The G8 summit is scheduled to open Wednesday in L’Aquila, Italy. The World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday issued a statement praising the G8 leaders’ focus on food security and calling for support of its efforts to combat hunger among the world’s poorest people, Xinhua reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Pharmaceutical Companies Expansion Into Developing Countries
The Wall Street Journal examines the “strategic shift in the $770 billion pharmaceutical industry to target the working poor in the developing world” through the eyes of a Pfizer pharmaceutical representative working in the slums overlooking Caracas, Venezuela.
Scientists Examine HIV’s Effect On Immune System
A study by researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and published in PLoS Medicine has found that upon infection “three lines of attack by the immune system are quickly neutralized by HIV,” findings they hope “will provide a better understanding of how to develop a vaccine to protect against the virus.”
Senate Dems Eye August Timeline, Search For Savings
Senate Democrats are trying to hold true to their pledge to pass health care reform legislation by the August recess despite roadblocks.
Hospitals, White House Reach Accord On Cuts To Pay For Reform
Major hospital groups reached an agreement Monday with the White House and Senate Democrats to accept $155 billion in payment cuts over ten years, a concession that would help pay for proposed health care reforms.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s selection of opinions and editorials.
Obama Adminstration Releases Final Rules On Stem Cell Research
The Obama administration released final rules governing stem cell research on Monday. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will insist that scientists creating stem cell lines after Tuesday follow the new rules in order for their work to be eligible.
Dems Navigate Reform Opposition From Unions, Liberals
“Unionized workers have fought to preserve their relatively expensive health plans through contract talks, sometimes at the expense of wage increases,” CQ Politics reports.
San Diego Needle Exchange Program Examined
KPBS profiled San Diego’s “only clean syringe exchange program,” a mobile van that twice weekly provides injection drug users with clean needles in exchange for used ones.
Veterans Call For Greater Improvements For Veteran Services
Services for veterans have improved recently, but many veterans say more improvements still need to be made.
Insurers Open Storefronts, Raise Rates To Adjust To New Reality
“Buying health insurance has become such a complex decision that Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida is trying a new sales tactic: storefronts near big malls,” the St. Petersburg Times reports.
