Latest KFF Health News Stories
Many Women Living With HIV Skip Pap Test Despite Increased Risk For Cervical Cancer, Study Finds
Nearly one in four women living with HIV did not receive an annual Pap test in the year prior to being interviewed, according to a study published in the Aug. 1, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters reports.
IPS Examines Legislative Measures To Fight HIV/AIDS
Inter Press Service examines several civil society organizations’ argument that legislative measures aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, “hurt more” than they “help.”
Lancet Examines Leishmaniasis In East Africa
A Lancet world report examines the growing threat of visceral leishmaniasis on populations in eastern Africa.
CNN Examines Efforts To Prevent Nursing Shortages In Malawi
CNN examines Malawi’s efforts to address its shortage of nurses.
U.S. Decision On Use Of Adjuvants Could Reduce World Supply Of H1N1 Vaccine, Says Lancet Editorial
“A U.S. plan to rely on swine flu vaccines without ingredients to stretch the supply [known as adjuvants] would reduce the number of available shots just when other countries need them most, the British journal Lancet said in an editorial,” Bloomberg writes.
U.N. Program Has Little Effect In Reducing Deaths Among Children In Bangladesh, Study Finds
“The U.N. unveiled a multimillion dollar strategy a dozen years ago to save children worldwide, but a new [Lancet] study has found the program had surprisingly little effect in Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries,” the Associated Press reports.
Senate Finance Committee Won’t Vote On Reform Bill Before Recess
Just one day after it appeared negotiators were on the cusp of a deal, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus said that his committee will not vote on a health reform bill before the August recess
Blue Dogs’ Bargain Blasted As Centrists’ Role Questioned
Kaiser Health News reports that an agreement by House Democrats with fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats has a cadre of detractors, including “state officials worried about increased Medicaid costs and liberal lawmakers upset about a proposed reduction in subsidies for low-income families to buy insurance.”
House Energy And Commerce Dems Vote For Public Plan, Republicans Balk
The panel voted for inclusion of a government-run public health insurance plan Thursday despite Republicans’ continued criticism of the concept.
August Health Reform Forecast: High Probability of Hot Debate, Crowded Airwaves
Over the August recess, Democrats plan to go on the offensive to boost their health reform proposals.
Hospitals Treating Wealthy Foreigners To Assure Cash Flows
International patients spending $3 billion a year on care in the United States are helping fund a gap for hospitals waiting with bated breath to see how health care reform will affect them, Marketplace reports.
Electronic Health Records For The U.S. Difficult To Do, But Could Pay Off
“Creating an electronic health record for every American by 2014 is a big part of Obama’s agenda but it may be easier said than done,” CNN Money reports.
With Falling Public Support, Obama’s Strategy Questioned
“The White House is facing uncomfortable questions about its strategy for selling President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul to Americans, after a series of opinion polls showed eroding support for it,” Reuters reports.
Lawmakers Dilemma: Should Tax Increases Pay For Health Care Overhaul?
As lawmakers disagree over which taxes to raise to pay for health care reform, they “also face another problem: They’re confronting the fear that’s made it hard to raise taxes for more than 30 years.”
What follows is a collection of recently released studies, analyses and surveys.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s selection of opinions and editorials.
New Survey Shows Americans Spend $34 Billion On Alternative Treatments
“While Americans may complain about the high cost of health care, they’re still willing to shell out roughly $34 billion a year out-of-pocket on alternative therapies that aren’t covered by insurance, a new study shows,” USA Today reports.
Industry Lobby Wars Heighten As Reform Efforts Progress
Health care companies are spending big and lobbying their case in Congress regarding the landmark debate that could dramatically change the way they do business.
Abortion, End-Of-Life Care Fire Up Health Debate, Blogosphere
As the House Energy and Commerce committee marked up the health reform bill last night, “a series of amendments on both sides of the abortion debate [added] a political charge — and a distraction — to the progress of the legislation,” Politico reports.
