Latest KFF Health News Stories
Novartis To Partner With OneWorld Health To Develop Diarrhea Drug
“Swiss drug company Novartis AG and the Institute for OneWorld Health, a nonprofit group, will announce this week a partnership to discover drugs for a type of diarrhea that kills about 1.6 million children each year in the developing world,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Senate Finance Committee Under Pressure To Produce Health Bill
President Obama has told Sen. Max Baucus that he wants a Senate Finance Committee bill on health reform by the end of the week, The Associated Press reports.
House Democrats To Unveil Health Care Bill Details
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says ‘in order to be on schedule, we have to roll out legislation this week,’ while acknowledging the bill ‘won’t be a finished product.’
Obama Urges Lawmakers To Move Quickly On Health Bills
“After a weeklong overseas trip that pushed him to the fringes of Washington’s health care debate, Mr. Obama moved aggressively to reclaim control,” the New York Times reports.
Mentally Ill Immigrants Have Slim Chance At Getting Care When Arrested
Many mentally-ill illegal immigrants get only limited mental health care if any while they are in jail or prison, advocates for them say, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Support For Health Overhaul Slipping
A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that “most Americans say it’s important to overhaul health care this year,” but “they are less enthusiastic about some of the proposals to pay for it,” USA Today reports.
Schwarzenegger Fires Three California Nursing Board Members
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced most members of the state Board of Registered Nursing on Monday, citing the unacceptable time it takes to discipline nurses accused of egregious misconduct, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Debate Surrounds Federal System That Rates Nursing Homes
A new federal rating system to track quality gives nursing homes mixed reviews. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed the Nursing Home Compare site, which rates the nation’s 15,600 homes.
Today’s Selection Of Editorials And Opinions
A selection of editorials and opinions from around the United States.
Healthcare Costs For U.S. Companies Seen Rising Nine Percent
“Healthcare costs for U.S. businesses are seen rising by 9 percent in 2010, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers PWC.UL survey, which showed that employers will expect workers to pay more of the bill,” Reuters reports.
Abortion Issue Could Derail Health Reform
Nineteen Democrats have written House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promising not to vote for a health bill that includes funding for abortion, igniting a debate that has the potential to derail a health care overhaul, NPR reports.
Upcoming Health IT Decisions Could Spell Success Or Failure
“An unprecedented effort to computerize the nation’s hospitals and physician offices could be the key to reducing crippling health care costs
HELP Committee Approves Protection For High Tech Drug Companies From Generics
A Senate committee agreed Monday to give high-tech biologic drugs 12 years of market protection before generic versions can compete, the AP reports.
Divisions Emerge Among Dem Lawmakers, Business Groups
As the health care debate intensifies, divisions among lawmakers, competing lobbies and interest groups are increasingly tense.
Republicans Test Public Plan Supporters’ Will
Congressional Republicans are pushing an idea unlikely to force members of Congress who vote for a government-run public plan for health insurance coverage to enroll in it, Politico reports.
Obama Announces Regina Benjamin As Surgeon General Pick
President Barack Obama announced Monday Regina Benjamin as his pick for surgeon general. The Alabama family physician has been an advocate for universal care, and is expected to have a role “at the table” in health reform, which would be an unusual degree of influence over policy for a surgeon general.
U.N. Calls For Investing In Women To Ensure Economic Recovery, Reduce ‘Health Gap’
To mark World Population Day on July 11, U.N. officials are calling for investment in women and girls during the global financial crisis as a way to promote economic recovery and tackle poverty and inequality, afrol News reports.
Senate Panel Looks To Health Insurers For Health Savings
“U.S. health insurers were in talks with the Senate Finance Committee Monday to discuss how to save the Medicare program $100 billion over a decade,” Reuters reports.
Key Democrats Summoned To White House Meeting
Two lawmakers critical to President Barack Obama’s hopes for health care overhaul were among those summoned to the White House for a private meeting Monday as the timetable for a comprehensive bill continued to slip.
