Latest KFF Health News Stories
Study Examines Cost, Benefits Of Extending Medicare Drug Use
A new large-scale study of medical records found that the extra cost of extending prescription coverage to Medicare beneficiaries was substantially offset by lower spending on other medical care for people who previously had limited or no prescription-drug coverage.
Private Health Insurance Coverage At 50-Year-Low, According to CDC
The percentage of Americans with private health insurance is at its lowest level in 50 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
Health Care Reform: What Small Business Wants
“As Congress prepares to do battle over health reform, a parallel dispute is shaping up among small-business groups that are staking out opposing positions on a key element of reform proposals: whether Uncle Sam will take on a bigger role in offering insurance coverage or leave the field to the private market,” CNN Money reports.
AMA President Calls For Congress’ Insurance Plan For All Uninsured Americans
While CNN reports that the American Medical Association’s new president, J. James Rohack, is open to a government-funded health insurance option, others report that the system the AMA now endorses is not a public plan, but a heavily managed private plan that federal employees participate in.
State Medicaid Coverage, Costs Grow In Maryland, Mississippi
“A year into a new effort to expand health coverage, recession-weary Marylanders are flocking to the state’s Medicaid program in numbers far greater than expected, costing the state $50 million more in the process,” The Baltimore Sun reports.
Doctors And Nurses Facing Tough Choices
Doctors and nurses consider job security and the differences between primary care and specialities when choosing their careers paths.
Developing World Health Care Solutions Help Some U.S. Programs
“When doctors running the AIDS clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham wanted to increase the number of patients who showed up for treatment, they turned to an unusual place for help: southern Africa,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Transcript: President Obama Town Hall Meeting On Health Reform
The White House released a transcript of President Obama’s town hall-style meeting to discuss health reform in Virginia today.
President Obama Pushes Health Care Reform At Town Hall Meeting
President Barack Obama spoke at a town hall meeting in Annandale, Va., as part of his continuing push to overhaul health care reform.
Editorial Urges Broader HIV Testing In South Carolina, Across Nation
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control “has prioritized testing” for HIV and offered free or low-cost testing at events in conjunction with National HIV Testing Day last week.
PLoS Medicine Editorial Argues For Water Access To Be Considered Human Right
“As scientists warn that the world’s fresh water supplies will soon run critically short, and companies scramble to privatize them, some researchers and activists say water should be considered a basic human right,” Wired’s blog, “Wired Science” writes of an editorial published in PLoS Medicine Tuesday.
Youth Who Believe They Will Die Young More Likely To Be Diagnosed With HIV/AIDS, Study Finds
Teenagers who believe that they will die at a young age are seven times more likely than optimistic teenagers to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in early adulthood.
Study Examines PEPFAR Efforts In Zambia
A report from researchers at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) examines how $577 million in PEPFAR funding between 2004 and 2008 was used in Zambia, PlusNews/IRIN reports.
White House Officials Used Twitter, Ashton Kutcher To Promote HIV Testing Day
The White House sought the help of actor Ashton Kutcher to promote National HIV Testing Day on June 27, through his Twitter page.
Funding, Restrictions Keep WFP From Reaching Millions Of Hungry North Koreans
The U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) said Wednesday a “lack of international funding and new restrictions by North Korea on its staff and where it can operate has left it unable to reach millions of hungry women and children in the impoverished country,” AP/Taiwan News reports.
Roche To Offer Developing Countries Discounted Tamiflu
The vaccine manufacturer Roche on Wednesday announced a program to help ensure developing countries have access to its antiviral Tamiflu, for “the management of a novel influenza strain defined by the WHO as having significant and current pandemic potential,” Reuters reports.
White House Refines Health Reform Message
As the White House declines direct comment on pending health care reform bills in Congress, President Obama is readying his message ahead of his second town hall meeting in as many weeks, Roll Call reports.
New Poll Suggests Slim Majority Favors Obama Plan
A new poll conducted by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation released Wednesday says that 51 percent of people favor the president’s health reform plan while 45 percent oppose it, CNN reports.
