Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cutting Medicare Advantage Costs May Be Politically Difficult
The president and many congressional Democrats want to Medicare Advantage, which provides managed care for seniors. It costs more per beneficiary than regular Medicare. But trimming it could be politically challenging.
New TV Drama Based On The Real Life Of Concierge Docs
USA Today reports that USA Network’s new medical show, “Royal Pains,” the story of a doctor who makes house calls in the wealthy Hamptons, isn’t far from the truth.
First Edition: August 19, 2009
Today’s early morning news highlights include the White House’s continuing efforts to clarify the message on a public paln.
Kyl Says GOP Won’t Support Co-op Proposal
The number two Senate Republican said Tuesday that replacing the proposal for a public health care option with a nonprofit private co-op won’t draw Republican support.
Message From The White House: The President Is Not Backing Away From The Public Plan
The Obama administration continues to offer a new round of reassurances that the President supports a public option as part of health reform.
Researchers Use Sythethic Protein To Block HIV In Laboratory Experiment
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison “report they were able to block HIV infections in the lab with synthetic proteins that prevented the virus from entering healthy cells,” according to a study published in online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports.
Nevada Health Division Releases Report On HIV/AIDS Cases
The Nevada State Health Division on Monday released a report citing the latest HIV/AIDS statistics in the state, KOLOTV.com reports.
Confusion Reigns About Public Option, Health Cooperatives
Reports that President Obama could accept a reform plan without a government-run public option have triggered a barrage of comments from lawmakers insisting that the public option remains on the table, as well as discussion of how health insurance cooperatives would work.
White House Offers Reassurance That Public Option Is Very Much Alive
The White House on Monday sought to reassure Democrats and other supporters of a public plan that support for that approach remains strong despite comments made by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Liberal Backlash On Public Plan
The indication that President Obama would accept a health overhaul absent a public insurance plan, set off alarms among liberals who remain committed to the idea
Today’s Editorials and Opinions
KHN presents a selection of editorials and opinions.
Looking To September, Lawmakers Focus On Health Reform Messages, Measures
House Republicans are refocusing their efforts for when they come back from recess to depict Democratic attempts to reform the U.S. health care system as “potentially ruinous to small businesses.”
Obama Calls For Veterans’ Health Care Expansion
President Obama Monday spoke about the wars, wasteful defense spending and boosting veterans’ health care benefits through health reform at a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention.
AARP Loses Members Over Reform Stance As Other Stakeholders Speak Out
Thousands of members of the AARP have quit the association since July over the group’s support for Democratic health care reform as other groups — including doctors and the soda makers — speak out about reform details.
Massachusetts Could Prove Model To Cut Costs
CNNMoney reports that Massachusetts could prove to be a model for how to grapple with high health care costs as its own soaring costs threaten national efforts at reform.
Statistics Highlight The Looming Doctor Shortage
The doctor shortage proves problematic as fewer medical students are going into primary care.
Asia Needs Irrigation, Farming Reform To Avoid ‘Chronic Food Shortages,’ Report Says
To avert “chronic food shortages and social unrest,” Asia must improve its irrigation and farming processes, according to a study, issued by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Agence France-Presse reports.
Bloomberg Reports On HIV-Treatment Failure In China; New York Times Examines ARV Shortage In Romania
An analysis of 48,785 HIV-positive patients enrolled in China’s National Free Antiretroviral Treatment Program over a five-year period revealed “[h]alf of China’s AIDS patients stopped responding to treatment over five years and didn’t have access to the back-up drugs available in developed nations,” according to an Annals of Internal Medicine study, Bloomberg reports.
Efforts To Create Treatment Guidelines Are Often Complicated
Developing treatment guidelines for illnesses such as diabetes is more complicated than it appears.
