Latest KFF Health News Stories
Experience of Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative Raises Questions About Co-ops’ Role In Reform
An examination of the Group Health Cooperative suggests co-ops may not provide easy answer for controlling health costs.
Proposed Subsidies To Expand Coverage May Miss Some Families
Democrats’ reform proposals would attempt to expand health coverage to uninsured middle and low-income families with new premiums to help buy insurance plans, but that may not be enough for many families, Kaiser Health News reports.
Obama To Offer Details, Strive For Consensus In Upcoming Speech
If the president spells out precisely which provisions he favors and opposes, he faces a political risk if those aspects of the plan don’t come to fruition. However, aides said he would do just that.
As Dems’ Hopes For Two GOP Senators Fade, A Third Gets Special Attention
The Senate Finance Committee’s so-called “gang of six” will hold a conference call Friday to continue negotiations on a possible bipartisan health care compromise, as a Sept. 15 deadline set by Democrats approaches. But Democrats’ hopes are fading that the group will reach a compromise.
Dems Divided Along Regional, Ideological Boundaries
Divisions among congressional Democrats fall along urban-rural and regional lines.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
Friday’s selection of opinions and editorials.
Google Searches For ‘Death Panels’ Trigger New Ad War
Weeks after Sarah Palin coined the term “death panels” to refer to a proposal in the House Democrats’ health reform bill, the term is among those helping to generate the most active internet advertising spree ever linked to a public policy issue.
Gawande On “Rationing”: Provokes Fear, But Won’t Happen In U.S. Health Care
Atul Gawande, the New Yorker staff writer and cancer surgeon, spoke with NPR’s Morning Edition about the how the word “rationing” has been used
Safety Net Hospitals Worry Health Reform Poses Threat
Safety net hospitals worry that the proposed financing of health reform could put them at risk.
Dems Revisit Tax On The Wealthy To Fund Health Care Reform
Democrats are looking again at raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans to help fund a health care overhaul.
Biden Predicts Health Reform Will Pass After Partisan Battles
Vice President Joe Biden predicts that health reform will pass, but only after a partisan battle.
Today’s State News: Medicaid Challenges, High Denial Rates And A New Plan To Tax Calif. Insurers
Today’s state news includes Wyoming’s worries about a Medicaid crunch, a surprising last minute solution to California’s children health worries, California’s high insurance claims denial rates, and a windfall of stimulus grants to medical researchers in Massachussets.
Health Bills Would Maintain COBRA, Offer More Help For Unemployed
Health care bills would maintain benefits for the unemployed from the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
Many High Health Costs Remain Mysterious
Health care’s high costs are a main reason lawmakers are taking on health reform, but it’s also a challenge to identify and target the many reasons care is so expensive.
Polls Show Mixed Results For President’s Health Care Reform Efforts
New surveys examine public opinion for the president’s health care proposals.
Democrats Consider ‘Trigger’ Option Instead Of Immediate Public Plan
Democrats consider a proposal that would set a “trigger” for implementing a government healthcare thereby using the public plan only as a backup.
Wisconsin City Was Unwitting Birthplace Of ‘Death Panel’ Myth
The pioneering program at a hospital in La Crosse, Wis., with Medicare reimbursements for end-of-life issues was adopted by health reform proposals–until critics nearly derailed the package with complaints about “death panels.”
Morning Edition: September 4, 2009
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
