Latest KFF Health News Stories
San Francisco Chronicle Profiles U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
“Dr. Eric Goosby wasted no time starting his new job as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator. He flew from the Bay Area to Geneva hours after his confirmation by the Senate and was sworn in when he landed
New York Times Examines Program To Help Orphans Survive ‘Fragile Days Of Infancy’
The New York Times examines a program being offered at an orphanage in Tanzania that provides emotional and physical support for newborns and young children who are at a high risk of death after losing their mothers in infancy.
IFRC Issues Renewed Appeal For Resources To Help Food Insecure People In Horn Of Africa
The world is slowly losing the fight against hunger in the Horn of Africa, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which renewed its call for emergency food supplies, water and recovery activities to help about 2.5 million food insecure people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, Xinhua/CRIENGLISH.com reports.
H1N1 Confirmed In Three More African Countries; Cambodia, Indonesia Confirm First Cases
The H1N1 (swine flu) virus has reached the sub-Saharan African countries of Cape Verde, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, according to the WHO, the AP/Boston Herald reports.
Countries Address Financial Crisis, Burden On Developing Nations At U.N. Financial Summit
At the opening of a three-day U.N. financial summit on Wednesday, developing countries joined U.N. officials in “calling for more money and a greater role in regulating the world economy in the wake of the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, which has taken a disproportionate toll on poor nations,” AP/Google.com reports.
Obama Reaches Out To Governors On Health Care
“A bipartisan group of governors told President Obama yesterday that they share his urgent desire to restructure the nation’s health-care system but warned that any changes should not place more burdens on strained state budgets or eliminate innovative programs they already have in place,” The Washington Post reports.
Obama Leaves Door Open To Tax On Health Benefits
In a town hall meeting broadcast on ABC, President Obama on Wednesday suggested he would support taxing some health benefits.
House Democrats: ‘We Will Fight’ Any Plan Without Public Option
Liberal House Democrats are threatening to kill any plan that doesn’t include a government-run public option, Roll Call reports.
Senators Fear Health Reform Could Endanger Employer-Sponsored Insurance
Senators discussed for a long time Wednesday the possibility that the health reform overhaul could derail America’s tradition of employer insurance plans, The New York Times reports.
Senators Call For Changes At VA Amid Health Lapses
The Democratic chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee said Wednesday that more centralized control of the VA medical system is needed after lapses put the health of veterans in danger, The Associated Press reports.
U.S. Hospitals Feeling The Squeeze During Economic Recession
Hospital CEOs say the recession is taking a toll on the hospital industry as “cash-strapped patients are skipping visits and under-compensated cases are increasing,” Forbes reports.
Insurers Underpaid ‘Billions’ In Health Claims
The Senate Commerce Committee released a report on flawed insurance practices that lead to higher patient costs yesterday, and called a former Cigna executive to lash out at insurers for “making promises they have no intention of keeping.”
Report: Health Industry Spends Upwards Of $1.4 Million A Day On Lobbyists
“In a new report released today, the government watchdog group Common Cause found that major health care interests have spent upwards of $1.4 million a day to lobby Capitol Hill so far this year,” the National Journal reports.
Massachusetts Cuts Health Coverage By $115 Million
“Overseers of Massachusetts’ trailblazing health care program made their first cuts yesterday, trimming $115 million, or 12 percent, from Commonwealth Care, which subsidizes premiums for needy residents and is the centerpiece of the 2006 law,” according to the Boston Globe.
A Selection Of Recent Studies And Surveys
Findings from the UCLA Health Policy Center, among others.
GE, Big Vendors Corner EMR Market; Smaller Vendors Explore Health 2.0
Staying ahead of the upcoming drive to sell electronic health records to hospitals and physicians may be difficult for smaller vendors.
A Selection Of Editorials And Opinions
Writers calculate the interests of insurers, fret Iowan’s ‘unfair’ Medicare rates and raise the flag of ‘rationing.’
Disease Prevention Not Necessarily A Money Saver
Few prevention efforts actually save the health care system money overall, despite claims by the president and some in Congress.
Older Doctors Stay On Job Amid Primary Care Shortage
The shortage in primary care doctors is causing older doctors to stay on the job while young ones opt for specialties.
Authorities Crackdown On Major Medicare Fraud In Detroit
Fifty-three people were indicted in a major Medicare fraud crackdown in Detroit. Eight others were charged in a similar case in Miami.
