Latest KFF Health News Stories
Condom Distribution Program In Los Angeles County Jail Might Be Expanded
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is considering expanding an eight-year-old program at Men’s Central Jail that distributes condoms in a unit for gay men.
Iowa’s Criminal HIV Transmission Law Examined
A recent court decision in Black Hawk County, Iowa where a 34-year-old HIV-positive man was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of parole for not informing a sexual partner of his status, might lead to a national discussion on state criminal transmission laws.
HHS To Propose Removal Of HIV From List Preventing Foreigners U.S. Entry
HHS this week will issue proposed regulations that would remove HIV from the list of “communicable diseases of public health significance,” effectively lifting the ban on HIV-positive foreign residents from entering the country.
Divisions Plague Dems As Obama Recruits New Allies, Governors
“Four divisive issues could dash President Barack Obama’s hopes of overhauling health care: cost, creating a government-run plan, taxing workers’ benefits and penalizing employers that don’t offer coverage,” the Associated Press/Boston Globe reports
Lawmakers Seek Price Tag They Can Agree On
“Lawmakers working to overhaul the U.S. health-care system face a pressure-filled July after leaving town this week without resolving the biggest questions dividing Democrats and Republicans,” Bloomberg reports.
News Examines Lawmakers’ Contributions In Health Reform Debate
Over the last 27 sessions of Congress, there has always been a Dingell universal health care bill. It was first introduced by Rep. John D. Dingell’s father during World War II, and then by his son, The Washington Times reports.
Health Centers Get $850 million For Infrastructure Improvements
First Lady Michelle Obama visited a Washington, D.C. community health center Monday afternoon to announce the release of $851 million for the expansion and rehabilitation of clinics around the country, The New York Times reports.
Doctors Increasingly Perform Online Visits
“This year, 39 percent of doctors said they’d communicated with patients online, up from just 16 percent five years earlier, according to health-information firm Manhattan Research, a unit of Decision Resources Inc,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
HHS To Propose Removal Of HIV From List Preventing Foreigners U.S. Entry
HHS this week will issue proposed regulations to remove HIV from the list of “communicable diseases of public health significance,” effectively lifting the ban on HIV-positive foreign residents from entering the country, Newsday reports.
Study Says High-Cost Cancer Drugs Have Little Benefit, Strain Health System
Using data from other published studies, researchers have estimated that lung-cancer drug Erbitux extends patients’ lives by only 1.2 months, while costing $80,000 for an 18-week course of treatment.
Doctor Testifies About Botched Prostate Treatment At VA Hospital
Dr. Gary D. Kao testified Monday about a botched prostate cancer treatment he gave to patients at a Veterans Affairs hospital run by the University of Pennsylvania.
Orszag Talks About Personal Choice, MedPAC And CBO Scores
Obama budget chief Peter Orszag sat with Slate.com to talk about health reform, in his answers, Orszag talked about personal choices affecting health care costs, the role of MedPAC and the Congressional Budget Office.
Denmark Patient First To Develop Resistance To Tamiflu
A spokesperson from the vaccine manufacturer Roche confirmed reports Monday that a Denmark patient with H1N1 (swine flu) developed resistance to the antiviral Tamiflu, a drug known to decrease the spread and severity of the virus, Reuters reports.
British Medical Journal Examines Recent Progress In Treating Neglected Diseases
The British Medical Journal examines the outcome of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, last week.
Group Wants Legislators’ Pledge To Read Entire Health Care Bill
A conservative group wants every lawmaker to pledge to read the entire bill for comprehensive health reform before voting.
Opinion: Boston Globe Columnist Examines Arguments Against DDT Use In Uganda
Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson examines why some Ugandans do not support indoor spraying of DDT to prevent malaria.
The Grameen Foundation on Tuesday launched the first application of its Application Laboratory (AppLab) project, which aims to use “the proliferation of mobile phones in Africa as a way to get information and services to poor communities in Uganda without Internet access,” the Seattle Times’ blog, the “Business of Giving,” reports.
Prevention Does Not Necessarily Provide Expected Cost Savings
Senate Democrats and Obama administration officials hoping that preventive care would create federal savings have been disappointed to learn that it does not create expected cost savings.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Editorial and opinion writers take on topics ranging from pharmacist reimbursement to Health IT, among other things.
