Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama To Formally Announce Medicare Drug Cuts Today
The pharmaceutical industry agreed Saturday to reduce Medicare drug costs as part of health overhaul in an apparent effort to stave off potentially more-burdensome givebacks under the Democrats’ health-overhaul plan. Today, President Barack Obama will make a formal announcement about the deal.
Six Words More Than Enough For Senate Battle
Head-to-head comparisons of medical treatments show how easily a seemingly small provision can become embroiled in major controversy, and demonstrates the potential for indefinite debate.
Doctor’s Vision For Health Reform: Videochat
A jean-wearing, blogging pediatrician who works out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, loft claims “disruptive technology” is a better treatment for America’s health care woes than universal health insurance.
Lawmakers Address Nurse And Primary Care Physician Shortages
A pending House bill would aim to address the nursing shortage by allowing “20,000 additional nurses to enter the U.S. each year for the next three years as a temporary measure to fill the gap,” Business Week reports.
Pharmaceutical Companies Reach Deal To Shrink Medicare ‘Doughnut Hole’
Drug manufacturers agreed to spend $80 billion over 10 years in discounts for medicines for seniors.
House Reform Outline Includes Public Insurance Option
“House Democrats released the outline of their health care reform bill Friday – a proposal that would create a public insurance option, expand Medicaid, and require employers to provide coverage or pay a tax,” Politico reports.
House Democrats Unveil Reform Plans
House Democrats introduced on Friday their health overhaul plan.
Lancet Studies Examine Aspects Of Global Health Funding
“Global health funding boosted by private donors has quadrupled since 1990, but the extra money has not always gone to the right countries and diseases, according to a pair of studies released Friday,” in the journal Lancet, AFP/Google.com reports.
BBC Examines River Blindness Program In Sub-Saharan Africa
BBC examines a campaign in sub-Saharan Africa that is helping to distribute drugs to prevent onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness
Some Call For More Action At Conclusion Of Pacific Health Summit
Some Pacific Health Summit attendees said more action should have come from the tuberculosis-focused conference, which ended on Thursday in Seattle, Seattle Times’ “Business of Giving” blog reports.
Economist Examines ‘Snail-Fever’ In China
The Economist examines schistosomiasis in China.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) on Thursday called on Los Angeles County health officials to require that condoms be used in the adult film industry or shut down production in light of a recent report that a number of people tested at the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIMHF) clinic have tested positive for HIV since 2004.
Organizations Partner For HIV Testing Initiative In Staten Island, N.Y.
As part of an effort to encourage Staten Island, N.Y., residents to be tested for HIV, the CARE Network, the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and the City Council’s Communities of Color Faith Initiative, have partnered to launch the “Staten Island HIV Status Check Campaign,” the Staten Island Advance reports.
Data Show Wisconsin Has Lowest AIDS Death Rate In Nation, Group Says
AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin Chief Operating Officer Mike Gifford said that Wisconsin has the highest survival rate for people with the HIV/AIDS nationwide.
New York Agency Loses Grant To Expand Services For Families Affected By HIV/AIDS
AIDS Community Services of Western New York (ACS), a Buffalo-based agency that provides medical treatment and social services for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS, has lost a $288,500 grant from the Junior League of Buffalo that was to be used to expand a primary care center.
HIV-Positive Cambodians Evicted From Phnom Penh Homes
To make way for a Ministry of Tourism garden, 20 families with HIV-positive members have been evicted from their homes and moved outside of the city, reports the Phnom Penh Post.
As Reform Stalls, Senators Scramble To Scale Back Or Cut Costs
“The high cost of securing health insurance for all Americans, the top domestic priority of President Obama, has Congressional Democrats scrambling to scale back their proposals or find ways to trim tens of billions of dollars a year from existing health programs,” the New York Times reports.
Finance Committee Seeks To Trim Cost Of Bill
A draft of the Senate Finance Committee’s reform bill includes individual mandates, expanded Medicaid, consumer-owned co-ops, cuts to Medicare spending, and smaller than expected subsidies for the poor to buy insurance, while omitting the controversial “public plan.”
