Latest KFF Health News Stories
CQ Politics Examines Delay In Naming USAID Head, Farmer’s Reported Withdrawal
Paul Farmer’s withdrawal from consideration as head of USAID “would send the [Obama] administration back to the drawing board to fill a critical position that will be a centerpiece of efforts to overhaul foreign aid,” CQ Politics reports.
House Left Unfinished Business When It Left For The August Break
House members left Washington last week with some unfinished business: 55 to 60 pending amendments in the Energy and Commerce Committee, which became the last of three House panels to report its version of the health care overhaul late Friday night.
Senators Move Closer To Centrist Health Reform Bill
Lawmakers working on a bipartisan health care reform bill in the Senate Wednesday signed on some centrist Democrats who believe they could support the reform and sell it to constituents back home over the recess.
Parties Trade Barbs, Refine Messages Over Health Care Reform Town Hall Events
Protesters at Democratic health care reform events during the Congressional recess are sparking controversy between Democrats and Republicans who are accusing each other of wrongdoing in the protests and are exchanging barbs and e-mails to members in the process.
Baucus/Grassley Relationship Explored, Other Senators Weigh In On Reform
The old reliable relationship between Sens. Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley is of interest as their Senate Finance Committee nears a deal on health care reform while other Senators weigh in on their place and the pace of talks in the Senate.
Health Insurance Industry Cries Foul
Officials in the health insurance industry discuss their efforts to reform the current system and recent attacks against them.
Clinton To Meet With Somali President
As part of her seven country, 11-day trip to Africa, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday in Nairobi will meet with Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed at the new U.S. embassy in Kenya, according to Associated Press (Lee, 8/6).
States Expand Kids’ Coverage Despite Widespread Health Care Budget Cuts
“Although states are facing their worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression, 14 (states) found the dollars this year to increase health coverage for about 250,000 children,” Stateline/Finance and Commerce reports.
Today’s Opinions And Editorials
A Selection of Today’s Opinions and Editorials
Marin County, Calif., HIV/AIDS Programs Impacted By Cuts To Public, Private Funding
A “leading” nonprofit in Marin County, Calif., that provides HIV education and prevention services and a needle exchange program “is getting hit with funding cuts from both the state of California and the Marin Community Foundation that total more than 18 percent of the nonprofit’s annual budget,” the Contra Costa Times reports.
Blog Addresses Lawmaker’s Views On Use Of Federal Funding For Needle Exchange
Washington City Paper’s “City Desk” blog discusses how legislation that proposes to lift the ban on the use of federal funding for needle exchange “might impose restrictions on federal funding of needle exchange in D.C. to the point that it could hardly be done at all.”
Illinois FY2010 Budget Keeps Most Funding For HIV/AIDS Services In Tact
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) in his fiscal year 2010 budget plan “nearly fully funded” HIV services in the state using discretionary funds, the Windy City Times reports.
Investments In IT Spur Health, Technology Sectors
The Maryland state government will invest $10 million in a statewide health information exchange. A technology company, Salesforce.com, recently made its own $10 million investment in an EMR company.
HIV/AIDS Advocates Gather In San Francisco To Protest State Funding Cuts
Hundreds of HIV/AIDS activists gathered at San Francisco’s Civic Center on Wednesday to protest state budget cuts for HIV treatment and prevention made by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) last week through line-item veto, the San Francisco Appeal reports (8/5).
Obama To Drug Industry: We Still Have A Deal
The White House has affirmed its deal with pharmaceutical manufacturers and says it will not seek additional cost savings from the industry.
Research Roundup: Nurse Retention, Young Uninsured Adults, Recession And Health, Medicare Rx Prices
Various research papers examine an array of health issues including nurse retention, Medicare prescription drugs, young uninsured adults and the recession’s impact on health.
Total Number Of Uninsured Difficult To Predict
Several news reports fact-check some of the numbers and “myths” of health reform.
Community Insurance Co-ops, Medical Homes Offer Models For Reform
Communities with nonprofit health insurance co-ops or a system of patients having “medical homes’ could be useful models in a national health care overhaul.
Comparative Effectiveness Studies Raise Questions About Popular Back Pain Treatment
New studies represent the kind of comparative effectiveness research health policy experts and President Barack Obama want.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
