Latest KFF Health News Stories
WHO Approves Second HPV Vaccine
The WHO announced Thursday it had approved a second cervical cancer vaccine, opening “U.N. agencies and partners [to] now officially buy millions of doses of the vaccine for poor countries worldwide,” where an estimated 80 percent of the 280,000 annual deaths from cervical cancer occur each year, the AP/Google.com reports.
G8 Leaders Launch $20B Initiative To Help Farmers In Developing Countries
The Washington Post reports: “Leaders of the world’s major economies pledged Friday to raise $20 billion over the next three years for food and agricultural aid to the world’s most impoverished countries.”
U.S. Moves Forward With Preparations For H1N1 Vaccination Campaign
The Obama administration on Thursday said a nationwide vaccination program could begin as early as mid-October to protect Americans from the H1N1 (swine flu) virus and pledged $350 million to help prepare communities across the country for this effort, the Washington Times reports.
HIV/AIDS Groups Demonstrate At Capitol Rotunda, Call For Action On Domestic, Global Epidemics
Twenty-six people representing a coalition of five HIV/AIDS groups from Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York were arrested on Thursday for unlawfully demonstrating in the Capitol rotunda, the AP/Washington Post reports.
HIV/AIDS Groups Demonstrate At Capitol Rotunda, Call For Action On Domestic, Global Epidemics
Twenty-six people representing a coalition of five HIV/AIDS groups from Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York were arrested on Thursday for unlawfully demonstrating in the Capitol rotunda, the AP/Washington Post reports.
President Obama Says Health Care Doable But ‘Hard’
President Barack Obama said Friday as he left an international summit in L’Aquila, Italy, that he believes a health-care bill will pass Congress this year, but that special interests are “scaring people.”
Administration Faces Challenges From Democrats On Health Proposals
President Obama has asked Congress to deliver a bill by October that would “cut healthcare costs and provide medical coverage to most of the 46 million uninsured Americans,” a goal that may no longer be realistic as members of the president’s own party move to stall efforts.
Blue Dogs Delay House Health Bill Unveiling
Fiscally conservative Democrats in the House are delaying a health care reform bill by withholding their support before changes are made to contain the cost of the bills, the Associated Press reports.
Tales Of Health Insurance Plights Highlight Overhaul Efforts
Analysts say many in America take jobs they otherwise wouldn’t simply for the health insurance coverage, Reuters reports.
Senate Weighs New Taxes To Fund Reform
“Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) presented his members Thursday with more than a dozen ways to pay for health care legislation, ranging from new fees on industry to an income-tax hike on couples making more than $1 million a year,” Politico reports.
New Medicare Data Compare Hospitals Based On Readmissions
“The new data come amid a national debate over how to reduce the rate of hospital readmissions, which cost the federal government billions of dollars a year in Medicare reimbursements,” the New York Times reports.
Health, Business Groups Continue Staking Out Reform Positions
Trade groups such as the drug and hospital lobbies are hoping that by offering cost savings now to the White House, they will have a chance to influence final reform legislation, The Associated Press reports.
20 Arrested In California Medicaid Fraud Case
Twenty people in California were arrested on Thursday “in a $4.6-million Medi-Cal fraud scheme that law enforcement officials allege used unlicensed individuals to provide in-home nursing care for disabled patients,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
Two Drug-Related Legislative Plans Pose Problems For Stakeholders
The Senate passed a bill yesterday that would allow Americans to purchase drugs online from pharmacies and retailers in Canada, where the products are often less expensive. Meanwhile, the House wants to tax drug advertisements, networks say.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
A selection of opinions and editorials.
Many Washington State Hospitals Skimp on Required Charity Care
“As the recession has cost more people their jobs and their health insurance, local hospitals have seen more patients show up with no way to pay,” reports KUOW, a Washington State public radio station.
Medical Staff Cut Down On Hospital-Acquired Infections
Medical staff work to cut down on fatal hospital-acquired infections.
No Shriners Hospitals Closing; Some May Be Outpatient-Only
“All 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children will stay open, but some eventually might become outpatient-only surgery facilities, the system that offers free specialty pediatric care said Thursday,” CNN reports.
Health Insurance Exchanges Gain Attention
Health insurance exchanges form a part of most reform legislation now in Congress.
