Latest KFF Health News Stories
Senate Health Committee Begins Amending Reform Bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee began amending their version of the bill Thursday, days after a Congressional Budget Office report found the bill would cost $1 trillion over ten years, leaving 37 million people uninsured.
Clinic Serving People Living With HIV In Northern Virginia Opens
A new clinic, called the INOVA Juniper Program, opened in Northern Virginia on Wednesday to meet increasing demand for HIV/AIDS medical services in the area.
Proposed California Budget Cuts To State HIV/AIDS Programs Will ‘Cost Lives’, Opinion Piece Says
“California will not be saving money,” in its proposal to cut funding from HIV/AIDS programs, including the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program, Ken Owens, member of the Inland Empire HIV Planning Council and former member of the Desert AIDS Client Committee, writes in a Desert Sun opinion piece.
Delaware HIV/AIDS Organization Forced To Close After 28 Years
A Delaware-based organization that has provided HIV/AIDS prevention, outreach, education and other services for the past 28 years will be closing due to lack of funding.
Northeast Colorado Conference Discusses HIV/AIDS Needs Assessment Findings
Rural Solutions, an organization in northeast Colorado, held the “Community HIV/AIDS Education and Action Conference” as part of its ongoing effort to address issues related to HIV.
Illinois Program Uses Text Messaging To Encourage HIV Testing
The Illinois Department of Health has launched a program, “Text 2 Survive,” that uses cell phone text messaging to encourage residents to be tested for HIV.
House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Approves FY10 Funding Measure
The House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee “unanimously approved its FY10 funding measure without any amendments” on Wednesday, “deferring expected fights for the full committee markup in a week,” CongressDaily reports.
Tibotec, TB Alliance Join To Expedite Development Of Promising TB Drug
The pharmaceutical company Tibotec said it will join with the non-profit Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Development (TB Alliance) to speed up the development of the experimental TB drug TMC207, Health-e/IOL reports.
PEPFAR Funds Used To Encourage Swaziland Couples To Get Tested Together
CNN examines the success of an HIV testing campaign in Swaziland that urges couples to get tested together.
Uganda To Distribute ITNs To All Citizens
The Ugandan ministry of health said that everyone in the country will receive free insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to prevent malaria beginning in September, James Kakooza, the state minister for primary health care, said, New Vision/allAfrica.com reports.
Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline Will Donate Influenza Vaccines To WHO
The drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis will donate millions of doses of a vaccine that offers protection against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus to the WHO once the vaccine is ready, the company’s chief executive officer announced Tuesday, Reuters reports.
Timeline for Health Legislation Slips As HELP, Finance Committees Hit Snags
Lawmakers in the Senate Wednesday delayed work on one health care reform bill and hit partisan roadblocks on another as key lawmakers insisted they are still on track to hear a bill on the floor by the middle of summer, The Washington Post reports.
Republicans Scold HELP Democrats Over Reform Bill’s Price Tag, Government Control
“Just about every… Republican on the committee ripped the bill’s price tag, which exceeds more than $1 trillion because of new subsidies for the poor,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
New Polls Find Support for Health Reform, Fear of Costs
A series of new polls this week show support for major health care reform, but trepidation about certain policy proposals, and anxiety about quickly growing health care costs, the possibility of losing coverage, and the federal budget deficit in general.
Next Year’s Rising Health Costs May Not Be Slowed By Reform
“Employers who offer health insurance coverage could see a 9% cost increase next year, and their workers may face an even bigger hit, according to a report Thursday from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.”
Free Clinics Affected By Primary Care Physician Shortage
In the face of growing numbers of uninsured and low-income patients due to the economy, some free clinics are having difficulty meeting the increased demand.
Former Senate Majority Leaders Outline Health Care Compromise
Three former Senate majority leaders unveiled their try at a health care reform fix Wednesday that would tax health benefits with value over what members of Congress are given and would mandate that both employers and individuals carry insurance, Kaiser Health News reports.
Bingaman, Wyden Among Key Health Reform Lawmakers In The News
Newspapers highlight a few of the key congressional players in the health care debate.
