Latest KFF Health News Stories
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during a General Assembly meeting Tuesday urged governments not to cut aid for the international fight against HIV/AIDS, the AP/Washington Post reports.
Lobbyists Strike At Wellness Programs
Wellness programs are not fairing well as efforts seek to strike them from reform proposals.
Obama Administration Faces Increasing Challenges To Health Reform
As details of the proposals for a health care overhaul emerge, the Obama administration is facing “a stern political test,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Obama Plan To Cut Hospital Payments Draws Ire
The Obama administration has called for $200 billion in cuts for hospital reimbursements in an effort to overhaul the health care system.
Recession And Budget Cuts Hit Children Especially Hard
As the recession forces more hospitals and doctors to pare costs and services, children are being especially hard hit.
Health Reform Price Tag Has Dems Scrambling To Lower Cost
The up to $1.6 trillion price tag for one version of health care reform has left Democrats scrambling to find a way to rein in costs while not sacrificing the basic tenets of a plan they favor, The Washington Post reports.
Med Schools Improve Conflict Of Interest Policies, But Widespread Problems Remain
According to the latest ratings of two watchdog groups, medical schools with conflict-of-interest policies are increasingly bracing them against drug companies and device suppliers, but many still have no policies at all.
Moderates Wooed In House As They Cross Party Lines To Shape Health Legislation
As attempts to gain support for health reform across party lines and from interest groups like the American Medical Association continue, House leaders are seeking to rally centrist members of their own caucus.
House Bill May Target Drugmakers’ Advertising Tax Breaks
Rep. Charles Rangel said the Ways and Means committee may seek to raise money for health reform by imposing a $37 billion tax on drugmaker’s advertisements.
Obama To Expand Benefits To Same-Sex Partners Of Federal Workers
President Obama Wednesday is expected to extend healthcare and other benefits to the same-sex partners of homosexual federal employees, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Ex-Senate Leaders Craft Bipartisan Health Care Compromise
“Democrats Tom Daschle and George Mitchell are set to join Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker on Wednesday to release a $1.2 trillion proposal that would be fully paid for with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases,” the AP reports.
Insurers Refuse To Stop Cancelling Some Sick Patients’ Policies
Members of Congress grilled executives from the insurance industry’s big three
Budget Cuts For Minnesota Health Care Programs, Again
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., announced Tuesday that “health and human services will come in for $236 million in additional cuts as part of his unallotment strategy,” the Star Tribune reports.
New York Doctors Race To Abide By In-Office Surgery Rules
“A New York State law that takes effect on July 14 has physicians who perform office-based surgery scrambling to upgrade their offices or find new space altogether,” the New York Times reports.
A Selection of Editorials And Opinions
Opponents and proponents of health care reform are using “rationing” as the word to drive opinion against health care reform in the United States, The New York Times reports.
Policy Panel: Long-Term Care Should Be Part Of Health Reform
Experts argue long-term care should be part of health-care reform, according to Congressional Quarterly.
Sebelius: Insurers Can’t Block Public Option; Cost Estimates Off Target
In an interview with the Associated Press Tuesday, health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, “I think there is a lot of understanding that the private market has really failed to provide affordable coverage to Americans.”
Finance Committee Delays Release Of Reform Proposal
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said today that he would not release a draft of health reform bill taking shape in the Senate Finance Committee, which he chairs, on Wednesday, as previously planned.
California Group To Boost HIV Prevention Measures In Adult Film Industry
The California-based clinic Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIMHF), which serves the adult film industry, said on Monday it will boost its HIV prevention measures by urging the industry to use an online database to verify that employees have been recently tested for HIV.
