Latest KFF Health News Stories
Wall Street Journal Examines Pharmaceutical Companies Expansion Into Developing Countries
The Wall Street Journal examines the “strategic shift in the $770 billion pharmaceutical industry to target the working poor in the developing world” through the eyes of a Pfizer pharmaceutical representative working in the slums overlooking Caracas, Venezuela.
Scientists Examine HIV’s Effect On Immune System
A study by researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and published in PLoS Medicine has found that upon infection “three lines of attack by the immune system are quickly neutralized by HIV,” findings they hope “will provide a better understanding of how to develop a vaccine to protect against the virus.”
Senate Dems Eye August Timeline, Search For Savings
Senate Democrats are trying to hold true to their pledge to pass health care reform legislation by the August recess despite roadblocks.
Hospitals, White House Reach Accord On Cuts To Pay For Reform
Major hospital groups reached an agreement Monday with the White House and Senate Democrats to accept $155 billion in payment cuts over ten years, a concession that would help pay for proposed health care reforms.
Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Today’s selection of opinions and editorials.
Obama Adminstration Releases Final Rules On Stem Cell Research
The Obama administration released final rules governing stem cell research on Monday. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will insist that scientists creating stem cell lines after Tuesday follow the new rules in order for their work to be eligible.
Dems Navigate Reform Opposition From Unions, Liberals
“Unionized workers have fought to preserve their relatively expensive health plans through contract talks, sometimes at the expense of wage increases,” CQ Politics reports.
San Diego Needle Exchange Program Examined
KPBS profiled San Diego’s “only clean syringe exchange program,” a mobile van that twice weekly provides injection drug users with clean needles in exchange for used ones.
Veterans Call For Greater Improvements For Veteran Services
Services for veterans have improved recently, but many veterans say more improvements still need to be made.
Insurers Open Storefronts, Raise Rates To Adjust To New Reality
“Buying health insurance has become such a complex decision that Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida is trying a new sales tactic: storefronts near big malls,” the St. Petersburg Times reports.
Study Examines ‘Elite’ Group Of HIV-Positive People Who Appear ‘Protected’ From Developing AIDS
An international contingent of nearly 500 researchers and physicians are taking part in the International HIV Controllers Study, which is examining “the phenomenon,” in which certain people living with HIV appear “somehow protected from AIDS.”
Seattle-area Health Co-Op Offers Alternative Health System Model
Innovations in care by a Seattle-area co-operative and clinic are shaping debate about what health care reform around America should look like, The New York Times reports.
Connecticut Executive Order Cuts Funding To Drop-In Centers That Help People Living With HIV/AIDS
In Connecticut, representatives from several social service agencies gathered in front of the Governor’s mansion on Monday to oppose an executive order that “has cut funding to the half dozen walk-in centers around the state” that assist people living with HIV/AIDS to “zero.”
Michigan Legislature Considering Insurance Reform Bills
“There’s support in Michigan’s Legislature for eliminating insurance practices that deny coverage and charge high rates for people with chronic health problems. But the Michigan reforms face a tight timetable as lawmakers focus on the state’s worsening budget crisis,” The Detroit Free Press reports.
Alzheimer’s Patients Fight For Quicker Medicare Coverage
NPR reports on the struggle of Alzheimer’s patients who don’t have health insurance trying to find ways to pay for their care and lobby for greater protections for themselves.
Short-Timer Whitehouse Has His Say
“While Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is expected to be on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee only for a short time, he should have a major effect on health reform,” Roll Call reports.
Senator Kennedy’s Absence Looms Large
Lobbyists feel the absence of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
AP: Children’s Hospital A Model For Benefits, Struggles Of Health IT
An Associated Press analysis of the “new all-digital Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh” reveals the benefits of electronic health records in action, and the steep climb the hospital took to achieve those improvements.
Need For Federal Insurance Czar Is Questioned
“Health care overhaul legislation from President Barack Obama’s congressional allies would create a federal insurance czar with sweeping new powers to oversee medical plans nationwide, an idea already drawing fierce criticism,” The Associated Press reports.
$40 Million Made Available For Children’s Health Care Enrollment Efforts
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that states and local organizations can apply for $40 million worth of outreach grants “to enroll more eligible children in health-insurance programs,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
