Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health On The Hill – November 19, 2009
Last night, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid unveiled a health care reform bill that he plans to soon bring to the Senate floor. The bill would cost an estimated $849 billion dollars over 10 years, and cover about 31 million uninsured. Mary Agnes Carey discusses the major provisions of the bill.
With Senate Health Bill, Reid Tries To Balance Many Interests
Majority Leader Harry Reid added new taxes and modified major provisions of health bills passed by two Senate panels in a health bill unveiled Wednesday night.
Health Reform Sparks Debate On Future Of Children’s Health Program
Some say moving kids from the Children’s Health Insurance Program to health exchanges would add stability, but others fear they could lose benefits and their families could face higher co-payments for coverage.
Doctors Fear Reform Angst Is Tainting Medicare Payment ‘Fix’
Physicians’ lobby says fixing the 12-year-old formula that sets Medicare payments would prove lawmakers’ commitment to reform health care.
Why A Little City In Wisconsin Is The Best Place To Die
Nearly all adults who die in La Crosse, Wisconsin, have filled out “advance directives” – explicit instructions on what treatments they do and don’t want at the end of life. The medical ethicist who started the program says “We believe it’s part of good patient care.”
New Technology Helps Elderly Stay Healthy At Home
Devices that measure blood pressure and other health information may help the elderly and people with chronic conditions stay in touch with doctors while remaining at home. The technology could cut health spending by catching problems before they escalate into crises.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – November 16
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and other experts discuss recent and upcoming activities on the Hill — part of a weekly series of video reports.
Crusading Professor Challenges Dartmouth Atlas On Claims Of Wasteful Health Care Spending
Dr. Richard “Buz” Cooper doesn’t mince words as he challenges highly-respected research asserting that hospitals and doctors waste up to $700 billion a year on unnecessary testing and treatment. He says the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care doesn’t adequately account for the health care needs of poor people.
Reaction To Cooper’s Challenge Against Dartmouth Atlas
Some argue the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, which found wide geographic differences in how medicine is practiced, overstates the amount of potential waste because its methods don’t fully factor in the heavy medical needs of very poor people. Here are some views on the debate.
In Rural Kentucky, A Surprising Twist On The Health Debate
The people in Southeastern Kentucky have the poorest health in the country. Yet the area is rich with medical facilities. Health reform bills are unlikely to change much: One doctor says: “We have to transform the way we take care of people.”
Celebrating A Visionary On Healthy Aging
Dr. Gene Cohen, a geriatric psychiatrist who believed that old age can be a time of creativity, died this week.
NPR’s ‘Tell Me More’: Abortion Debate Critical To Health Care Overhaul
NPR host Michel Martin interviewed KHN’s Julie Appleby about what the abortion amendment would mean.
How The House Abortion Restrictions Would Work
Legislation approved by the House Saturday would bar insurers from selling policies that cover abortion if purchased with federal subsidies. There are already states that have similar policies.
On Hill, Bipartisan Support Emerging For Commission To Control Health Costs
The drive on Capitol Hill to create a bipartisan commission to help “bend the cost curve” of health spending is picking up momentum – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a handful of moderate Democrats and Republicans are supporting the effort.
Democrats Face Backlash Over House Abortion Limits
Outrage is growing among Democratic activists over new and far-reaching abortion restrictions contained in the health care bill passed by the House. Some warn that Democrats may face trouble at the polls in 2010 if the restrictions survive a final bill. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
Current ‘Death Panel’ Uproar Echoes Decades-Old Controversy
It was early summer. A senior federal health official wrote a memo suggesting that living wills — documents that can convey patients’ wishes about when to end life support — could help curb health-care costs.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – November 9, 2009
As House Democratic leaders celebrate passage of health care legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., continues to await a Congressional Budget Office analysis as he tries to craft a compromise package between bills passed by the Senate Finance and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.
Democrats Confront Challenges After House Reform Vote
Democrats get new momentum from House passage of a health care bill, but face new tests in bridging differences within the party — and between the chambers — on cost, financing and coverage.
Health policy experts hold different views on Saturday’s House overhaul vote. KHN asked Karen Pollitz, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Jonathan Cohn, Robert Laszewski, Robert Blendon and John Goodman to respond.
House Hands Health Care Challenge Off To Senate
Democrats are still savoring the the narrow passage of their historic heath care overhaul in the House of Representatives and turning their attention to the deeply divided Senate. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
