Mail-Order Drug Provider Identifies $163B In Potential Prescription Drug Savings
April 21, 2010
Morning Briefing
A study by Express Scripts, a mail-order prescription drug provider, said Tuesday that an “estimated $163 billion in health care spending could be saved each year if patients took their medicines as prescribed, chose generic drugs and other low-cost alternatives, and had their prescriptions delivered by mail,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Obama Requests $2.8B In Emergency Funds For Haiti
March 25, 2010
Morning Briefing
President Barack Obama sent a letter (.pdf) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Wednesday asking the Congress “for $2.8 billion in emergency funds to provide for costs associated with relief and reconstruction for Haiti, after its devastating earthquake on January 12,” Reuters reports.
Donors Pledge $5.3B Over 18 Months To Help Rebuild Haiti
April 1, 2010
Morning Briefing
Donors at a conference Wednesday pledged to provide Haiti with $5.3 billion over the next 18 months to help the country rebuild after the January earthquake, the Wall Street Journal reports (Rhoads/Lauria, 3/31).
Haiti Rebuilding Effort Could Cost $11.5B Over 3 Years, Assessment Says
March 16, 2010
Morning Briefing
A “thorough analysis prepared by the Haiti government, together with the United Nations and other international organizations” estimates it will take $11.5 billion over the next three years to repair damage to Haiti after a major earthquake struck in January, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Report Estimates Haiti Earthquake Damages Could Reach Nearly $14B
February 17, 2010
Morning Briefing
The total cost of the destruction in Haiti, resulting from the major earthquake last month, could add up to twice the value of the country’s annual economy, a three Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) economists said in a report on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
U.N. Calls For $1.4B To Fund Basic Needs In Haiti Through The End Of 2010
February 19, 2010
Morning Briefing
The U.N. on Thursday launched its “largest appeal following a natural disaster,” calling for $1.4 billion “to provide food, water, shelter and sanitation to 3 million Haitians throughout 2010,” Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reports (Varner, 2/18).
Medicare Coverage Explained
By Jessica Marcy
September 22, 2009
KFF Health News Original
As a part of our “Are You Covered?” series, KHN and NPR examine how the health overhaul would affect medicare.
10 Experts Weigh In On Plan To Replace Public Option In Health Bill
By KFF Health News Staff
December 14, 2009
KFF Health News Original
Can a spinoff of the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program help some of the country’s uninsured? Experts evaluate a proposal that the Office of Personnel Management, which manages the FEHBP, oversee national health plans.
House To Move Forward To End Antitrust Exemption For Health Insurers
February 4, 2010
Morning Briefing
“House Democratic leaders are moving forward with Plan B for passing health care reform by introducing a stand-alone measure to strip the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies – a popular piece of their stalled health care reform package,” Roll Call reports.
$1.2B Needed To Aid Women, Children In 28 Countries ‘In Crisis,’ UNICEF Says
February 5, 2010
Morning Briefing
UNICEF on Thursday launched a $1.2 billion appeal aimed at providing “life saving emergency assistance to millions of children and women in dire need,” VOA News reports (Schlein, 2/4). “The appeal is part of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action Report 2010, released in Geneva … which spotlights the desperate situation of children and women in 28 countries and territories facing deep humanitarian crises,” the U.N. News Centre writes (2/4).
VA Expected To Move Soon To Cover More Effects Of Agent Orange
January 8, 2010
Morning Briefing
The Department of Veterans Affairs expected to issue a rule soon that presumes Parkinson’s disease, B cell leukemia and heart disease are the result of chemical used during the Vietnam War.
At World Economic Forum, Gates Foundation Announces 10-Year, $10B Vaccine Commitment
January 29, 2010
Morning Briefing
Bill and Melinda Gates announced Friday during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that their foundation would commit $10 billion over the next decade to research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries, the New York Times reports (McNeil, 1/29). The Gateses “said they hope the commitment would spur support by governments, corporations, and other donors for vaccinations efforts,” the Chronicle of Philanthropy writes (Wilhelm, 1/29).
Full Text: Obama’s Health Care Proposal
February 22, 2010
KFF Health News Original
Read the full text of President Obama’s health care proposal, which he will bring to his Thursday health ‘summit’ with Congressional leaders.
Scientists Find Single Dose Of Drug Cures Visceral Leishmaniasis
February 11, 2010
Morning Briefing
Scientists have discovered that a single infusion of Gilead Sciences’ drug AmBisome, known generically as iposomal amphotericin B, cures patients with the visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, a parasitic infection, Reuters reports. Spread by the sand fly and affecting 500,000 people a year, visceral leishmaniasis is found in Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe, but is concentrated in India, according to the news service.
Global Health Care Errors, Fraud Costs $260B Annually, Report Finds
January 19, 2010
Morning Briefing
A report released Monday finds $260 billion
Why Seniors are Health Reform Winners, Not Losers
By Howard Gleckman
August 31, 2009
KFF Health News Original
In truth, seniors are likely to big winners if responsible health reform passes and prime victims if it fails.
Baby Boomer Retirement: The News Gets Worse
By Howard Gleckman
October 12, 2009
KFF Health News Original
We are not ready for healthy retirement, and we are desperately unprepared for the costly medical and long-term care we are likely to need in old age.
Obama Signs $447B Omnibus Spending Bill
December 17, 2009
Morning Briefing
“President Barack Obama signed a $447 billion omnibus spending bill into law Wednesday, assuring that federal agencies will be able to operate through the remainder of fiscal 2010,” Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports. The bill provides appropriations for the State Department and several other agencies.
Danner
August 3, 2009
Page
DAN DANNER PRESIDENT AND CEO, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS (NFIB) Date of Birth: Dec. 31, 1945. Education: B.S., Purdue University; M.B.A., Xavier University. Career Path: Danner was an executive at a steel manufacturing company and served as chief of staff to the Secretary of Commerce before moving to NFIB in 1993. Role in Health […]
Dems and Republicans Head Home With Health Care Talking Points
By Eric Pianin Mary Agnes Carey
July 31, 2009
KFF Health News Original
Democratic and Republican lawmakers will offer their constituents very different takes on pending health care legislation during the August recess. Democrats will say the bills will “hold insurance companies accountable” and guarantee lower costs and more choice, while the Republicans will warn against a government takeover that will undermine competition and drive up costs.
