Checking In With Chip Kahn: ‘Potential for Hospitals and Our Patients To Be Big Winners’
August 12, 2009
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Charles “Chip” Kahn III, president of the Federation of American Hospitals, has been a major player on the Washington health policy scene for nearly 25 years. As head of the lobbying group representing investor-owned hospitals, Kahn helped negotiate a deal in June among the hospital industry and the White House and the Senate Finance Committee.
GAVI Alliance Drives Down Pentavalent Vaccine Costs, Data Shows
November 18, 2009
Morning Briefing
The “co-ordinated buying policy” of the GAVI Alliance has driven down “[t]he price of a vaccine that helps babies fight off killer diseases,” according to data released by the group, Reuters reports. In 2010, the price of pentavalent vaccine, which protects against Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and hepatitis B, will fall “below $3.0
U.N. Calls For $7.1B In Annual Aid Request
December 1, 2009
Morning Briefing
The U.N. on Monday called for “a total of $7.1 billion in 2010 to fund urgent humanitarian assistance for 48 million people in 25 countries,” Reuters reports (Evans, 11/30).
The Players
July 16, 2009
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SEN. KENT CONRAD, D-N.D. CHAIRMAN, SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE Date of Birth: March 12, 1948. Education: B.A., Stanford University; M.B.A., George Washington University. Career Path: Conrad was orphaned as a young child and attended high school in Libya. He worked as North Dakota’s Tax Commissioner before his election to the Senate in 1986. He became chairman […]
The Players
August 4, 2009
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SEN. ORRIN HATCH, R-UTAH RANKING MEMBER, SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE’S HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE Date of Birth: March 22, 1934. Education: B.S., Brigham and Young University; J.D., University of Pittsburgh. Career Path: Hatch, a native of Pittsburgh, moved to Utah on a mission for the Mormon church. He worked as a metal lather and janitor while attending college […]
What The House Health Bill Says About End-Of-Life Care
By Kate Steadman
August 14, 2009
KFF Health News Original
Section 1233 of the health overhaul bill approved by three House committees has been the subject of great debate. We present the language as written in the bill itself.
Global Fund Approves $2.4B For Ninth Round Grants
November 13, 2009
Morning Briefing
During its recent board meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved $2.4 billion for the three diseases, PlusNews reports. The money is for the fund’s “ninth round of grants, bringing the total amount of approved funding since its inception in 2001 to $18.4 billion,” according to the publication.
Checking In With Patricia Danzon On The Hot Topic Of ‘Biologics’
July 15, 2009
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Patricia Danzon, the Celia Moh Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, discusses the debate over patent protection for biologics, drugs made from living cells.
UNICEF Report Highlights Gains In Child Health, While 1B Still Lack Essential Services
November 20, 2009
Morning Briefing
A special edition of UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s Children report, released 20 years after the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, shows that “fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school
The Players
July 9, 2009
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MELODY BARNES DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL Date of Birth: April 29, 1964. Education: B.A., University of North Carolina; J.D., University of Michigan. Career Path: Barnes worked in private practice at a major New York law firm before becoming director of legislative affairs for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1992. She then […]
Reading the Fine Print on Health Reform: Encouraging News For Public Health
By Harold Pollack
June 25, 2009
KFF Health News Original
Partisan health reform fights have focused on a handful of concerns: the proposed public health insurance plan, individual and employer mandates, financing measures to subsidize low-income Americans and to cover the uninsured. As a combatant in some of these fights, I’m not one to say the partisan conflict is misplaced.
The Players
July 12, 2009
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REP. JOHN DINGELL, D-MICH. CHAIRMAN, HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE, HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMITTEE Date of Birth: July 8, 1926. Education: B.S. and J.D, Georgetown University. Career Path: Dingell won a special election in 1955 to assume the seat of his father, who died. Reelected 26 times, he is the longest serving representative. Dingell lost his chairmanship […]
The Players
July 7, 2009
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EZEKIEL EMANUEL SPECIAL ADVISOR FOR HEALTH POLICY TO THE DIRECTOR OF WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET Date of Birth: Sept. 6, 1957. Education: B.A., Amherst College; M.Sc., Oxford University; M.D., Harvard Medical School; Ph.D. in political philosophy, Harvard University. Career Path: Emanuel, an oncologist, moved to the National Institutes of Health after serving […]
Medical Imaging: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
By Pat Basu
August 13, 2009
KFF Health News Original
In its current state, diagnostic imaging can be seen as “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. Congress must separate healthy and unhealthy growth
ARTs Safe Without Routine Lab Tests, Lancet Study Finds
December 10, 2009
Morning Briefing
A Lancet study published online Tuesday validates the safety of administering first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) to patients with HIV without routine toxicity and efficacy lab tests, “[b]ut tests of immune-system function might still be a good idea to monitor the progression of the disease and guide the second year of treatment,” HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports. Patients in Africa “often receive [HIV] drug treatment … without routine laboratory monitoring,” according to the article.
The Players
July 5, 2009
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RICHARD UMBDENSTOCK PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION Date of Birth: Oct. 4, 1950. Education: B.A., Fairfield University; M.S., health services administration, State University of New York at Stony Brook. Career Path: Umbdenstock worked as a health system administrator and hospital consultant before becoming head of AHA in 2007. Role in Health Care […]
The Players
July 1, 2009
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DAVID CUTLER OTTO ECKSTEIN PROFESSOR OF APPLIED ECONOMICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY Date of Birth: June 22, 1965. Education: A.B., Harvard University; Ph.D. in economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Career Path: Cutler joined Harvard’s faculty in 1991. He served on President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers and National Economic Council. Cutler was one of the key […]
Press Release: Baucus’ Plan To Lower Health Care Costs
September 16, 2009
KFF Health News Original
The following is a press release on Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus’ new health care reform legislation.
The Players
June 4, 2009
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SEN. MIKE ENZI, R-WYO. RANKING MEMBER, SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE Date of Birth: Feb. 1, 1944. Education: B.A., George Washington University; M.B.A, University of Denver. Career Path: Enzi owned a shoe business then worked in the financial sector before getting involved in local and state politics. He was elected to the U.S. […]
Medical Device Manufacturers Launch Ad To Head Off $40B Tax On Their Products
October 29, 2009
Morning Briefing
A new ad campaign is aimed at stopping Congress from imposing $40 billion in taxes on medical devices in health care overhaul, Roll Call reports.
