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).
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.
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.
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.
Global Health Care Errors, Fraud Costs $260B Annually, Report Finds
January 19, 2010
Morning Briefing
A report released Monday finds $260 billion
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
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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 and 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.
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.