In The News

  1. GOP Wary Of Talks While Both Sides Express Low Expectations For Health Care Summit

    Republican leaders sent a letter late Monday to the White House outlining key questions about how the Summit will work and what ideas will be on the table.

    (Daily Report) 10:47AM ET

  2. Faced With Stalled Overhaul, Dems Still Wonder Who To Blame

    Congressional Democrats continue to divvy up blame for the stalled state of Democrats' health overhaul, with fingers now pointed towards centrist Democrats and Republicans, President Obama or even White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, depending on the blamer's perspective.

    (Daily Report) 10:46AM ET

  3. Budget Issues: Kansas To Downsize Hospitals For Disabled; Nevada May Cut Enrollment In Programs For Mentally Ill And Seniors

    States grapple with strapped budgets and cuts to programs such as Medicaid.

    (Daily Report) 10:15AM ET

  4. States Push Ahead On Health Care Reforms And Policy Issues, Pre-Empting Some Provisions Of Congressional Efforts

    Lawmakers in at least three dozen states push ahead with provisions, Politico reports.

    (Daily Report) 10:13AM ET

  5. Today's OpEds: Questioning Transparency, The Bipartisan Summit And Starting Anew

    Today's collection of opinions and editorials.

    (Daily Report) 9:50AM ET

  6. Insurer To Take New Role In Assessing Cancer Treatments

    UnitedHealthcare, one of the nations biggest insurance companies, has decided to take a more active role in the care of its policy holders who are being treated for several types of cancer.

    (Daily Report) 9:43AM ET

  7. As Health Overhaul Stalls, Hospitals Face Rising Cost Of Uncompensated Care

    As the health care overhaul stalls, hospitals face rising costs for uncompensated care of the uninsured.

    (Daily Report) 9:03AM ET

  8. Sebelius To GOP: 'Don't Get Wrong Impression' About Obama Health Summit

    HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that President Obama's Feb. 25 bipartisan summit is to "get Republicans to re-engage in the process. It is not acceptable that half the legislative body pushed away from the table months ago and said 'we do not want to participate.'"

    (Daily Report) 8:42AM ET

  9. Political Cartoon: 'Saints' Haircut'

    KHN's daily installment of health policy humor.

    (Daily Report) 8:42AM ET

  10. For Senior Care, Sometimes It Does Take A Village

    The idea of aging-in-place elder villages: If neighbors could help one another with basic services such as transportation and simple home maintenance and with friendly visits, people could stay in their homes longer as they aged.

    (Daily Report) 8:41AM ET

  11. Surgical 'Checklist' Saves Money, Lives

    Dr. Atul Gawande's new book, "The Checklist Manifesto," expands "the use of a remarkably low-tech idea: require all doctors, nurses and other operating room staff to run through a 2-minute surgical safety checklist before, during and after each surgery," according to PBS' Newshour.

    (Daily Report) 8:39AM ET

  12. Anthem Blue Cross 39 Percent Rate Hike Draws Ire Of Federal, Calif. Regulators

    In a letter, HHS Secretary Sebelius expressed concerns about the health insurance hike, planned to take effect March 1.

    (Daily Report) 8:30AM ET

  13. Health Debate Travails Boost Lobbying Firms

    Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., won an upset election last month that has reshaped the health debate and could be a boon for lobbying firms.

    (Daily Report) 8:21AM ET

  14. First Edition: February 9, 2010

    Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more reactions to President Obama's health care summit.

    (Daily Report) 6:38AM ET

  15. Facing Shortage, Kansas Seeks To Increase Doctor Training

    Kansas is going to need more doctors to meet the growing needs of an aging population, officials here say.

    (Story) 12:00AM ET

  16. For Senior Care, Sometimes It Does Take A Village

    Nearly three years ago, Harry Rosenberg and his wife, Barbara Filner, met with nine of their neighbors about starting an aging-in-place "village" in Bethesda, Maryland. The idea: If neighbors could help one another with basic services such as transportation and simple home maintenance and with friendly visits, people could stay in their homes longer as they aged.

    (Story) 12:00AM ET

  17. Sebelius To GOP: 'Don't Get Wrong Impression' About Obama Health Summit

    HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that President Obama's Feb. 25 bipartisan summit is to "get Republicans to re-engage in the process. It is not acceptable that half the legislative body pushed away from the table months ago and said 'we do not want to participate.'"

    (Story) Feb 08

  18. The Obama Health Summit: More Reactions, Details Emerge

    Monday brought a chilly reaction from some Republicans, and also specutlation about what will be at stake for all the summit's participants.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  19. Obama Invites Republicans To Share Ideas At Televised Health Reform Summit

    During a live televised interview with CBS News' Katie Couric Sunday, President Obama invited Republicans to a half-day health care reform summit to hear their ideas on overhauling the nation's health care system.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  20. Ending Antitrust Exemption For Insurers May Not Affect Consumers, Analysts Say

    The House is set to vote this week on a bill to end the antitrust exemption for health and medical malpractice insurers, but many antitrust experts say the move wouldn't have much of an impact on consumers.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  21. Dems May Add Health Provisions - Including COBRA Subsidies and Medicare Fixes - To Jobs Bill

    Fixes could include restoring Medicare provisions that expired on Jan. 1, such as prohibiting caps on physical, speech and occupational therapy. Doctors are also looking for Congress to stop a 21 percent cut in reimbursements.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  22. Study: Medicare Bladder Cancer Treatment Policy Raises Health Costs

    "Medicare's move in 2005 to pay doctors to do bladder cancer surgery in their offices rather than in hospitals dramatically raised the number of procedures and overall health costs, U.S. researchers said on Monday," according to Reuters.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  23. States Deal With Small Budgets, Medicaid Cuts

    States grapple with strapped budgets and Medicaid cuts.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  24. State Health Policy Developments: Doctor Shortages, California Insurance Crackdown

    News outlets across the country report on state health policy developments.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  25. Tax On Sugared Drinks Loses Appeal, Tanning Salons Still Fighting

    While Democrats once seemed to favor a tax on sodas and other sugary beverages, steady lobbying by the soft drink industry appears to have turned the tide.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  26. KHN Column: Yes, Let's Talk About Those Republican Ideas

    For most of last year, Republicans spent their time attacking Democratic plans for reform, rather than describing their own. But now they’ve put a plan on the table. Showcasing that plan--and comparing it to what the Democrats have proposed--might help clarify a few things.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  27. Political Cartoon: 'Hitting The Brakes'

    KHN's daily installment of health policy humor.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  28. The Anti-Trust Exemption For Health Insurers: Meaningful Or Not?

    With comprehensive health care legislation foundering, House Democrats are turning to a narrower piece of legislation they hope has populist appeal: repealing the antitrust exemption for health and medical liability insurers. Policy makers disagree on the effect the repeal would have.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  29. Today's OpEds: Recommendations To Democrats, Cutting Costs, 'Rationing' Health Care

    A sampling of opinions and editorials from around the country.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08

  30. Clinton Health Reform Veterans Helping With Obama Overhaul Effort

    The Associated Press reports that aides who helped with the Clinton health care reform effort are pushing to help President Barack Obama pass his health system overhaul this year.

    (Daily Report) Feb 08