Administration News - Presidential Commission Holds Final Hearing on Problems With Health Care for Soldiers A presidential commission on health care for soldiers on Friday held a seventh and final hearing that focused on problems with 'moving patients through various stages of aid,' the New York Times reports (Palank, New York Times, 6/30). President Bush in March named former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), a disabled ve www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=45969

2007-07-02

President Bush Threatens Veto of SCHIP Legislation, Saying It Would Lead to People Dropping Private Health Coverage President Bush on Wednesday said he will veto Senate legislation that would increase funding for SCHIP by $35 billion over five years because expanding the program would lead to more people dropping private health coverage, the Baltimore Sun reports (West, Baltimore Sun, 7/19). Senate Finance Committee membe www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=46338

2007-07-19

Capitol Hill Watch - House Democrats Likely Will Support SCHIP Compromise Bill Some House Democrats are 'unhappy with concessions their leaders are proposing to make' on compromise SCHIP legislation, including on spending and Medicare revisions, but they likely will not oppose the final bill, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 9/17). The draft compromise bill, announced on Sunday, clos www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=47578

2007-09-18

Medicaid - Medicaid Proof-of-Citizenship Rules Lead to Enrollment Decline Among U.S. Residents, Not Undocumented Immigrants New Medicaid proof-of-citizenship rules have reduced the number of beneficiaries in many states, although most of those dropped from the rolls were eligible for the program but could not provide adequate documentation, according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Monday, CQ HealthBeat r www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=46474

2007-07-25

Capitol Hill Watch - SCHIP Bill Passes Senate Finance Committee By a 12-7 vote, the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday approved SCHIP reauthorization and expansion legislation that could add four million children to the program, the AP/Boston Globe reports (AP/Boston Globe, 1/16). The bill, introduced by committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would expand the program by www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=56504

2009-01-16

Capitol Hill Watch - House, Senate Approve Mental Health Parity Bills The House and Senate on Tuesday approved compromise mental health parity legislation, but the chambers have not agreed on a funding mechanism, CongressDaily reports. The bill would require health insurers to cover mental illnesses at the same level as physical ailments (Edney, CongressDaily, 9/24). The House www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=54630

2008-09-24

Capitol Hill Watch - Senate Approves Prescription Drug User Fee Act Reauthorization Bill That Includes Post-Market Safety Provisions The Senate on Wednesday voted 93-1 to approve a bill (S 1082) that would reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which will expire on Sept. 30, the Wall Street Journal reports (Wilde Mathews, Wall Street Journal, 5/10). The legislation, which the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=44828

2007-05-10

Politics and Policy - Bush in State of the Union Address Urges Congress To Reauthorize Ryan White CARE Act, Pledges To Fight AIDS Among Blacks President Bush during the State of the Union address on Wednesday 'surprised many in Congress' by outlining an agenda aimed at U.S. inner cities, including a pledge to fight the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African-American community, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Coile, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=27941

2005-02-03

State Watch - Illinois Governor Proposes Health Coverage Expansion Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on Sunday unveiled a plan to expand access to health insurance to the 1.4 million uninsured state residents at an estimated cost of $2.1 billion per year, the Chicago Tribune reports (Graham, Chicago Tribune, 3/4). Blagojevich's plan, called Illinois Covered, is based in par www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=43390

2007-03-06

Coverage & Access - Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft Launch Personal Electronic Health Records Pilot Program Officials from Kaiser Permanente and Microsoft on Monday announced that the companies are developing a patient information exchange pilot program, Reuters/Washington Post reports (Kaufman, Reuters/Washington Post, 6/9). Under the program, patients who use Kaiser's personal electronic health record system, My www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=52619

2008-06-09