Blog Watch - Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries 'Blog Watch' offers readers a roundup of health policy-related blog posts.Bloggers are tentatively reacting to a report and blog post released by the Congressional Budget Office that summarizes the agency's approach to estimating the cost of any health overhaul bills. At issue is how CBO will count different www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=58645

2009-05-29

Global Challenges - Report Estimates Significant Impact of Widespread Circumcision Effort in Botswana Botswana's campaign to circumcise about 500,000 men by 2012 will prevent nearly 70,000 new HIV cases by 2025, according to a report published Thursday in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The government's national campaign aims to circumcise 460,000 men over the next fiv www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=1&DR_ID=58635

2009-05-29

Capitol Hill Watch - Sen. Kennedy Circulates Draft of Health Reform Legislation Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is circulating an outline of health care overhaul legislation that includes a requirement that all individuals obtain coverage and requires contributions from employers, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, t www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=58639

2009-05-29

Special Notice - Important Changes as Kaiser Expands Its Daily Online Reports The Kaiser Family Foundation is announcing several changes and enhancements in its Daily Reports. In April, the Foundation launched the new Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report to synthesize coverage of global health policy developments around the world. Daily summaries of news coverage of global HIV/AID www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=1&DR_ID=58633

2009-05-29

Coverage & Access - Massachusetts, Tennessee Health Plans Might Offer Ideas on U.S. Health Care System Overhaul Congressional lawmakers who are crafting a plan to overhaul the U.S. health care system might be able to look to state health insurance programs in Massachusetts and Tennessee for ideas, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Health reform legislation modeled after Massachusetts' near-universal health insu www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=58642

2009-05-29

Administration News - Obama Says Health Reform Must Be Done This Year The opportunity to enact health care reform legislation could be missed unless Congress passes it this year, President Obama on Thursday said to thousands of supporters in a phone call made from Air Force One, the AP/USA Today reports. In a call to members of his political organization, Organizing for Americ www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=58640

2009-05-29

Global Challenges - HIV Prevention Efforts in Five African Countries Not Reaching At-Risk Groups, Report Says National HIV prevention strategies in at least five African countries are not reaching the groups most at risk of infection, according to a report from UNAIDS and the World Bank conducted in conjunction with the national HIV/AIDS authorities of Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Uganda, IRIN/PlusNews www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=1&DR_ID=58634

2009-05-29

Coverage & Access - Data Ranks Insurers According to Speed of Claim Payment, Share of Denials Aetna, Cigna and Humana ranked highest nationally on criteria including speed of health claim payments and fewest claims denied, according to the 2009 PayerView Rankings, the Boston Globe reports. The rankings -- prepared by Athenahealth in collaboration with Physicians Practice management journal -- evaluat www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=58641

2009-05-29

Science & Medicine - Researchers Plan To Target Immune Cells Responsible for Eluding Antiretroviral Treatment Certain human immune cells known as macrophages are composed of hybrid HIV strains that elude treatment and antiretroviral drugs, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Florida and other institutions, the Gainesville Sun reports. For the study, researchers examined tissue from HIV-pos www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=1&DR_ID=58638

2009-05-29

State Watch - Texas Senate Passes CHIP Expansion Bill, Avoiding Legislative Backlog, Deadlines The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that would boost enrollment in the state's version of CHIP, the Houston Chronicle reports. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Kip Averitt (R), would raise the income eligibility threshold for the program to 200% of the federal poverty level for a family of www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=58643

2009-05-29