Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

HHS Taps Entrepreneur Brad Smith To Lead CMS Innovation Center

Morning Briefing

The position leading the agency’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation largely focuses on driving value-based care transformation across the country, Brad Smith says. CMS Administrator Seema Verma praised Smith as an “outside-the-box” thinker who will “help us build on the important work the Trump administration has undertaken to transform our healthcare system to deliver better value to patients.”

Even In First Year Without Individual Mandate, Health Law Marketplaces Were Stable And Profitable, Analysis Finds

Morning Briefing

A key measure of insurers’ financial strength — the percentage of premiums insurers collect that they pay back out in spending on claims — remained relatively strong. Experts say these numbers demonstrate resiliency within the marketplaces despite political turmoil surrounding the health law. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court set a Friday deadline for the Trump administration to respond to Democrats’ request to expedite the health law case.

Lawmakers Face Ever-Narrowing Window To Work On Big-Ticket Health Issues Before 2020 Election Politics Kick In

Morning Briefing

Two big issues — addressing surprise medical bills and high drug prices — have the chance to draw bipartisan deals even in this divided Congress. But as the 2020 election season ramps up into high gear, neither side wants the other to be able to claim a victory. “If we couldn’t come to a consensus in 2019, it’s hard to imagine for 2020,” Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) told Politico.

In Massachusetts, Minors Need Permission For Abortion, But That Could Change

KFF Health News Original

A parental consent requirement for minors who seek abortions is still on the books in left-leaning Massachusetts, as well as about two dozen other states. But a proposed Massachusetts law seeks to repeal that consent requirement and shore up the right to abortion in case the Supreme Court strikes down the federal right to the procedure.

In Golden Globes Acceptance Speech, Michelle Williams Advocates For Abortion Rights In Tumultuous Times

Morning Briefing

“I know my choices might look different but thank God or whomever you pray to that we live in a country founded on the principle that I am free to live by my faith and you are free to live by yours,” the actress Michelle Williams said at the Golden Globes event. “Women, 18 to 118, when it is time to vote, please do so in your own self-interest. It’s what men have been doing for years.”

When The Cost For Care Is Too High Even For Those Who Have Coverage, Patients End Up Gambling With Their Health

Morning Briefing

Getting coverage can be just the first hurdle when it comes to navigating the high costs in the health industry. Many patients are delaying or even skipping care completely because they can’t afford it. In other news on health care costs and the industry: uninsured children, Medicaid payments, Oscar Health, the senior care-home industry, another Johnson & Johnson lawsuit, and more.

Advocates Want To Raise Awareness Of Medical Personnel’s Ability To Identify Human Trafficking Victims

Morning Briefing

Organizations are more and more teaching health care systems to identify potential victims and respond to their needs, especially since doctors and other medical personnel are the ones who are likely to come into contact with such people. In other public health news: the hydration craze, smoke from wildfires, autism, care for the aging, migraine treatments, and more.

The Financial Impossibilities Of Making Antibiotics: Why Drugmakers Are Going Bust Even In Era Of Superbugs

Morning Briefing

Doctors are prescribing the drugs sparingly and patients only need to take them a week or two at a time. In a world where pricey million-dollar cancer drugs are king, drugmakers producing modest antibiotics are crashing just when the country needs them the most. In other pharmaceutical news: pay-to-delay deals, blockbuster treatments and a failed promise.

The Double-Edged Sword: Taxes Meant To Curb Teen Vaping Epidemic Could Increase Smoking Rates In Adults

Morning Briefing

The vaping industry has been making the argument all long: a crackdown on e-cigarettes will be detrimental to adults who are trying to quit smoking. But taxes work to combat the crisis facing the country’s youth. So is there a way to walk the tightrope between the two concerns? Meanwhile, public health groups are angry over President Donald Trump’s decision to leave menthol and tobacco flavors on the market.

Warren Reemphasizes Transition Time For Medicare For All: ‘We Need To Give People Some Experience With It’

Morning Briefing

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said that big changes in health care, a “deeply personal” issue, can make people “uneasy.” Warren has been hammered over her “Medicare for All” plans and has begun to emphasize a 3-year grace transition period into the new system. Meanwhile, KHN takes a look at how other countries pay for health care.

Democrats Ask Supreme Court To Expedite Health Law Case That Otherwise Would Be Decided Post-2020 Elections

Morning Briefing

An appeals court ruling kicked the case back down to the lower court for further work, which means it wouldn’t make its way to the Supreme Court until after the 2020 elections — during which health care is expected to be a major concern for many voters. By keeping the case front of mind for the public, the Democrats are trying to own what has proven to be a winning issue for them in the past.