Latest KFF Health News Stories
In Expected Move, Hospital Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Price Transparency Rule
Almost immediately after HHS announced the rule, hospitals threatened legal action. On Wednesday, they filed suit. The rule would require the hospitals to reveal previously secret negotiations with insurers about the costs of procedures. The hospitals say the Trump administration is overreaching its authority with the requirement.
Former Vice President Joe Biden pitched a tax plan that includes a more moderate corporate tax increase in contrast with his progressive rivals. Biden “is committed to being transparent with the American people about the smart and effective ways he’d pay for the bold changes he’s proposing,” his campaign said. In other news, “Medicare for All” continues to be a landmine for Democrats. How did it get that way?
The Agriculture Department estimates the change, which will limit states from exempting work-eligible adults from having to maintain steady employment, would save roughly $5.5 billion over five years. But critics say the move will hurt the most vulnerable Americans. “Instead of combating food insecurity for millions … the administration is inflicting their draconian rule on millions of Americans across the nation who face the highest barriers to employment and economic stability,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Media outlets look at how the rule will affect people in states across the country.
First Edition: December 5, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers and editorials explore these and other health care issues.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: How Much For Stitches In The ER? Hard To Gauge Upfront
Consumers are admonished to be “smart shoppers,” but that’s difficult if health care prices are clear as mud. When Sarah Macsalka’s son needed stitches, she did her best to avoid the ER and still ended up with a $3,000 bill.
As His Wife’s Caregiver, A Doctor Discovers What’s Missing At Health Care’s Core
Harvard psychiatrist Arthur Kleinman shed his “veil of ignorance” during 11 years serving as the primary family caregiver for his wife, who had a rare form of early Alzheimer’s disease. In a new book, “The Soul of Care,” he offers suggestions for transforming health care ― just as caregiving transformed him.
Pharma’s Take On The Pelosi Drug-Pricing Bill: Fair Warning Or Fearmongering?
The pharmaceutical industry’s argument that capping drug prices would compromise drug innovation stands “on very shaky ground.”
California Surprise-Billing Law Protects Patients But Aggravates Many Doctors
A California law, which took effect in July 2017, protects consumers who use an in-network hospital or other facility from surprise bills when cared for by an out-of-network doctor. But physicians say the law has allowed insurers to shrink networks, limiting access to those doctors who have contracted with the patients’ insurance plans.
El gobierno dará medicamentos para prevenir el VIH gratis. ¿Calificas?
La administración Trump lanza plan para ofrecer gratis medicamentos preventivos contra el VIH a las personas que no tienen seguro de salud.
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical development and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Opinion writers focusing on expanding health care to more Americans and other issues.
Boys Can Suffer From Unrealistic Beauty Expectations Too, Experts Caution
Experts also say that one of the earliest features of boys’ puberty is a swing toward silence, retreating from conversation so it can be hard to get them to talk about how these expectations are hurting their mental health. In other public health news: diet, cholesterol, exercise and more.
Media outlets report on news from New York City, Texas, Missouri, Georgia, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Texas, and North Carolina.
The survey by NORC at the University Of Chicago also reported people said they don’t intend to get the flu. The CDC says the vaccine is the best prevention. News on the flu comes from Louisiana, Georgia, and Minnesota, as well.
It wasn’t the first time either, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of Edward Patterson. The family of Jamal Crawford also sued the jail over his February 2017 cocaine overdose. Other news on the opioid epidemic is on a guilty plea for oversubscribing, a machine that detects fentanyl, dangerous substitutes, one state’s reliance on Narcan, and early deception about OxyContin, as well.
Government’s Decision To Cut Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments Paid Off For Rural Consumers
A new study found that states that used “silver-loading” or “silver-switching” strategies to compensate for the cost-sharing reduction payment cuts offered lower premiums for subsidized enrollees. The Trump administration has solicited feedback on potentially banning silver-loading in 2021. In other insurance and costs news: bundled payments, penalties, health care sharing ministries and more.
Tennessee, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Idaho could all quickly approve bills next year that would in effect ban abortion. But the push has opened a rift in anti-abortion rights circles, with some saying that incremental restrictions are more likely to hold up under inevitable court challenges.
Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in their letter to CMS Chief Seema Verma cited a recent study that revealed how an algorithm widely used by hospitals to determine who needs follow-up care misclassified black patients as being less sick than their equally ill white counterparts.