Latest KFF Health News Stories
California is one of a handful of states suing to block the new rule that would let immigration officials base green card decisions on if a person is utilizing government aid like Medicaid or food stamps. Doctors warn that the change will lead to rising costs and poorer health outcomes for an already vulnerable population. “People are going to be sicker. They’re not going to go get health care, or not until they have to go to an emergency room,” said Lisa David, president and CEO of Public Health Solutions. “It’s going to cost the system a lot of money.”
First Edition: August 19, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
After A Rural Hospital Closes, Delays In Emergency Care Cost Patients Dearly
The loss of the longtime hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., forces trauma patients to deal with changing services and expectations.
DIY Tech Gives People More Freedom In Managing Diabetes
People with diabetes say they’ve been waiting for years for better technology to manage their chronic condition. Tired of waiting, some tech-savvy, do-it-yourselfers are constructing their own devices using open-source programming instructions.
Editorial pages weigh in on these and other health care topics.
Research Roundup: Surprise Bills, ACOs and Mental Health Care
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news about health issues around the country, including in Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey, Minnesota, California, Washington, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Alabama, Nebraska, Texas and Arizona.
Connecticut’s Corrections’ Dept. To Hire Temp Staff To Test Inmates For Hepatitis C
News outlets report on prison issues from Connecticut, Arizona and Texas.
Sky-High Surprise Bills From Air Ambulance Rides Under Scrutiny In Georgia
More insured patients are being hit by surprise medical bills, with air ambulance charges among the worst. The prices can be in the tens of thousands of dollars and more than half of rides in the U.S. on air ambulances are not in the passenger’s insurance network. Georgia legislators say they want to do something about that. The state is also looking to overhaul other aspects of its EMS services. And in Virginia, regulators will seek public input from residents about actions the state could take to limit surprise bills.
To Attract Docs To Rural Areas, Hospitals Promote Lifestyle, Importance Of Mission
Hospital systems in rural America have to get creative in order to attract medical professionals to work there. NPR looks at some novel strategies that are yielding success. In other news impacting the industry: a new rule goes into effect next week that prohibits health care facilities from disposing of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals into the public sewer system. Regional hospital news also comes out of Pennsylvania and Washington state.
What Do Ohio Lawmakers Think About The Governor’s Proposed ‘Red Flag’ Law?
Stateline notes that in most places, local governments are prohibited from passing measures that go beyond the state law. In other state capitol news, some N.C. legislators are taking steps to advance their cause of expanding Medicaid.
The Washington Post interviewed Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, about its commitment to health-care reform that provides funding for “the full range of reproductive services,” including abortion, prenatal care, contraception and screening and treatment for cancer, STDs and HIV/AIDS. Public health news is on kidney stones, contaminated drinking water and cancer screenings, as well.
FDA Readies 13 Graphic Health Warning Labels To Replace Text-Only Ones On Cigarette Packs
Images of blackened lungs, bloody urine, missing toes would be among those used in the biggest overhaul of cigarette-health warnings in more than three decades, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The cigarette industry is expected to try to block the effort. Tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
Also, Mayor Bill de Blasio reached out by talking about his father’s suicide and encouraging officers to get help. In related news, suicides among TSA workers and a push for a three-digit prevention hotline.
Utah Man Who Allegedly Helped Run Million-Dollar Drug Ring Details Operations At Partner’s Trial
The operation based out of a suburban Salt Lake City basement became one of the most prominent dark web drug operations in 2016, prosecutors have said. Also, other news about drug abuse issues in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Officials In New York Subpoena Financial Records From Firms Tied To Sacklers
New York and some other states have alleged that as reports grew about Purdue Pharma’s marketing of OxyContin, the Sackler family began transferring money out of Purdue into a far-flung network of surrogate companies and foundations.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma says that her agency will move forward with plans to tie the prices of certain drugs bought by Medicare to lower prices paid in other countries, known as the International Price Index. Some Republican lawmakers oppose the idea, as does the politically powerful pharmaceutical industry. In other drug pricing news; Democrats push for more negotiating power for Medicare; Sen. Martha McSally listens to constituent complaints; and CVS is slammed online by consumers for its new reimbursement rates for home-delivered birth control.
American Medical Association Exits Industry Coalition Opposed To Progressive Health Plans
This move by the nation’s main physician organization is a blow to health industry’s fight against the Democratic candidates’ proposals for “Medicare for All,” other expansions of Medicare and public options.
Verma Says Administration Is ‘Working On’ Plan To Replace Obamacare
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma declined to give a timeline for the release of the plan when speaking to reporters. Other marketplace news includes estimates of the uninsured, enrollment figures from Florida and a look at where the Cadillac tax stands.
Alleging Anti-Competitive Actions, Pharmacies File Suit Against Supplier Of Radiology Medicines
These pharmacies purchase radiology medicines that arrive in powder form and then add a solution before filling orders from hospital radiology departments. But the independent pharmacies grew angry in 2014 and claimed Jubilant DraxImage, a big supplier, raised prices on two nuclear medicines between 500 percent and nearly 1,800 percent. Also news on a new cancer-fighting drug and a non-compete dispute in Michigan.