Latest KFF Health News Stories
Listen: Five Oklahoma Hospitals Collapsed – What Happened?
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Jackie Fortiér to discuss why a series of rural hospitals collapsed, leaving hundreds of residents without jobs and their communities without lifesaving emergency medical care.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Research Roundup: Marketplace Enrollment, Medicare Advantage And Surprise Bills
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Minnesota, Tennessee, Connecticut, Texas, New York, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Ohio, Georgia and Missouri.
Walgreens, ExpressRX To Buy Bankrupt Fred’s Pharmacy Assets For About $16.4M
Walgreens is looking to pay about $9.4M for pharmacy inventory from Fred’s, while ExpressX wants to buy nonpharmaceutical inventory and take over several leases. Other health and retail news is on Sam’s Club starting a health care pilot program, rising drug prices, and Ranitidine recalls.
CMS Releases Rules Aimed At Relieving Regulatory Burdens For Hospitals, Home Health Centers
The new rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services modify discharge planning requirements and allow health systems to share a centralized staff for quality assessment, performance improvement and infection control programs across several hospitals. CMS also finalized another rule that requires that all hospitals have an antibiotic stewardship program. Meanwhile, health care providers are pushing back against a recent Department of Health and Human Services proposal to expand law enforcement’s access to patient records during a criminal investigation.
‘Disheartening And Disappointing’: Suicides Among Active U.S. Military Continue To Rise
The suicide rate for active-duty troops jumped 34% from 2013 to 2018, according to a new Department of Defense report. The Army and Marine Corps experienced the highest suicide rates, but the trend has touched most of the military services. Only the Air Force saw a decrease. Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville called the report “disheartening and disappointing” in a joint statement.
Federal Judge Denies Drug Companies’ Request To Remove Himself From Upcoming Ohio Opioids Trial
The drug distributors and pharmacies who are defendants in the opioid litigation argued that U.S. District Court Judge Dan Polster should remove himself from the case because of bias. Polster rejected the motion, writing: “Publicly acknowledging this human toll does not suggest I am biased; it shows that I am human.” The massive lawsuit against companies like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid is scheduled to start on Oct. 21 in Cleveland.
KHN Sues To Get Medicare Advantage Audits Released
The news service is seeking copies of 90 government audits of Medicare Advantage health plans conducted for 2011, 2012 and 2013 but never made public. News on Medicare Advantage comes from Florida as well.
EPA Steps Up Threats About Problems In California, Adding Water Pollution To List Of Other Issues
The Trump administration and California are in an escalating fight over a range of issues, including homelessness, the environment and immigration. Yesterday, a letter from EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler gave Gov. Gavin Newsom 30 days to address the environmental issues. Newsom spokesman Nathan Click said: “This is not about clean air, clean water or helping our state with homelessness. This is political retribution against California, plain and simple.”
NIH Awards $945M For Research On Treating Chronic Pain, Opioid Addiction
National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins says the grant “represents the urgency of this crisis.” In other news, the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services says NIH should set up better vetting processes to guard against foreign influence; the Food and Drug Administration issues guidelines for regulating some digital diagnostic equipment; HHS’ new policy for distributing livers for transplants survives one court challenge; and the FDA criticizes a drugmaker for not being more transparent about the side effects of its insomnia pill.
GM Reverses Course And Agrees To Continue To Cover Striking Workers’ Health Care
The automaker told the union after it went on strike Sept. 16 that it was kicking health care costs to the union, a common move during an autoworkers strike but one that UAW leaders said blindsided them.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Falling Into Line With ‘Progressive Outpost’ Of California
In the Democratic presidential race, California and its liberal policies, that are at odds with the Trump administration are serving as a proxy for the direction candidates would like to take the nation, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Former HHS Secretary Price Asks Ga. Governor To Name Him To Senate Seat
Tom Price, who served in the House of Representatives before joining the Trump administration, is asking Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to appoint him as the replacement for Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is resigning at the end of the year.
Marketing Boons For Big Tobacco: First Came Menthol Cigarettes, Now Its Flavored E-Cigs
On the federal level, a congressional panel is calling on e-cigarette manufacturers to stop advertising their products in response to increases in youth vaping. And, as Juul – the company that has been the industry’s poster child – faces an increasing number of lawsuits, it has asked a federal judge to assign them to a judge in San Francisco, its hometown.
Senate Passes Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown; White House Says Trump Will Sign It
The federal government’s fiscal year ends Monday and the legislation will provide money to keep the government running. Congress has not yet passed bills to fund individual agencies. Also in news from Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats are seeking a vote to overturn some of the administration’s rules on insurance, consumer groups lobby for legislation to protect against surprise medical bills, the Senate turns down a measure to give federal workers paid family leave and the House passes a bill to improve care for immigrants at the border.
CDC Tally Of Vaping-Related Injuries Now At 805
According to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all of the reported cases have a history of e-cigarette product use or vaping. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration is conducting a criminal investigation.
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo Pushes To Add Menthol To State’s Emergency Ban On Sale Of Flavored E-Cigs
Also, in Massachusetts, outlets report on how e-cigarette company Juul’s state lobbying efforts haven’t fared well so far. But one local vape shop is filing a lawsuit challenging the state’s four-month ban on the sale of vaping products, saying it is unenforceable and was put in place without sufficient notice. The San Joaquin County, Calif., district attorney is launching a Juul investigation.
First Edition: September 27, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN Files Lawsuit To Force Feds To Disclose Medicare Advantage Audits
The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit could spur the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release audits that document up to $650 million in overcharges.