Latest KFF Health News Stories
Sen. Alexander Details His Plan To Fix Surprise Medical Bills
A legislative package from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would handle surprise medical bills by having insurers pay them the “median in-network rate,” meaning the rate would be similar to what the plan charges other doctors in the area for the same procedure.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Could Alexa Be Trained To Recognize Gasping Sounds Associated With A Cardiac Event?
During cardiac events, minutes can make a difference between life and death. Can there be an upside found to the fact that Alexa and other digital assistants are always listening? Meanwhile, one expert wonders if artificial intelligence will become the asbestos of health care.
Long-Term Use Of Opioids To Address Chronic Pain More Common Among People Who Are Obese
People in higher BMI categories were also more likely to use stronger opioids that were similar to morphine, a new study finds. News on the opioid epidemic comes out of Oklahoma, New Hampshire and California, as well.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the last-remaining abortion clinic in the state are in a court battle over the facility’s license. The state provided details about its claims that three procedures done there required additional surgeries and another led to life-threatening complications. Jesse Lawder, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said the state violated patient-privacy laws by releasing the records.
Lawyers for patients who are fighting the cutoff are skeptical that renewal notices really went out to 99% of the people as state officials said. Medicaid news comes out of Oklahoma and Montana, as well.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had hinted that he had qualms about the plan authored by state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) designed to cut down on fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccinations. Pan’s original plan gave the final authority to a state official instead of a doctor. Pan and Newsom worked together to find a compromise.
For girls and young women, suicide rates have mostly followed a steady upward trajectory since 2000, but for boys it turned up sharply starting three to four years ago. Not since 1980 — when the HIV/AIDS epidemic touched off widespread despair among young gay males across the United States — has the suicide rate for this group been so high.
Although many lawmakers agree that patients need to be protected from surprise medical bills, there are different ways that could go and many stakeholders who have strong opinions on what the solution should be. At a hearing on Wednesday, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander said that requiring hospitals to guarantee that any doctor a patient sees is in-network is the strategy he “intrinsically liked the best.” But the future of any legislation is still unclear.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Florida, California, Iowa, New Hampshire, D.C., Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Oregon and Wyoming.
A new study on metformin provides researchers with reason to think more cautiously about its use for healthy people looking for ways to reduce inflammation and other changes that can take place during aging. Certain benefits of aerobic exercise, a key to healthy aging, were halted when the Type-2 diabetes drug was prescribed with exercise in a controlled study. More public health news reports are on lower obesity rates for children on WIC, a potential new deadly flu, liquid cancer screenings, a crackdown on support animals, marijuana and pregnancy, another carcinogen detected in blood pressure pills, and why your doctors notes on you matter, as well.
The vote came as the House debates a $1 trillion spending package. Meanwhile, the overall bill does include the Hyde amendment, which created a furor on the campaign trail just a few weeks ago. Some lawmakers pushed to have the language — which bans federal money from paying for abortions — removed, but were unsuccessful. Other news on Capitol Hill focuses on Medicaid, universal child care and the 9/11 victims fund.
Many Voters Don’t Understand Full Scope Of Current ‘Medicare For All’ Proposals, Poll Finds
A new poll found that many respondents thought they would still be paying premiums, deductibles and co-pays. “That is clearly an incorrect view given the current proposals in Congress,” Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Steven Halper wrote in a note to clients.
Politico talked to a dozen current and former White House and HHS officials, as well as others familiar with the tensions brewing between President Donald Trump’s aides and HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “You have two teams with two visions,” an individual who’s been in heated meetings with HHS and the White House told Politico. “Alex is outnumbered and keeps losing.”
President Donald Trump officially opened his 2020 campaign Tuesday with a rally in Orlando, Fla. In his speech, he took credit for a veterans’ health bill that was signed by former President Barack Obama, offered promises to protect preexisting conditions coverage, and gave a toned-down version of his talking points about babies who are born alive following failed abortion procedures.
2020 Democrats Agree That Health System Needs Work, But What That Looks Like Becomes Dividing Line
The New York Times talked to 21 of the Democrats who are running for president in 2020. Many believe a single-payer type system is a longer-term aspirational goal and would like to see more realistic, incremental improvements soon. Others want to overhaul the whole system.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Good Health Goes Beyond Having A Doctor And Insurance, Says AMA’s Equity Chief
Dr. Aletha Maybank was recently named the first chief health equity officer for the American Medical Association. In an interview, the pediatrician spoke about how racism’s impact on health affects everyone and what practices could help doctors end disparities.