Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Cleveland Clinic’s First Heavy Play In Insurance Field Through Partnership With Oscar Health Is Vastly Exceeding Expectations

Morning Briefing

Oscar and Cleveland Clinic’s teamup posted a loss of $1.4 million in 2017, attributable to startup costs, Harrington said. In the first half of 2018, though, they reported net income of $1.8 million. In other health industry news: Ascension’s transformation, interoperability, and medical practice guidelines access.

A Unique New York Law Allows State To Collect Taxes From Opioid Makers To Defray Cost Of Crisis. Companies Are Not Happy About It.

Morning Briefing

The state has sent the companies bills totaling about $600 million under the new Opioid Stewardship Act. In other news from the drug epidemic: pharmacists are trained on dispensing naloxone; a company hikes the price of an anti-overdose drug by 600 percent; Rhode Island develops a strategy to get prisoners effective addiction treatment; bixsexual women are more prone to misusing prescription opioids; and more.

Former HHS Secretary Tom Price Joins Transition Team For Incoming Georgia Governor

Morning Briefing

Republican Gov.-elect Brian Kemp said former HHS Secretary Tom Price would help with policy planning. “Obviously he’s got a lot of great experience with health care,” Kemp said. Price resigned from the secretary position last year following an ethics scandal over his travel spending.

California’s Fires And Drought Are A Preview Of Future, When Simultaneous Disasters May Become Commonplace

Morning Briefing

Florida has also been hit with multiple natural disasters recently: extreme drought but also Hurricane Michael. And New York can expect to be hit by four climate crises at a time by 2100 if carbon emissions continue at their current pace, a new study finds. While wealthy nations will be burdened with the costs of such disasters, poorer nations will experience great loss of life from them, the authors say. Meanwhile, California’s poor air quality is drawing attention to the lasting negative health toll it can take.

Number Of Missing People Drops To Below 700 As Death Toll Continues To Rise In California’s Deadliest Fire

Morning Briefing

The Camp Fire has destroyed more than 15,000 structures, including more than 11,700 homes, according to the Monday evening incident report. As survivors begin returning home, media outlets report on updates from the scene of the disaster, from evacuees’ rough living conditions to the transmission line that may be linked to the blaze.

N.H. Senator Expresses Hope And Caution About Health Law’s Future In Response To Voters’ Concerns

Morning Briefing

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) spoke to voters about their health concerns, saying it’s less likely Congress will repeal the health law. She cautioned, though, that there are threats in the courts that could undermine it. Other health law news focuses on state-level individual mandates, medicaid expansion and short-term plans.

Likely Chairman Of House Judiciary Committee To Probe Justice Department’s Decision Not To Defend Health Law

Morning Briefing

The Justice Department’s decision earlier in the year not to defend the ACA against a suit challenging the law’s constitutionality prompted three Justice Department career attorneys to withdraw from the case. Now Rep Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) says the House Judiciary Committee will investigate the department’s refusal to defend a federal statute.

Fish Oil Drug Looks Heart-Healthy. Just Don’t Swallow It Hook, Line And Sinker.

KFF Health News Original

The complete findings of a recent study show the FDA-approved drug Vascepa reduced the likelihood of cardiovascular death, stroke and other heart conditions in some patients. But science didn’t find the same promise for over-the-counter fish oil supplements when tested in healthy people.

Buyers Of Short-Term Health Plans: Wise Or Shortsighted?

KFF Health News Original

Policyholders reason that their health is good — for now — and they don’t see the need for costly comprehensive coverage. Detractors say the plans undermine the Affordable Care Act, and agents advise reading the fine print. “You basically have to be in perfect health,” says one.

Paradise Lost: Wildfire Chases Seniors From Retirement Havens To Field Hospitals

KFF Health News Original

Having fled quickly — often without medications, wheelchairs or pets to comfort them — refugees from the Camp Fire manage as best they can in makeshift shelters miles from home. A virus is spreading, and medical attention is spotty.

Chicken Pox Flare-Up In North Carolina Highlights Public Health Vulnerabilities Related To Anti-Vaccination Movement

Morning Briefing

The outbreak at a North Carolina school where many families have chosen to claim religious exemption from vaccines is now ranked as the worst in the state’s history since the vaccine became available more than 20 years ago. Other children’s health news comes from New Jersey, Iowa and Texas.

There Are Some Legal Options In Place For Doctors Who Have Been Assaulted By Patients. But Many Struggle With Decision To Press Charges.

Morning Briefing

“It is often not easy for hospital staff who see themselves as helpers of their patients to move into a very different role of complainant in a criminal case,” said Paul Appelbaum of Columbia University. “That switch is often accompanied by a great deal of guilt.” In other public health news: migrant children, diabetes, standing desks, appendectomies and more.