Latest KFF Health News Stories
FDA Takes Steps To Encourage Development Of Medication That Can Be Used To Aid Addiction Treatment
Currently, just three drugs exist to treat opioid use disorder: buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. Adherence to the drugs is typically low, and addiction treatment experts have long said medication assisted treatment is vastly underutilized.
The Washington Post fact checks some Democrats’ talking point that a recent working paper supports the idea that the proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would save $2 trillion in health care spending. To get to that number, one would need to make unrealistic assumptions, the report’s author says.
Republicans Could Pay Political Price For Cementing Conservative Supreme Court, History Shows
There’s a track record in the nation’s history of political backlash reflected in elected positions any time the court goes too far to one ideological side. Meanwhile, Democrats are digging in to possible ties between Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a judge forced into retirement last year over sexual harassment allegations.
The regulators were particularly concerned about aggressive and possibly misleading marketing strategies to sell the plans that are being touted by the Trump administration following a rule extending the duration that the coverage can be sold.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
How Genetic Tests Muddy Your Odds Of Getting A Long-Term-Care Policy
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
Once Its Greatest Foes, Some Doctors Are Now Embracing Single-Payer
Young physicians are pushing the medical establishment to rethink its long-held opposition. The political fallout could be substantial.
Medicaid Expansion Making Diabetes Meds More Accessible To Poor, Study Shows
The number of diabetes drug prescriptions filled for low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose sharply in states that expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.
La otra crisis de Puerto Rico: más de un millón en riesgo por recortes a Medicaid
La isla, que todavía está recuperándose de las tormentas de 2017, sufrirá un nuevo revés sanitario: fuertes recortes a Medicaid pueden impactar en la atención médica de los más vulnerables.
Expansión de Medicaid facilita el acceso de los más pobres a drogas anti diabetes
El estudio revela que las recetas para drogas contra la diabetes aumentaron un 40% en los estados que expandieron Medicaid bajo ACA. También lo hicieron los diagnósticos.
Opinion writers express views on these health topics and others.
Different Takes: Is ‘Medicare For All’ The New Health Care Debate Or Just An Old One?
Editorial pages focus on the controversy over “Medicare For All” and other health care costs.
Media outlets report on news from California, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Michigan, Connecticut, Georgia and Florida.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate also came out forcefully against the idea. In other news, media outlets offer a deeper look at the men behind two mass shootings.
Prosecutors had alleged that Prime Healthcare Services unnecessarily admitted Medicare patients who were being treated at the emergency rooms of several hospitals in its system. Medicare pays more for patients who are admitted to hospitals than those who are treated as outpatients.
There are questions about whose bottom-line the new health care initiative founded by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway will benefit despite CEO Dr. Atul Gawande’s reassurances.
In Effort To Increase Transparency, Administration To Require Hospitals To Post Prices Online
Pushing price transparency has been a main goal of the Trump administration’s top health officials. Uncompensated care and Medicare reimbursement rates make the news as well.
Pharma Scores A Victory With New Jersey Supreme Court’s Ruling On Product Liability Litigation
The ruling essentially tightens the rules for what kind of testimony could be used against pharmaceutical companies being sued over allegations that their medications harm patients.
Billionaire Finds Himself At Center Of Contentious Debate Over VA Privatization
Steve Cohen’s organization funded mental health clinics for veterans across the country. The network of facilities has been closely watched by both sides of the debate — to find proof that the private sector can do the job better than the VA or as a way to highlight the dangers of directing taxpayer money to unaccountable private groups.
Ebola Cases Rise In Congo Where War Zone Makes Fighting Deadly Virus An ‘Unprecedented’ Challenge
In a stable region of the country, health officials took months to end the outbreak and now focus on strategies to contain new flare-ups. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is waiting to find out if the new Ebola outbreak is one for which a vaccination can be used.