Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers focus on these and other health issues.
Editorial pages look at these health care issues and others.
Longer Looks: Religious Hospitals; Legal Cannabis; And Cancer In Prison
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Michigan, California, Illinois, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Florida, Minnesota, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Texas.
Days After Ebola Outbreak Ended, Cases Reported In Eastern Part Of Democratic Republic of Congo
Whereas other outbreaks have been in relatively safe areas, the new one is in an active conflict zone.
Hundreds of lawsuits claim that Abilify, which can be taken for depression and anxiety, causes gambling, binging, and other compulsive acts. But scientists say that if it does play a role, there are likely other factors also at play. In other public health news: tuberculosis, 3D-printed guns, cancer survivors, sleep, worker injuries, and more.
It took more than three months, several DNA studies and other tests before an undocumented mother was reunited with her 1-year-old daughter. She had many questions, but the caseworker who delivered her child disappeared before she could ask them.
Medicare Giving Hospices Pay Bump For Next Year
Meanwhile, academic and rural hospitals will likely see a cut in funding.
Painkiller-Makers Pouring Money Into Communities, States That Are Suing Them Over Opioid Crisis
The companies are doling out money to nonprofits, in a move that could potentially be building goodwill ahead of the massive legal battle the industry is about to face. Meanwhile, KHN takes a look at how competition in the early days of the opioid push helped shape the companies’ strategies.
Medicaid Expansion Advocates Have Found A Way Around GOP Legislatures Saying ‘No’
Activists are working to get expansion of the program on the ballots for a handful of red states where elected officials have blocked it for years. Medicaid news comes out of Florida, Virginia and Michigan, as well.
Medicare currently isn’t allowed to negotiate drug prices, but analysts looked at agencies that can — like the Department of Veterans Affairs — and crunched some numbers. As drug prices continue to rise, officials scramble to find ways to curb the cost hikes. Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries will pay lower premiums on their prescription drug plans next year.
After Years Of Eye-Popping Rate Increases, Insurers’ Requests Are Starting To Level Off
In some places, insurers are even seeking small decreases to some of their rates as the health law marketplace stabilizes. But there are still some areas that will be hit with double-digit spikes, such as New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing back against the requests.
The administration issued its final rule on the short-term plans on Wednesday, allowing insurers to sell them for 12 months and then renew them for two years. The coverage is cheaper because it doesn’t meet the strict requirements instituted by the health law — such as covering essential benefits. Democrats and other critics aired their concerns about the move putting both consumers and the marketplace at risk.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
How Rival Opioid Makers Sought To Cash In On Alarm Over OxyContin’s Dangers
Fentanyl and other painkillers marketed as safer than Purdue Pharma’s blockbuster drug left their own trail of overdose deaths.
Listen: Why Red States Challenging ACA Tread Precariously On A Popular Protection
Many of the GOP-led states seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act could end up jeopardizing the health of their own residents, who suffer from preexisting conditions at rates higher than the national average. The ACA requires insurers to cover people with histories of illness and not charge them more for it. If the law is overturned, that protection could be lost, as California Healthline reporter Harriet Rowan explains on “The VICE Guide to Right Now” podcast.
La administración Trump facilita aún más la venta de planes de salud de corto plazo
Estos planes son más económicos pero su cobertura es mínima, y no cumplen con las protecciones establecidas por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible (ACA).
Pacientes con dolor crónico se sienten atrapados en el debate sobre opioides
Los pacientes que necesitan esta medicación se sienten afectados injustamente por la tendencia a recetarlos cada vez menos, como una estrategia para frenar la creciente epidemia de abuso de opioides.
Opinion writers about these and other health care issues.
Perspectives: We’re Already Seeing Results From Trump’s Drug Blueprint To Lower Costs
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.