Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Aggressive’ New Advance Directive Would Let Dementia Patients Refuse Food
Supporters call it the strongest move yet to document a patient’s advance wishes in cases of severe dementia. Critics say it would deny basic care to society’s most vulnerable.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ VA Secretary Out, Privatization In?
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss President Donald Trump’s firing of David Shulkin, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Shulkin’s claim that he was forced out by those who want to privatize VA health care.
Longer Looks: Opioids And Prisons; Lie Detectors; And Legal Marijuana
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Opinion writers focus on these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Maryland, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Massachusetts, Washington, Georgia and Kansas.
Kansas Regulators Move To Take Over 15 Insolvent Nursing Homes, Protect Hundreds Of Residents
The operator of the nursing homes, New Jersey-based Skyline Health Care, told the state it cannot make upcoming payroll. Skyline’s financial troubles also persist in Nebraska, which moved last week to take over 21 nursing homes across the state.
‘Red Flag’ Bill To Seize Guns From People Who Are An Imminent Threat Moves Forward In Delaware
Meanwhile, in Virginia, lawmakers urge county leaders to enforce ordinances about not driving with a loaded shotgun or rifle.
The number is at least twice what facility leaders had originally estimated.
Link Between SIDS And Rare Genetic Mutation Leaves Some Families More Vulnerable Than Others
The paper stressed, though, that genetics is just one of the factors that can lead to sudden and unexpected infant deaths. In other public health news: tumors, the flu, weight-loss surgery, melanoma, and hearing loss.
Possible Merger To Create Nation’s Largest Owner Of Hospitals Now Shelved
Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health are putting talks on hold to focus on internal restructuring.
Vermont’s Heralded Drug Prices Transparency Bill Disappoints Nearly Two Years In
“We took a first step toward transparency, but it wasn’t substantial enough to give us anything of true value,” said Vermont state lawmaker William Lippert. In other news FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wants to get biosimilars to the market faster, and Democrats prepare to use high drug prices as a campaign message.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged her colleagues to “amplify the truth” about Republicans’ actions on Medicare.
The combination of Medicaid and public-employee health and retirement costs consumes about one out of every five tax dollars collected by state and local governments, which is the highest share since Medicaid was created in 1965.
Lawmakers Aim To Get Opioid Package To Floor In May Saying ‘Time Is Of The Essence’
Passing legislation on opioids — a rare bipartisan issue — could give lawmakers a victory they can tout come the 2018 midterm elections. In other news on the crisis: fentanyl-laced cocaine, treatment programs, death certificates, and take-back programs.
CMS ruled in Idaho’s case that skirting the regulations is still illegal, but agency officials were willing to work with the state to offer the plans as short-term coverage. Meanwhile, other states are exploring their options to stabilize their marketplaces.
Will Opening Health Data Floodgates To Patients Help Save Money And Lives? CMS Hopes So.
CMS wants to make patients’ data more accessible to them and to third-party tech innovators, with the eventual goal of making health data as easy to pull up as any other app on a cellphone.
Trump’s Physician Tapped To Lead VA After President Dismisses Shulkin Following Weeks Of Controversy
While Dr. Ronny Jackson has been praised for his work as a physician, critics call into question his lack of management experience. Meanwhile, both veterans groups and lawmakers on the Hill praised David Shulkin for his work during his tenure at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Scrutinizing Medicare Coverage For Physical, Occupational And Speech Therapy
Treatment has been terminated for some seniors because therapists told them they weren’t making enough progress or that they had reached their annual limit. We examine the treatment benefits and the barriers under Medicare’s coverage rules for therapy.
Omissions On Death Certificates Lead To Undercounting Of Opioid Overdoses
Standards for how to investigate and report on overdoses vary widely across states and counties. As a result, opioid overdose deaths often go overlooked in the data reported to the federal government.