Latest KFF Health News Stories
Paying for rehab for a family member affected by the opioid crisis is bankrupting families and loved ones, especially when the person has to go through multiple rounds.
‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli’s Fate On The Line As Judge Gets Ready To Hand Down Fraud Sentence
Prosecutors are asking for Martin Shkreli, who became the face of exorbitant drug costs, to get 15 years behind bars.
Amazon Has Been Slowly Poaching Employees With Drug Pricing Expertise In A Sign Of Things To Come
Experts say the level of inefficiency in the country’s current drug pipeline creates an enormous opportunity for Amazon, which has built a business empire on using technology to take time and cost out of unnecessarily clunky shopping experiences.
In Ever-Evolving Health Industry Landscape, Companies Realizing They Can’t Go It Alone Anymore
Cigna’s announcement that it will buy Express Scripts is just the latest in a flurry of mergers and acquisitions that has companies in the health care industry partnering up to survive. The proposed plan will face a antitrust merger review, though, which has brought down other deals.
President Doesn’t Seem To Have His Mind Made Up About Violent Media’s Link To Gun Violence
President Donald Trump hosted a “lively” conversation on the topic, but he reportedly seemed more on a fact-finding mission than anything else. Advocates weren’t hopeful any productive action would come from the listening session. Meanwhile, in Florida gun legislation is sitting on Gov. Rick Scott’s desk but he hasn’t indicated whether he plans to sign it.
Republicans’ Abortion Measures Are Deal Breakers For Democrats, Setting Up Spending Bill Battle
The government’s current funding expires on March 23, and Republicans are pushing provisions related to women’s reproductive health that Democrats say they won’t give in on. Meanwhile, one lawmaker wants to include a proposal to fight high drug prices in the final spending bill.
Adding Lifetime Limits To Medicaid Would Be ‘Unspeakably Cruel,’ Democrats Tell HHS Secretary
So far, five states — Maine, Arizona, Utah, Wisconsin and Kansas — have applied for waivers from the Health and Human Services Department to put a cap on how long Medicaid beneficiaries can receive health benefits. In other news, the Medicaid expansion stalemate in Virginia continues as lawmakers say they won’t be able to reach a budget deal by the scheduled conclusion of the session.
Some Areas Of Country Could See ‘Catastrophic’ Premium Increase In Next Three Years
The analysis found that the elimination of the individual mandate in 2019 will be the main driver of the spike in premiums. “The middle class will be priced out of insurance in about a third of America,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California.
Administration Rejects Idaho’s Attempt To Skirt Health Law Rules, But Offers Another Path Forward
Idaho invited insurers to submit coverage plans that don’t measure up to the health law’s requirements. While CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the government has a duty to enforce and uphold the law, she also suggested that with slight modifications the coverage could be legally offered as a short-term plan.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
How Medicaid Became A Go-To Funder For Schools
Begun as a health care safety net for children and low-income families, Medicaid increasingly underwrites a range of services in America’s public schools.
A Health Plan ‘Down Payment’ Is One Way States Try Retooling Individual Mandate
As states brace for insurance market instability, some — like Maryland — take aggressive action.
Rhymes Of Their Times: Young Poets Riff On Type 2
A Bay Area public health campaign harnesses the power of poetry to confront the root causes of a diabetes epidemic that is disproportionately hitting minority youth and those from low-income homes.
Campus Voices: Should Student Health Centers Offer Abortion Pills?
California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require student health centers at all of the state’s four-year public universities to carry the abortion pill. Students at campuses across the state sounded off on the proposal.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ HHS Leaders Take To The Stump
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and new podcast panelist Anna Edney of Bloomberg News discuss this week’s spate of speeches by the leaders of the Department of Health and Human Services. They also discuss the slow progress on health legislation on Capitol Hill intended to fund the government and stabilize the individual insurance market. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health policy stories of the week.
Editorial pages highlight these health issues and others.
Longer Looks: Mental Illness And Homelessness; Death By Bacon; The End Of Mall-Walkers
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Hawaii, Georgia, California, New York, Florida, Maryland and Montana.
Mississippi Poised To Pass 15-Week Abortion Ban That Would Challenge Supreme Court Ruling
The effort is the latest attempt by states seeking to test the Supreme Court’s ruling on when abortions can be performed. Meanwhile, the Indiana Legislature sent a bill to the governor that would change the way medical providers report on abortion complications.
Oklahoma Is Latest State To Signal Interest In Adding Medicaid Work Requirements
After the Trump administration released guidance that work mandates would be approved, many red states have begun jumping at the chance to add restrictions to their Medicaid programs. Media outlets report on Medicaid news out of Virginia, Arkansas and Florida, as well.