Latest KFF Health News Stories
¡Cuidado! La multa por no tener seguro que impuso el Obamacare todavía está vigente
Si bien la administración Trump derogó la multa por no tener seguro de salud que impuso la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible, esta norma entrará en vigencia en 2019.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Perspectives: We Need Bold Changes In Order To Bring Down Drug Costs, Not The Tweaks Trump Proposes
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
This ‘Lower Cost’ Generic’s Eye-Popping Price Tag: $18,375 For 100 Pills
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, California, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Indiana, New Mexico, and Virginia.
Nearly Every Hospital Patient Gets A Saline IV Bag. But Is There A Better Option?
Alternative intravenous fluids to the commonly used saline could save up to 70,000 lives a year, a new study finds. In other public health news: smoking while pregnant, memory loss, medical data, ALS, Weight Watchers, the U.S. pregnancy rate, and more.
While many funeral homes get reimbursements for burials or cremations, fewer of them are wiling to offer the services because the funds don’t cover ever-rising costs.
Virginia House Takes Aim At State Senate’s Plans To Expand Medicaid
The battle between the two chambers has been heating up as they debate a possible expansion of the state’s Medicaid program. Medicaid news comes out of Illinois, Ohio and Georgia, as well.
Tighter Regulations In Midwest States May Be Sending Women To Illinois To Seek Abortions
A new report shows that more than 4,500 women crossed into Illinois to terminate a pregnancy in 2016, up from 3,200 the previous year. Outlets report on abortion-related news out of Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well.
Shulkin Promises Rebellion At VA Won’t Take His Focus Away From Improving Veterans’ Care
“I’m not spending my time looking for subversion or doing investigations,” VA Secretary David Shulkin said. “When it becomes clear to me when people are pursuing different agendas, then I’m going to address that.” The secretary, fresh off a travel scandal, has been promising to rout anyone trying to undermine him from his agency goals.
Health Law’s Middle-Ground Approach Based On GOP Ideology No Longer Good Enough For Liberals
Democrats and liberal activists are no longer satisfied with a strategy that maintains private insurers’ primary role. They’re starting to focus instead on expanding popular government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
Republican Lawmakers Pump Brakes On Gun Control Momentum
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) both moved to temper enthusiasm about getting any gun control legislation through Congress, despite the surge of public ire following the latest mass school shooting. Meanwhile, lawmakers will meet with President Donald Trump today to discuss ways to battle gun violence.
Lawmakers are aggressively ramping up their efforts to fight the nation’s drug epidemic. In addition to the new measure, chairs of the two primary health committees in Congress pledged to push more legislation within the next months.
Justice Department Throws Weight Behind Massive Lawsuit Against Companies That Make Painkillers
The lawsuit, pending in Ohio, consolidates more than 400 complaints by cities, counties and Native American tribes nationwide, who are accusing opioid manufacturers and distributors of using misleading marketing to promote the painkillers.
As Feds Chip Away At Health Law, Where You Live Will More And More Determine Access, Quality Of Care
Many Republican-led states are rolling back the law’s requirements, while blue states are building up consumer protections. This wildly different strategy will lead to a health care divide in America, experts say. Meanwhile, the legal minds behind the 20-state lawsuit against the health law are painstakingly plotting their path to the Supreme Court. And a look at Idaho’s attempts to wiggle out of regulations instituted by the ACA.
Never Too Late To Operate? Surgery Near End Of Life Is Common, Costly
Nearly 1 in 3 Medicare patients undergo an operation in their final year of life.
First Edition: February 28, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Ding Dong! The Obamacare Tax Penalty Is(n’t) Dead
When President Donald Trump signed the nation’s new tax law, he also killed the Affordable Care Act’s tax penalty — but not until 2019. Despite widespread confusion, experts caution that consumers still need to pay the tax penalty if they were uninsured last year or will be this year.
Editorial pages highlight these health topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, California, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, Minnesota, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia.