Latest KFF Health News Stories
Frail Patients Losing Access To Dental House Calls
Dental hygienists who treat frail and elderly residents in nursing homes and other facilities are dropping out of California’s publicly funded dental program for the poor because of recent changes that cut their pay and create more administrative hurdles.
Care Suffers As More Nursing Homes Feed Money Into Corporate Webs
Increasingly, owners of nursing homes outsource services to companies in which they also have financial interest or control. That allows the nursing homes to claim to be in the red while owners reap hidden profits.
Trump Administration Relaxes Financial Penalties Against Nursing Homes
Medicare is discouraging regional offices from levying fines for “one-time mistakes” or from using daily fines that seek to put pressure on nursing homes to make changes.
Sickle Cell Patients, Families And Doctors Face A ‘Fight For Everything’
Premature death, a dearth of treatments, mistreatment in emergency rooms and a woeful lack of funding are just a few of the problems confronting people with sickle cell disease.
Children’s Insurance, Other Health Programs Funded — For Now — In Bill
In a short-term spending bill, Congress extends money to the Children’s Health Insurance Program through March.
Viewpoints: Obamacare Is Not Repealed; Puerto Rico’s Water Needs; Keeping Humanity In Medicine
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Media outlets report on news from California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Maryland, Minnesota and Tennessee.
Research Roundup: Victims Of Bullying; Court-Ordered Addiction Treatment; And Cervical Pessaries
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
HHS And Texas Reach Accord For $25B Medicaid Funding For Hospitals
The funding, which runs for five years, helps cover uncompensated care provided at safety-net hospitals. Also in the news, Iowa penalizes a company that helps manage its Medicaid program, and federal officials releases information on health care challenges for Puerto Ricans.
Under Fire For Alleged Role It Played In Opioid Crisis, Purdue Tries To Change The Narrative
As lawsuits from cities and counties pile up, Purdue Pharma launches an advertising campaign.
Life-Threatening Complications For Women Giving Birth Have More Than Doubled In Past 20 Years
There’s a misconception that complications are rare, experts say. That’s not the case. In other public health: chronic conditions, liver donations, nursing homes, and sore throat treatments.
In Response To Criticism, CMS Revises Methodology For Hospital Star Ratings
The retooled formula slightly flattens the usual bell-curve of hospitals that receive stars so that more facilities will receive 1 and 5 stars.
In Violation Of Federal Law, VA Hospitals Have Been Hiring Doctors With Revoked Licenses
The VA’s guidance stated that the facilities could hire the doctors as long as they had a license active in one state, regardless of if they’d had it pulled in another.
FDA’s Record Year: Agency That Has Long-Promised To Pick Up Drug Approval Pace Reaches Milestone
The agency just hit its 46th approval of 2017, the most in at least a decade. But more than one year of data is needed to predict a trend. In other pharmaceutical news: a judge will rule on hospitals’ efforts to block cuts to the 340B drug program; Biogen’s Alzheimer’s trial has disappointing results; a look at the most noteworthy drug approval of the years; and more.
In Case Of Pregnant Immigrant Girl, Federal Official Says Rape Not Valid Reason To Allow Abortion
The stance is a sweeping departure from past administrations, both Republican and Democrat. Abortion rights activists are calling for removal of the official from his post.
The Trump administration issued a rule in October that made it easier for employers to avoid paying for birth control coverage for its workers due to “moral or religious” objections.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it’s time to focus on stabilizing the insurance industry under what’s left of the Affordable Care Act.
Defying Dire Warnings And Expectations, Health Law Sign-Ups Nearly On Par With Last Year
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say more than 8.8 million people have signed up in 39 states, which is a slight decrease from last year’s 9.2 million. Heading into the enrollment season many experts anticipated a steeper dip because the Trump administration slashed the outreach budget and cut the sign-up period in half.
Don’t Expect To See Medicare, Medicaid Overhauls On 2018 Agenda, McConnell Says
Although tackling entitlement overhaul is a top priority for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says it’s not a feasible goal for the upper chamber.
Congress Passes Short-Term Patch For CHIP Funding But Punts On Long-Term Solution
Funding for CHIP lapsed after Democrats and Republicans clashed on how to pay for a five-year extension of the popular program. States have been getting desperate, as funds dwindled. “You can’t run an insurance program this way,” says Sara Rosenbaum, a professor at George Washington University.