Latest KFF Health News Stories
Trump Expected To Issue Executive Order Aimed At High Drug Prices
President Donald Trump will meet Friday with health and budget officials to discuss the proposals, according to news reports. The White House may issue one order soon and then another, longer one down the road.
With Medicaid A Chopping-Block Favorite, Advocates Look To Humanize Program
Patients who have benefited from Medicaid speak out and put a human face to what some might see as just a budget line.
Lines Between Payer, Provider Blur With New Alliance Between Cleveland Clinic, Oscar
The prestigious hospital is joining forces with the insurer to sell plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Spiking Premiums In Volatile Marketplace Give Ammunition To Both Democrats, Republicans
Insurers all over the country are seeking increases averaging about 20 percent. While the GOP says rates have been trending this way for years, Democrats counter that the prices are high because Republican lawmakers and the Trump White House have destabilized the marketplace.
Price Dodges When Asked If GOP’s Health Plan Is ‘Mean’
“It’s not a yes or no answer,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price says. Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill downplay the reports that the president called the House-passed bill just that.
It’s Looking Less Likely That Republicans Will Hit Ambitious End-Of-June Deadline For Health Bill
Even if they resolve their biggest policy disagreements, senators still have to write the rest of the bill, send the full text to the Congressional Budget Office, await the agency’s score and keep 50 Republicans together through a lengthy series of procedural votes.
Democrats, as to be expected, are on the attack over the way Republicans are crafting the health law replacement legislation in secrecy, but even some GOP lawmakers are voicing concerns. Meanwhile, conservatives start to raise red flags about the measure’s failure to curb spending.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Seesawing Family Income Threatens Kids’ Medicaid Coverage In Texas
Critics point to the state’s aggressive eligibility checks as an example of what can go wrong when states have flexibility and add a reason to worry about GOP efforts to overhaul the program.
Lead Detected In 20% Of Baby Food Samples, Surprising Even Researchers
An analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund found lead more commonly in baby food than in other food. Lead was often present in fruit juice, though the research did not measure the level of contamination.
Un problema en aumento: los adultos mayores que quieren estar solos
Muchas veces por problemas de información, adultos mayores que son dados de alta rechazan la atención de salud en el hogar, decisión que los puede poner en riesgo.
Viewpoints: Hearing About Hearing Aid Costs; The FDA’s Fear And Loathing Of Off-Label Communications
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Opinion writers take a hard look at ongoing issues to undo the Affordable Care Act and make system changes regarding Medicaid, Medicare and the individual health insurance market.
Longer Looks: Prescription Heroin; Smartphone Psychiatry; And Obamacare Repeal
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on health-related news from New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Florida, California, Texas, Kentucky, Georgia and Colorado.
Missouri Senate OKs Abortion Bill Amidst Dueling Rallies By Supporters And Opponents
The state legislation would nullify a city ordinance in St. Louis that prohibits housing and employment discrimination based on “reproductive health decisions,” such as abortion or pregnancy. The bill now goes to the Missouri House. Elsewhere, a Iowa council considers a controversial measure to bar abortion providers from state-financed family planning efforts.
Public Health Roundup: Conjoined Twins; A Shot For Incontinence; And Home Health Care For Seniors
Also in the news: a tool to detect Parkinson’s, transgender talk and salt caves as the new health trend.
Watchdog Agency Asked To Investigate ‘Serious Ethical Lapses’ In Preemie Study
Researchers who tested oxygen levels delivered to premature infants have long faced questions over whether the work was ethically and accurately performed.
State AGs To Investigate Drugmakers’ Marketing Of Prescription Painkillers
The probe is the latest effort in a growing trend to address the epidemic through the courts. In other news, the crisis is undermining the battle against HIV, women are being prescribed too many opioids after c-sections and Massachusetts’ high court rules on a needle-exchange case.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon and four other state officials face involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the government’s failure to alert the majority-black population about Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area. That outbreak is linked to the city’s lead-contaminated water and caused the death of an 85-year-old man.