Latest KFF Health News Stories
Montana Congressman-Elect To Plead No Contest After Slamming Reporter To The Ground
The altercation, on the eve of the special election, came after a Guardian reporter asked Republican Greg Gianforte a question about the House health care bill.
Precision Cancer Treatments Show Promise But Medicines May Not Be Able To Be Created Fast Enough
Meanwhile, other news stories on the disease cover disparities in diagnosis as well as a clinical trial on a Cuban lung cancer vaccine.
New Report Lets Scientists Wrap Arms Around Scope Of Zika-Related Birth Defects
Until now, doctors hadn’t been able to pin down the actual risk of a child being born with Zika-related birth defects, but a new study shines light on the numbers.
HHS Secretary Promises Curbing High Drug Prices Is ‘Absolute Priority’
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price tells the Senate Finance Committee that President Donald Trump asked his department for recommendations on policies that would reduce the costs of medications.
Price Defends Trump’s Budget Plan For Medicaid, Saying A Reduction In Growth Is Not A Cut
Although the Congressional Budget Office says the administration’s budget would reduce Medicaid funding by $610 billion in the next decade over current expectations, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services says you can’t consider it a cut because the amount of money would continue to grow.
Facing Unstable Market, Senators Seek Rollback Of Limits On Short-Term Health Plans
Short-term insurance plans generally don’t cover the same benefits that are required of Affordable Care Act-compliant plans, such as pre-existing conditions, prescription drugs and maternity care.
NIH To Award $1B To Young Researchers After Dropping Plan To Cap Support To Some Labs
The controversial proposal to limit the size of federal grants to individual labs raised concerns among senior scientists, so National Institutes of Health offered this compromise. Also in the news: a House panel is expected to again take up its investigation of a lab problem two years ago.
FDA Wants Painkiller Popular With Those Addicted To Opioids Removed From Market
The agency’s request to the medication’s drugmaker may signal a more aggressive approach against prescription opioids.
Abortion Language In GOP Health Plan Could Be The Achilles Heel That Brings It Down
The Senate parliamentarian flags language that would bar people from using new refundable tax credits for private insurance plans that cover abortion.
Senators Find Themselves Playing Whac-A-Mole When It Comes To Solving Health Plan Problems
Every time they think they’ve found a solution to an issue, a new one pops up. And while moderates say they’re getting closer, conservatives are pushing back against the proposed changes.
Powerful GOP Chairman Backs Insurance Subsidy Payments: Americans ‘Should Not Be Left Out To Dry’
The uncertainty surrounding the payments has created instability in the marketplace, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) says. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price dodges questions on the subsidies during a Senate committee hearing.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Turns 1, But Not All Doctors Have Adopted It
At least 500 terminally ill Californians have asked for the medicine that allows them to end their lives, and nearly 500 health organizations have signed on to help.
Quantity Over Quality? Minorities Shown To Get An Excess Of Ineffective Care
The researchers looked at 11 services that medical groups have said are often unnecessary and found that Hispanics and blacks got them at higher rates than whites.
As Insurance Options Shrink, Families Are ‘Holding Our Breath’
One of two insurers in this tiny state has announced it will not be back in the marketplaces next year, leaving customers concerned about the prices they will pay.
Capitol Hill Dems, HHS Secretary Price Trade Jabs On HHS Budget
Tom Price defends proposed spending reductions in Medicaid and other HHS programs while demurring on questions about cost-sharing subsidies for the 2018 Obamacare marketplace.
Viewpoints: The Elegance Of Practicing Medicine; The Amazon As The ‘Pharmacy Of The Future’
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Editorial writers parse these and other issues, including the role of Medicaid, how it is working and what the Republican plan would change; as well as other issues related to the future of the Affordable Care Act and efforts to curb health care spending.
Media outlets report on health-related news from California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, Washington, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania.