Latest KFF Health News Stories
Perspectives: The FDA Can Only Do So Much To Curb High Prices — It Needs Help
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Generic Drug Marketplace Is A Fragile Place Where Competition Can Quickly Wither Into Monopolies
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Florida, Ohio, Arizona and Texas.
‘Medicaid Messes And Nightmares’: Obstacles Abound In Treating Pregnant Women With Addictions
The bureaucratic labyrinth that is the American health care system does little to help moms-to-be who are addicted to opioids.
It Costs Nearly $1,000, But There’s No Evidence This DNA Test Can Help Women Conceive
Some warn that this and other tests are capitalizing on women’s fears about pregnancy and motherhood. In other public health news: maternal health, breast cancer, and heart attack patients.
Mass. Gov. Shelves Plan To Revamp Medicaid, Accepts New Taxes To Fund Health Care
Gov. Charlie Baker says he will sign a bill that will raise $200 million through new fees on businesses to help pay for health care for the poor, even though the bill does not include his plan to move 140,000 people from Medicaid into private plans. Also, officials in Georgia are weighing their options for changes to that state’s Medicaid program.
Senators Reported To Have Struck Deal To Allow Vote This Week On Key FDA Funding Bill
The bill sets user fees for drug and device makers.
Surgeon General Nominee Wants To Lead With Science, But In A ‘Sympathetic’ Way
Jerome Adams, Indiana’s state health commissioner and the nominee for surgeon general, defends his approach to health care at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
Veterans Choice Bill Easily Clears Senate
The spending package provides $2.1 billion to continue funding the program, which allows veterans to receive private medical care at government expense.
30 Percent Rate Hikes Reflect Uncertainty In Affordable Care Act Marketplaces
The Department of Health and Human Services published preliminary rate requests on Tuesday, and many states showed steep increases. Media outlets look at the marketplaces in California, Alaska, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Arizona, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
Governors Want To Step In With Health Care Ideas Where Congress Failed
Seven Democrats and six Republican governors from a wide range of states came together with proposals that aren’t all new, but may carry more weight considering the bipartisan push behind them.
Door Not Completely Slammed Shut On Repeal-And-Replace
One proposal in particular — a measure giving states more flexibility — is gaining traction with a few senators, but it faces long odds.
GOP Senators Shrug Off Trump’s Twitter Outrage As They Start To Distance Selves From President
The health care debate was a sharp blow to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Republican senators.
States Allowed To Intervene Over Federal Subsidy Payments Case, Court Of Appeals Rules
The case, which dates back to the Obama administration, was filed by the Republican-led House against the government in an effort to block the subsidy payments to insurers for the individual plans created by the Affordable Care Act. Sixteen attorneys general had filed to defend the subsidies.
Senators To Hold Bipartisan Hearings To Try To Protect Insurer Subsidies Threatened By Trump
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will hold sessions beginning the week of Sept. 4, in a bid to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual health insurance markets.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Denial, Appeal, Approval … An Adult’s Thorny Path To Spinraza Coverage
The FDA granted approval for Spinraza in late December for use on children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy. Insurance coverage is mostly focused on infants and children.
Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
The high cost of Spinraza, a new and promising treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, highlights how the cost-benefit analysis insurers use to make drug coverage decisions plays out in human terms.
¿Por qué las personas no hacen planes para el final de la vida?
Aunque se han promovido directrices anticipadas durante casi 50 años, sólo un tercio de los adultos estadounidenses las prepara, revela un estudio reciente.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Now What?
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, and Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News discuss what happens now in the wake of the apparent demise of the Republican-only repeal and replace efforts for the Affordable Care Act.