Latest KFF Health News Stories
President Mocks GOP For Not Having ‘Even A Hint Of Plan’ On How To Replace Health Law
“You can’t just be against something. You’ve got to be for something,” President Obama says in a speech criticizing Republicans for wanting to repeal the health law without offering a way to replace it.
Obama Says All But ‘A Handful’ Will Be Protected By Subsidies, But 8.4M Go Without Help
The president downplays the impact spiking premiums will have on the average customer’s wallet. But many will still feel the pinch, even with subsidies. Meanwhile, the public option has been thrust in the spotlight with all the uncertainty surrounding the health law this year.
Vinculan súper hongo mortal con cuatro muertes en EE.UU.
Un nuevo hongo mortal resistente a los medicamentos se ha relacionado con la muerte de cuatro pacientes hospitalizados en los Estados Unidos, según un nuevo informe de los CDC.
First Edition: November 4, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
New Data: Surprising Number of California Parents Experienced Abuse as Children
Focusing on parents can help end cycle of trauma for kids, experts say.
Bad Hombres, Russian Hackers And … A Medical Device Tax?
Why an obscure revenue raiser for the Affordable Care Act has found its way into a number of congressional campaign ads.
Viewpoints: Trump, Clinton And Thoughts About Health Care; Changing Views On Disability
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Longer Looks: Glaxo In China; Premium Hikes; More Election Anxiety
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Outlets report on health news from California, Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Kansas.
Community Health Systems, Seeking To Relieve Debt Load, Aims To Sell 17 Hospitals
The company is also looking to sell its home-health-care business and some real estate. In other news, a suburban hospital in Maryland battles a bacterial outbreak, and an Illinois hospital falls a grade in recent safety rankings.
Military Medics Rethink Battlefield Treatments Based On Recent Combat Situations
And news outlets report on how programs surrounding water therapy and yoga can help veterans’ health.
New Site Allows Ky. Residents To Find Overdose Antidote Easily
Visitors can get information on how to recognize and react to overdose, as well as overviews of state laws that relate to the epidemic. Meanwhile, New York’s attorney general has announced that a drug maker has agreed to extend a price cut on naloxone and a Vermont nurse pleads guilty to using morphine intended for her patients.
The Billion-Dollar Question: Who Invented New DNA Editing Technique?
The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is revolutionary, but figuring out who actually owns the intellectual property is turning into a battle royal. In other news, genetic testing is costing taxpayers millions a year with very little to show for it.
Massachusetts Study Finds Dying Patients Still Often End Up In Hospital, Rather Than At Home
The study by the state’s Health Policy Commission found that in patients’ last six months of life, Medicare spends more on hospital care than on any other health service. The New York Times explores the growing businesses geared to help consumers plan for end-of-life decisions.
Senators Object To Halt In Medicaid Program That Provided Mental Health Care Options
In the experiment, some states were allowed to use Medicaid funds to pay for inpatient emergency psychiatric care in private hospitals that normally wouldn’t qualify for Medicaid funding because they had too many beds. News outlets also report on Medicaid developments in Alabama and Georgia.
Medicare To Cover Program Pioneered By YMCA To Prevent Diabetes
The new benefit, which starts in 2018, provides patients with a lifestyle coach to help improve diets and increase physical activity, and research shows it lowers Medicare spending by $2,650 per person over 15 months. At the same time, Medicare also announces new physician care policies that will provide more funding to doctors for coordinating patient care.
Health Care Consumers’ Decisions Have Financial Impact
The Wall Street Journal reminds readers about how shopping around can reveal that health prices can vary, even in the same area, by thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, The Associated Press offers tips on how to set the “right amount” for a flexible spending account.
West Virginia AG: ‘Woefully Deficient’ Mylan Settlement Sends ‘Message Of Leniency’
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch blasting the $465 million settlement, which came about over charges that Mylan improperly classified the EpiPen allergy auto-injector in reports to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.
Anemic Earnings Reports Show The Bell Has Tolled For Pharma’s Price-Hiking Strategies
In the midst of public furor over the gouging tactics, it’s starting to become clear that pharmaceutical companies can no longer rely on price hikes to boost their earnings. So the industry is scrambling to adjust.
2016’s Endangered Species: The Politician Who Bucks Party Lines Over Abortion
Two of the five Republicans who sometimes vote against their party on abortion issues face tough races, showing that lines over the politically charged topic are only sharpening. Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan backs Donald Trump’s call for a special session to repeal and replace the health law, a look at how the gubernatorial races could affect Medicaid expansion and a ballot initiative in Missouri has a surprising backer.