Latest KFF Health News Stories
Insurers In Tennessee Get OK To Refile Higher Rate Requests
The state’s insurance regulator said the decision was made to prevent possible withdrawal from the exchanges. In other health law news, some colleges in Ohio are dropping student health insurance.
Study: ACA’s Expanded Medicaid Safety Net Dramatically Improving Access To Care
The study finds that in states that have expanded Medicaid patients were 16.1 percentage points more likely to have had a checkup in the past year, and 12 points more likely to be getting regular care for a chronic condition.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Elderly Hospital Patients Arrive Sick, Often Leave Disabled
Some hospitals try to avoid sharp declines in the health of elderly patients by treating them in special units geared to their specific needs. This story is the first in a KHN series on the challenges hospitals face with an aging population.
1965: The Year That Brought Civil Rights To The Nation’s Hospitals
A conversation with author David Barton Smith examines how civil rights activists working at the Social Security Administration and the Public Health Service in the 1960s used the new Medicare law to end racial discrimination at hospitals.
‘Lost In Translation:’ Hospitals’ Language Service Capacity Doesn’t Always Match Need
A study in Health Affairs finds that nationwide hospital-based language services are not available in a systematic way.
In Later Years, Disabilities End Blacks’ Active Lives Sooner Than Whites’
Elderly black women suffer most from shorter active life expectancy free of disabilities, showing no improvement since the early 1980s, Health Affairs study finds.
Syncing Up Drug Refills: A Way To Get Patients To Take Their Medicine
A study published in Health Affairs concludes that the idea of coordinating prescription refill timelines for people with multiple chronic conditions could improve their medication adherence and health outcomes.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from California, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois.
In Ohio, CareSource Helps Medicaid Beneficiaries With More Than Health Care
Also, Kansas Health Institute reports that the state has cleared the waiting list for Medicaid physical disability services.
Homeless Health Care Led To Innovations Like EHRs, Integrated Practices And Mobile Medicine
In other public health news, researchers study the impact of the 24-hour news cycle on mass shootings. And other news stories cover a development in Alzheimer’s research, a link between asthma and fracking and a controversial study on flossing benefits.
When A State Has No Insanity Plea, Those With Serious Mental Illness Face Harsh Sentences
NPR’s Shots continues its report on the use of the “not guilty by reason of insanity” plea.
Lung Cancer Patients Travel To Cuba For Novel Drug Not Approved In U.S.
The risk comes with high costs, but a small number of Americans have seen results. In other news, The Boston Globe reports on what happens to cancer research when a lab shuts down. And, news outlets cover other developments including hormone therapy risks for prostate cancer patients, a breast cancer research connection to dogs, cellphone radiation exposure, immunotherapy and a mother’s hard decision to stop treatment.
Hazelden’s Shift Toward Addiction Medication May Be ‘Game Changer’
Minnesota’s Hazelden Foundation, a treatment center for those with addiction, prized counseling over medication, but in the past few years it has started offering medication to patients as well. And for an industry that often follows the foundation’s lead over scientists’ recommendations, it could be monumental shift.
Zika Highlights Reproductive Health Disparities: ‘This Is Not A Battle-Ready Infrastructure’
Family planning and reproductive health services have been cut across the country — just as the nation braces for a virus that hits pregnant women the hardest. Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says Zika is not a valid reason to allow abortions and doctors are offering women in Puerto Rico free contraception.
Following High Court Loss, Anti-Abortion Groups Focus On Hard Data
Advocates are calling for a national database for abortion statistics and increased state reporting. “The court asked for more evidence of the harms of abortion and pro-life advocates will answer the challenge,” says Denise M. Burke, of Americans United for Life.
Why And How Legislation To Fix VA Health System Has Faltered
The New York Times breaks down the law and examines if it was successful. For the most part, it hasn’t been.
CDC Smoking Report Reveals Deep Health Care Disparities
Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that smoking rates continue to decline, problems remain. “In general, smoking is getting more and more concentrated among disadvantaged groups. And it’s poor people, ethnic minorities, people with mental illness,” says researcher Stanton Glantz.
Cyberthieves Wooed By Huge Payoffs From Stolen Medical Records
Cyber criminals are shifting away from retail and into the health industry, where personal medical information can score them a much bigger payday than credit cards.