Latest KFF Health News Stories
Texas Supreme Court Allows Medicaid To Cut Therapists Pay For Disabled Children
The legislature approved $350 million in cuts last year, but therapists had sued the state, warning the changes in pay would drive many professionals from treating the children. The court declined to hear the case. News outlets also report on Medicaid cuts in Florida and an analysis of managed care programs in Medicaid.
Experts Raise Concerns About Medicare’s Efforts To Bundle Payments In Wake Of New Study
“CMS is doubling down on bundled payments without a lot of evidence,” Dr. Chad Ellimoottil, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan who has studied alternative payment models, tells Modern Healthcare. Implementing payment reforms does not “flip a switch and all of a sudden hospitals are way more efficient.”
Democratic Senators Press Aetna CEO About Decision To Leave Marketplaces
In a second letter to Mark Bertolini, the senators question whether the insurer’s decision to pull back from many exchanges was related to the Justice Department’s decision to challenge Aetna’s planned merger with Humana. Also, Nebraska loses one of its marketplace insurers.
Dems Accuse GOP Of ‘Cynical’ Opioid-Funding Ploy In Stopgap Bill
Because the $37 million that is included in the spending bill is pro-rated, the administration will only actually get about $7 million to begin implementing a measure to curb opioid abuse during the 10 weeks that the stopgap measure would be in effect. Meanwhile, the spending fight has shifted focus from Zika to Flint.
Trump Cherry Picks Stats When Citing 60-Percent Obamacare Premium Hikes
The Washington Post fact checks one of Donald Trump’s go-to lines about the health law. In other election 2016 news, a look at the health policy experts both candidates have tapped for their transition teams and more out of the states.
First Edition: September 26, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
It’s In The Water: The Debate Over Fluoridation Lives On
Though fluoride has been added to water for decades, grass-roots opposition still pops up in towns and cities around the country.
Election Buzz: A Look At Brain Science As 5 States Vote On Legalizing Pot
Recreational marijuana is on the ballot in five states in November. What do we know about pot’s effects on the brain?
Tobacco Tax Ballot Measure Would Fund Health Care For California’s Poor — But How?
The state tax would boost the Medi-Cal budget by millions, but it’s unclear how the money will be distributed. And that’s by design.
Viewpoints: Obama Needs To Lead On Cures Act; Pricing Drugs To Value; Preventing Alzheimer’s
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Hospital-Employed Doctors; Community Health Center Services For Kids
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Outlets report on health news from Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, Ohio, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Tennessee.
Colorado Sued For Restricting Medicaid Access To Hepatitis C Drugs
The state’s Medicaid program allows coverage for the medications to enrollees only with the most advanced stages of liver disease. News outlets also report on Medicaid developments in Alabama and Arkansas.
Supreme Court Weighing Whether To Take Case On Faith-Based Health Firms’ Pension Plans
Under federal law, companies must fully insure and fund their pension plans, but religious organizations are exempted from the requirements. Dignity Health and some other faith-based organizations are seeking a similar exemption, but dozens of lawsuits from employee groups have been filed. Also, news about hospital mergers, initiatives and studies.
Public Health Roundup: Obesity Epidemic Hurts American Longevity; Unsafe ‘Safe’ Food
Other public health developments related to good gut bacteria, treating breast cancer in pregnant women, Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks and the Mark Zuckerberg disease initiative make headlines.
Mothers Who Are Addicted Face Gut-Wrenching Choice: ‘Lose Our Kids Or Save Our Lives’
The struggles that come with treating an addiction are amplified for women who have children. Meanwhile, discarded drug needles that litter Methadone Mile in Boston paint the picture of heroin and opioid abuse in the city, two are indicted in Ohio for dealing drugs laced with an animal tranquilizer and more news about the opioid crisis.
Doctor Speaks Out In Attempt To Atone For Lying Under Oath To Protect Colleague
“I did it because there was a cultural attitude I was immersed in: You viewed all attorneys as a threat and anything that you did was OK to thwart their efforts to sue your colleagues,” Dr. Lars Aanning says in an interview with ProPublica. Aanning broke his silence over what he’d done decades earlier partly to give an explicit example of why physician testimony can’t be trusted in court.
Investors Flock To Gene-Editing Tool, Even Though No One Knows Who Owns It Yet
Crispr-Cas9 is embroiled in a high-stakes patent dispute for control over groundbreaking technology that can cut DNA and make repairs or changes to genes. But that hasn’t stopped companies from launching development programs that would use the tool.
35 States Sue Opioid-Maker Over Its Alleged Tactics For Keeping Generic Version Off Market
The lawsuit claims that Indivior persuaded the FDA to approve a dissolvable strip version of their drug by raising concerns that the tablet posed high exposure risks to children. Even though the agency rejected the claims, by the time the generics hit the marketplace, many patients had already switched over.
For Pharma, 9.9 Percent May Be Magic Number For Price Hikes On Drugs
Sliding in just below 10 percent lets pharmaceutical companies fly under the radar of regulators watching for double-digit increases. In other industry news, companies are freeze-drying drugs for long-distance transport, Rite Aid’s sales come in below expectations and new drugs may hold the key to treating migraines.