Latest KFF Health News Stories
ACOs Save Medicare $466M Last Year But Quality Improvements Are Mixed
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announces that a third of the accountable care organizations will receive bonuses, which are awarded in part on performance and quality marks. ACOs care for about 7.7 million Medicare beneficiaries.
HHS Report Finds Expanding Medicaid Helps Keep Marketplace Premiums Lower
The researchers say that premiums for insurance purchased on the health law’s online marketplaces are about 7 percent lower in states that have expanded their Medicaid programs. In other news, Alabama’s House passes a bill to help fund Medicaid with a lottery, South Dakota advocates begin preparing to fight again to expand Medicaid and some experts say doctor house calls might help save Medicaid money.
Obamacare Affordability And Access Become Issues In Competitive Senate Campaigns
Politico reports that some of the steepest premium hikes requested by insurers are in swing states that could determine Senate control. Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune looks at the Department of Health and Human Services’ guidance to consumers on the issue.
Sen. Manchin Shares Parents’, Lawmakers’ Concerns About EpiPen Pricing
The West Virginia senator’s statement is noteworthy because his daughter, Heather Bresch, is the CEO of Mylan, the company that markets EpiPen, and at the center of this week’s price tag controversy.
A Monopoly, FDA Oversight And Other Factors That Contributed To The EpiPen Controversy
Reports put the ongoing fracas over the soaring price tag of this emergency allergy medication into context by detailing a range of factors including why EpiPens are not reusable and legal challenges related to price gouging.
Very Public EpiPen Pricing Brawl Offers Case Studies In Social Media, P.R. Crisis Management
Parents used social media to challenge Mylan’s price hikes while the company’s CEO is responding with a message that their anger should be focused on the nation’s broken health system. Meanwhile, the topic is getting play on the presidential campaign trail and from congressional lawmakers. Even actress Sarah Jessica Parker has jumped into the fray, announcing that she will end her association with Mylan.
Mylan’s Offer Of EpiPen Discounts Meets With Criticism
Critics reacted by pointing out that the company did not lower the list price of the EpiPen, which has risen to $600 for a pack of two from about $100 in 2007. Many experts also said the company’s move to provide “savings cards” was more of a public relations move that wouldn’t have much overall impact.
First Edition: August 26, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Report For State Insurance Commissioners Offers Options To Improve Drug Access
The report describes steps that states could take to address a number of drug-coverage issues in the commercial insurance market.
‘Mental Health First Aid’ — Chirlane McCray On How N.Y.C. Is Fixing The System
“Every city’s not New York City,” but the Big Apple’s first lady hopes that the city’s efforts to address mental health access issues could be replicated across the country.
In Boston’s ‘Safe Space,’ Surprising Insights Into Drug Highs
As doctors and nurses learn more about what the body goes through during drug use, they are changing the treatment they provide for patients on heroin and other drugs.
Viewpoints: A Strategy To Lower Drug Prices; Guiliani’s Health; Single-Payer Is Inevitable
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Debate On EpiPens: ‘Outrageous’ Price Increase; FDA’s Regulations To Blame
Editorials and commentators wrestle with the issue of spiraling cost of EpiPens, which are used to stop a deadly allergic reaction.
Longer Looks: Diagnosing Mental Illness, Epi-Pen Price Hikes and Zika
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Outlets report on health news from Indiana, Ohio, New York, Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Texas, Massachusetts, California and Michigan.
Three Mt. Sinai Hospitals To Pay $3M In Medicare, Medicaid Overpayments
In other state hospital news, there’s a new program for Georgia’s rural hospitals. Also, news outlets provide updates on the fiscal health of hospitals in Massachusetts and funding plans for Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
Two Fla. Hospitals Opt Not To Bill Victims Of Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Orlando Health and Florida Hospital are forgiving about $5.5 million in related medical costs.
Pfizer Targets AstraZeneca’s Antibiotics Portfolio With Latest Acquisition
In other pharmaceutical and marketplace news, the Food and Drug Administration rejects Amgen’s petition for a new application for its hormonal imbalance therapy drug. And KQED reports on Silicon Valley’s new focus on nootropics.
Public Health Roundup: Surprise Player In Scopes Contamination; How Poor Kids Are Treated At ERs
Meanwhile, a study finds that paid sick leave reduces cases of the flu because workers are more inclined to stay home when sick. And homeless advocates and public health officials are at odds over the Obama administration’s plan for a smoking ban in public housing.
Study Finds Strong Evidence Of Increased Cancer Risk Linked To Obesity
An earlier review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer linked excess body fat to five types of cancer, while its latest study adds eight more to that list. In other news on the disease, media outlets report on a gene test that may help predict when a woman with breast cancer can skip chemotherapy.