Latest KFF Health News Stories
High Costs After Treatment Blindside Patients
An Ohio woman becomes a victim of a practice called provider-based billing and a woman in California gets a surprise “paramedic response” bill.
In other marketplace news, shares of the wunderkind Axovant Sciences were down 40 percent Tuesday from the post-IPO peak, and the trial begins regarding a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson alleging a link between its talcum powder and ovarian cancer.
After Drug Makers, Insurers Could Be Next Target Of Clinton’s Attacks Over Health Costs
“People may remember that I took on the health insurance industry back in the nineties,” Hillary Clinton said at a recent event in Iowa. In other 2016 election news, a bipartisan group examines Sen. Bernie Sanders’ plan to pay for universal health care and reports that it falls far short of estimates and The Washington Post’s Fact Checker calls out Sen. Ted Cruz’s premium claims.
Obama Will Ask For More Than $1 Billion To Combat Opioid Epidemic
The administration’s proposal focuses on expanding treatment for abuse and providing access to the so-called overdose antidote naloxone.
Hundreds Jam First Idaho Legislative Hearing On Medicaid Expansion
The Senate committee hears a handful of residents testify but takes no action on the Democratic bill since the governor also is expected to make a proposal soon. In New Hampshire, a House committee advances a bill that would continue that state’s expansion.
Leader Of Calif. Marketplace Faults Insurer For Blaming Health Law For Internal Problems
Peter Lee said UnitedHealth Group made mistakes but failed to acknowledge them. Also in health law news is a report on how small-business owners are dealing with provisions about insuring workers and a look at how the insurance business is changing.
‘$1B Here We Come’: Congressional Memos Expose Shkreli’s Emails About Price Hikes
Ahead of Thursday’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on drug costs, congressional Democrats release documents from former Turing CEO Martin Shkreli and others that reveal how the company planned to maximize profits and control public perception.
House Republicans Fall Short On Health Law Veto Override Vote
The vote was not expected to be successful, but it provided congressional Republicans more fodder for election-year messaging.
First Edition: February 3, 2016
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Head Of California Exchange Scolds UnitedHealth For Blaming Woes On Obamacare
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, says the giant insurer’s complaints about ACA exchanges are “total spin and unanchored in reality.”
Buying Supplemental Insurance Can Be Hard For Younger Medicare Beneficiaries
Congress left it to states to determine whether private Medigap plans are sold to the more than 9 million disabled people younger than 65 who qualify for Medicare. The result: rules vary across the country.
Surprise! Here’s Another Bill For That ‘Paramedic Response’
California cities increasingly are billing patients for paramedic services that they say were not covered by insurers. One 85-year-old woman took on city hall.
Bosses Find Part-Time Workers Can Come With Full-Time Headaches
Health law requirements that small employers offer insurance to full-time workers prompted some fast-food restaurants to convert more employees to part time. Now owners are rethinking that approach.
Study Finds No Harm In Allowing Surgeons-In-Training To Work Longer Shifts
Researchers found little difference in patient outcomes or satisfaction after placing restraints on medical residents’ working conditions in the past decade. Officials have previously sought to prevent inexperienced doctors from making mistakes caused by fatigue.
Viewpoints: Questions About Obamacare Sustainability; The Real Costs Of Repealing The Cadillac Tax
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Fla. Weighs Hospital Transparency Bill; Ky. Lawmakers Approve New Abortion Law
News outlets report on health care issues in Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, Kansas, Washington and Illinois.
Kansas Medicaid Eligibility System Leads To Long Waits For Determination
News outlets also report on Iowa Medicaid developments such as competition among participating health care companies and more issues with the governor’s privatization plan.
DNA Testing May Prove Key To Employee Wellness Programs
Newtopia, a wellness service company that offers genetic testing to employees, has shown promising results. About 50 percent of participants remain “engaged” a year after starting the program, compared to a national average of 24 percent for wellness efforts. In other public health news, CDC tweaks its HPV vaccination recommendations; American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists updates its philosophy on breastfeeding; and colleges are teaching students how to avoid unplanned pregnancies.
WHO Declares Zika A Global Health Emergency
Even though the tie between the virus and microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads, is still unclear, the World Health Organization says the seriousness of the cases is a strong enough reason for the designation.
Hospital operators and administrators are also preparing for the possibility of more reductions in Medicare and Medicaid fees in the upcoming budget cycle.