Latest KFF Health News Stories
CMS: Theranos’ Practices Pose ‘Immediate Jeopardy’ To Patient Health
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has threatened the blood testing startup with sanctions if it does not address the issues.
GOP Lawmakers, Citing Benefits Of Medicaid In N.H., Offer Plan To Extend Expansion Program
“This is an important debate to many of my constituents,” said Republican Rep. Joe Lachance of Manchester, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Democrats in Georgia press for Medicaid expansion.
Anthem Blames Poor Profit Showing On Health Law
The second-largest U.S. insurer says it had about 800,000 enrollees under the Affordable Care Act, which was 30 percent less than projected. It warns that premiums for those individuals will go up next year.
Advocates In Oklahoma Face Stiff Challenges Signing People Up For Health Plans
Officials and residents in the conservative state have been keenly resistant to the health law, The New York Times reports. Also, CNBC examines how a few people who have a high net worth but little income can qualify for government health subsidies.
Poll: Only 15% Of Uninsured Know Enrollment Deadline Is Approaching
And about two-thirds of those uninsured Americans surveyed had not been contacted about signing up for coverage before enrollment ends Jan. 31. However, in the same poll, a vast majority of those with insurance reported they were satisfied with their health care services.
First Edition: January 28, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Despite Kvetching, Most Consumers Satisfied With Health Plans: Poll
The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 71 percent of people with insurance believe their services are excellent or good.
A Deeper Look Into The Planned Parenthood Videos And Indictment
KHN’s Julie Rovner joined four other panelists Wednesday on WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show, where they discussed what makes an undercover investigation criminal and the ongoing political battle over Planned Parenthood’s role and funding.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in Montana, Minnesota, Maryland, Kansas, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, California, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin.
Publicly Funded Health Coverage For Flint Kids Sought By Michigan Governor
Gov. Rick Snyder will petition the Obama administration to allow Medicaid and other health services to be expanded to the children in Flint, Mich., exposed to lead and other pollutants by tainted water. And the NAACP and Flint residents draw up a 15-point plan to help address the public health emergency.
Heated Dispute Over Efforts To Privatize Iowa Medicaid Touches Presidential Campaign
The governor’s plan to turn Medicaid services over to private insurers is raising concerns in the state, and Hillary Clinton is drawn into the debate. Meanwhile, state Medicaid programs are in the news in Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Big Pharma Sees Opportunity In Internet Options, But Privacy Concerns Loom
New medical technology will allow companies to develop products that help patients keep track of their dosages and let doctors access that information instantly, but security experts warn that medical information is worth more than credit cards on the black market. In other pharmaceutical news, “biosimilars” get a boost across the pond.
Coalition Explores Options To Measure Workers’ Health For Financial Reporting
A working group of employers, including IBM, PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson, has been weighing options on how best to collect, interpret and report data about their employees’ health in annual reports and other financial statements.
Fidelity To Introduce Health Shopping Website For Employer-Based Insurance, Other Benefits
The Fidelity Health Marketplace, a site also known as a private health exchange, will be targeted at businesses with as many as 2,500 workers. Also in the news, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to begin audits this year of about 350 health care providers to examine their compliance with patient privacy regulations.
Obama Calls For Accelerated Research Efforts On Zika
However, doctors warn finding a vaccine for the virus that is linked to birth defects won’t happen overnight. Other health experts are optimistic on the U.S.’s ability to contain the virus when it does come to the states, saying an outbreak is unlikely.
CMS Guidance On Hospital Readmissions Urges Improved Care For Vulnerable Patients
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is urging hospitals to team up with social workers and non-medical personnel in an effort to cut back on readmission rates for many minority and low-income patients.
Sanders Becomes Third Senator To Block Obama’s FDA Nominee
“Dr. [Robert] Califf’s extensive ties to the pharmaceutical industry give me no reason to believe that he would make the FDA work for ordinary Americans, rather than just the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies,” Democratic presidential primary candidate Bernie Sanders says.
Analysts: Trump’s Medicare Drug Pricing Proposal Plagued With Pitfalls
In a move that stunned Republican health care experts, Donald Trump called for Medicare to negotiate drug prices, an idea championed by Democrats. But he faces the same limits as they do with the proposal: Without leverage to say “no” to certain drugs because of the cost, the negotiation proposals that are left don’t net big savings for Medicare.
‘Trump Cannot Be Trusted,’ Anti-Abortion Groups Say
On Tuesday, a group of 10 anti-abortion leaders wrote an open letter to Iowa voters imploring them to vote for “anyone but Donald Trump,” saying they worry about his commitment to the cause.