Latest KFF Health News Stories
Want Into A Clinical Trial? Read This First.
Experimental drugs might help desperate patients, but don’t count on an easy cure.
For Hospitals, Treating Violence Beyond The ER Is Good Medicine And Good Business
Hospitals increasingly view violence as a health concern and are developing initiatives designed to improve long-term community health.
Even With ‘Skin In The Game,’ Health Care Shoppers Are Not More Savvy
High-deductible health plans don’t necessarily trigger comparison shopping or informed health care choices by consumers, according to a survey published in Tuesday’s JAMA Internal Medicine.
Viewpoints: Talking About Drug Prices; How Big Data Could Focus The Cancer ‘Moonshot’
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Health policy opinions and editorials express responses to campaign trail developments.
News outlets report on health care developments in Alabama, California, Ohio and Florida.
Neb. Lawmakers To Offer Bill To Expand Medicaid Modeled On Arkansas’ Private Option
The Nebraska legislature has refused in three previous attempts to expand Medicaid, but a new proposal would set up a plan that uses government funds to purchase private insurance for Medicaid enrollees. Also, Ohio is looking at some changes in its Medicaid expansion program.
Survey: 40 Percent Of Physicians Report Bias Toward Certain Patients
Doctors reported that factors such as emotional problems, weight, intelligence, language barriers and attractiveness determined how they viewed a patient. Other media outlets examine if a yearly physical is necessary, a new procedure for cataract blindness, and organ transplant numbers.
Drug Overdoses Causing Mortality Rates Not Seen Since AIDS Epidemic
In 2014, the overdose death rate for whites ages 25 to 34 was five times its level in 1999, and the rate for 35- to 44-year-old whites tripled during that period. Meanwhile, the research backs using medications to treat drug addiction, but clinics are not offering them to their patients; health insurers are taking steps to help battle the growing epidemic; and doctors look to treatments other than opioids to deal with chronic pain.
Abortion Rights Activists Say New N.C. Ultrasound Law Is Creating State ‘Stockpile’ Of Sonograms
But proponents contend that the law offers stronger oversight of the state’s prohibition of abortion after 20 weeks. Meanwhile, thousands turn out for a “March for Life” event in Chicago.
As ‘Precision Medicine’ Evolves, Vagueness And Hype Still Surround Concept
Doctors meet in Philadelphia to discuss the future of precision cancer medicine. Meanwhile, Obama administration policy developments on patient access to medical records, gun control steps and NIH’s cancer database all make headlines.
Drug Makers: Most People Don’t Pay Retail
Executives are pushing back against the recent outcry over high drug costs, saying media outlets are focusing on the list prices rather than the discounted ones they say consumers are actually paying. In other pharmaceutical news, Merck settles a class action lawsuit over a painkiller it pulled from the market, and the costs of targeted cancer drugs is growing.
UnitedHealth Posts $720M Loss From Health Law Plans, But Tops Analysts’ Profit Forecasts
The biggest U.S. insurer got a boost from its pharmacy benefit management business, but the company will evaluate in the first half of this year whether it will continue to offer Obamacare plans in 2017.
As Enrollment Period Nears Close, Advocates Ponder Why Texas Sign-Ups Lag
The Dallas Morning News examines why Texas is not as successful as Florida in signing up people for health insurance. Also in the news is a look at hospitals’ efforts to get into insurance networks and a reminder to consumers that penalties for not having a plan will rise in 2016.
Ryan Vows To Have Health Care Platform Ready For Republican Nominee
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., says Republicans in Congress will craft a five-point agenda looking at national security, the economy, health care, poverty and the Constitution. In other Capitol Hill news, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota is opening an inquiry over the deaths of drug-dependent newborns.
Barbs Fly At Debate As Clinton, Sanders Battle Over Health Care
In the last Democratic faceoff before the Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders’ heated words underscore the ever-narrowing race between the two. In a series of pointed exchanges, Clinton continued her attack on Sanders’ newly released “Medicare for all” health plan, while Sanders went after her ties to Wall Street.
Sanders Unveils Details For Single-Payer Health Care Plan
On Sunday, after receiving criticism from front-runner Hillary Clinton for not providing the details of his universal health care plan, Sen. Bernie Sanders outlined his vision, which would cost $1.38 trillion a year and include a 2.2 percent tax increase on all income.
First Edition: January 19, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Determining Whether A Marketplace Plan Covers Abortion Is Still Difficult
Many insurers leave out information about abortion coverage on the summary of benefits and coverage.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.