Latest KFF Health News Stories
McConnell Says Senate GOP Will Go Forward With Push To Defund Planned Parenthood
This steps comes despite concerns from some GOP moderates. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama’s pick to run the Food and Drug Administration faced tough questioning during a Senate hearing.
Don’t Just Stick With Your Current Health Plan; Shop Around For 2016, Study Advises
Insurance premiums could jump 15 percent next year for millions of consumers if they keep their 2015 plans, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.
Half Empty Or Half Full: Differing Views Of Federal Health Law
A Wall Street Journal forum examines various perspectives about the successes and challenges of the Affordable Care Act. Also in the news, a report about the effect of the “coverage gap” on communities in Tennessee, guidance for people looking to enroll on the marketplaces, Rhode Island’s efforts to improve its tracking for health and human services benefits and South Dakota’s governor is expected to announce next month his preference on Medicaid expansion.
Study: Health Plan Buyers Will Save Money If They Shop
Premiums could jump 15 percent next year for millions if they keep 2015 plans, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Aid-In-Dying Advocacy Group Girds For Battles After California Victory
Compassion & Choices counts on human-interest stories to shape debate as 23 states weigh aid-in-dying bills this year.
Viewpoints: A Tool To Help The Mentally Ill; VA Bonuses; Shifts On Medicaid Expansion
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health issues in Florida, California, South Dakota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Texas, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Virginia Hospitals’ Safety Rankings Now Available Online
Meanwhile, a Vermont health care provider is launching an ambitious payment overhaul that will emphasize wellness. In other hospital news, a Mississippi community hospital that is slated to close Dec. 1 owes $315,000 in back taxes and the Pennsylvania owner of four of the state’s five most profitable mental-health hospitals is under investigation for Medicare and Medicaid practices.
Calif. Lawmakers Earn High Marks From Planned Parenthood For Reproductive Rights Policy Positions
Elsewhere, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services could, as of Dec. 1, revoke the license to perform abortions held by a local Planned Parenthood clinic. Also, in Indiana, Gov. Mike Pence awarded a $3.5 million contract to an anti-abortion nonprofit organization that pushes abstinence as the only method of birth control; most of the money will be spent providing services to pregnant women who choose not to have an abortion.
Meanwhile, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad accuses some of the state’s health care providers of using scare tactics to undermine Iowa’s Medicaid privatization effort.
Blood Cancer Drug Treatment Wins FDA Accelerated Approval
The drug treats multiple myeloma and is made by Johnson & Johnson. Also, new tools to fight antibiotic resistant “superbugs” emerge and the FDA readies more regulation on laboratory testing that sometimes produces incorrect results.
Health Care Leaders Overwhelmingly Support Government Action To Curb Drug Costs: Survey
According to Modern Healthcare’s latest survey of executives, 90 percent of CEOs polled say that the fast rise of prescription drug prices was undermining their company’s finances. In related news, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on cancer treatment costs that can reach $30,000 a month.
Medicare Enacts Major Reimbursement Change For Knee And Hip Replacements
To try to bring down costs and improve quality, payments and rewards will be tied to the results of the surgical procedure. Elsewhere, South Carolina ambulance owners complain that a Medicare experiment requiring patients to obtain prior authorization for non-emergency ambulance transportation is not being administered properly.
Sanders Challenges Clinton On Paid Family Leave
The Vermont senator has thrown his support behind a bill that would help reimburse workers who take time off work for some family issues. Hillary Clinton, who supports paid family leave, has not yet put out a similar plan. Also in the news, a fact checker disputes statements by Republicans Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina about the number of veterans who have died while awaiting treatment.
GOP Looks For Way To Get Senate To Pass Obamacare Repeal
Republicans are considering making big changes to their proposal to repeal the health law and defund Planned Parenthood — even perhaps scrapping the idea to deny the clinics money. Elsewhere, a court rules Congress must cooperate to find the source of a possible leak of government health-care policy in an insider-trading probe.
High Court Opts Not To Hear Case About Planned Parenthood Documents
The case was brought by New Hampshire Right to Life, which was seeking HHS documents about a $1 million federal contract awarded to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The Right to Life group was concerned that the federal money might be used to subsidize abortions.
New Health Plans Offer Discounts For Diabetes Care
Aetna is rolling out a special gold-level plan for 2016 that is aimed at providing better care for people with diabetes in the hopes of keeping them healthier—and their costs down. But it’s not clear the plans are a good buy.
In Caring For Sickest Infants, Doctors Tap Parents For Tough Calls
Doctors were once unquestioned authorities on how aggressively to treat the sickest and most premature babies. Now, they increasingly include parents in these wrenching choices.
New Brain Institute Plans To Refocus Third World’s Attention On Dementia As ‘Societal Issue’
The institute, which is being launched by the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Dublin, aims to help developing countries deal with rising numbers of cases.
Viewpoints: Tough Issues For FDA Nominee; A Mother’s Questions For Ben Carson
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.