Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: President Obama On Curbing Opioid Abuse; Is This The End Of Entitlement Reform?
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care issues in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida and Wyoming.
Health Officials Confirm Sexually Transmitted Zika Case In Texas
Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company hopes to build off its work with dengue fever in the race to create a vaccine. And states are stepping up to offer prevention measures.
Study: Allowing Surgeons-In-Training To Work Longer Hours Doesn’t Affect Patient Safety
The study comes as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is reassessing strict rules that were put in place to combat any issues brought on by fatigue. Some resident directors are pushing back against the restrictions.
Insurers Face Lawsuits Alleging They’re Unfairly Rationing Expensive Hep C Drugs
A handful of cases nationwide are aimed at forcing insurers to provide the necessary drugs to patients regardless of the high cost. Elsewhere, in Montana, a woman is suing her health care providers because she says they failed to diagnose her unborn child’s cystic fibrosis.
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
Kaiser Health News is now producing California Healthline, with the goal of bringing you the best coverage of health policy news in California. Click here to learn more about the site and its staff. If you would like to receive the free California Healthline daily or weekly emails, you can adjust your email preferences here.
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.