Latest KFF Health News Stories
News outlets report on health issues in California, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Washington state, Oregon, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina.
Iowa Lawmakers Launch Oversight Effort Regarding State’s Medicaid Privatization Plan
News outlets also report on Medicaid news in California and Ohio.
Report: Death Rates Tick Up For Middle-Aged Whites
The report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that mental health issues and addiction play a role in reversing decades of advances in longevity.
Medicare Sets Pricing Plan For Biotech Copycat Drugs
In other regulatory news, Medicare continues its scrutiny of short hospital stays, new patient protections for transgender people are imminent, the FDA considers further regulation of HIV drugs and a battle continues over a federal drug discount program.
Valeant Tells Doctors That Their Prescriptions Won’t Be Disrupted
Valeant Pharmaceuticals sent a letter to doctors to try to reassure them after the company severed its controversial business ties with specialty pharmacy Philidor. In other marketplace news, Quest Diagnostics expands its data analytics business, AmSurg suspends acquisition talks with Team Health and Pamplona announced plans to buy MedAssets for $1.86 billion.
As Arizona Co-Op Folds, 59,000 Must Search For Alternate 2016 Coverage
Meanwhile, reporters from KHN and PBS NewsHour discuss the factors that have contributed to the collapse of a growing number of nonprofit insurance co-operatives set up by the 2010 health law.
Montana Wins Federal Approval Of Medicaid Expansion Plan
The state’s plan, which won approval in a Republican-controlled legislature after a bitter fight, needed waivers from the federal government because the state is requiring participants to pay a small premium and take part in a jobs-skill survey.
Officials Urge Consumers To Shop Around For Health Coverage
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says Americans looking for health insurance should take the time to look for better deals. It’s a sentiment shared among many health law advocates, including the interim head of Minnesota’s health exchange.
With Premiums Up For Some, Obamacare Affordability Concerns Could Hurt Enrollment
In related news, The Washington Post maps the state-by-state rate changes for health law plans. Elsewhere, The Fiscal Times offers a primer on how to sign up during open enrollment season and The Hill reports on the status of the Cadillac tax debate.
Election Results Likely To Impact Medicaid Expansion Debate
Kentucky’s expansion of the health insurance program for low income people has been a hot topic in the state’s governor’s race. Similarly, in Virginia, the possibility of Medicaid expansion is tied to who wins control of the state Senate. News outlets also report on state ballot initiatives in California and New York.
Even In High-Deductible Plans, Some Service May Be Covered Without Cost To You
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions about high deductible plans, out of network benefits and increases in premium costs.
Texas’ Changing Relationship To Obamacare
For the moment, Texas Republicans still consider the Affordable Care Act to be political kryptonite, but the story on the local level is different: many moderates want the money that would come with expanding Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor.
Why Nearly Half Of The Obamacare Co-Ops Have Folded
As open enrollment begins for the health exchanges, one development that’s turning into a concern is the collapse of a number of alternative insurance plans known as co-ops. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey joins PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff to answer real Americans’ questions about shopping for coverage.
Viewpoints: Problems With GOP Tax Plans; Pass The Mental Health Bills
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Views On Health Enrollment: One Employer’s Experience; Cost-Shifting; Beware Bush’s Plan
Several columnists and editorials look at issues surrounding the opening of the health law’s marketplaces.
News outlets report on health issues in Iowa, Florida, Arkansas, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio.
Health Care Issues Play A Key Role In Hotly Contested Kentucky Governor’s Race
Republican Matt Bevin and Democrat Jack Conway are locked in a tight race, according to polls, to replace Gov. Steve Beshear. The election is viewed as a referendum on the health law, as Kentucky launched its own exchange and Beshear expanded Medicaid by executive order.
Risk Of Dying From Breast Cancer Grows For Black Women
Breast cancer is now as common among black women in the U.S. as it is among white women and black women are 42 percent more likely to die from the disease, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.
Trump Rolls Out Plan To Reform Veteran’s Health Care
One of the changes proposed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump includes the ability for eligible vets to see any private doctor or facility that accepts Medicare and receive immediate treatment.
Merck CEO Embarks On Drug Cost Information Campaign
Merck’s Ken Frazier wants to change the perception that pharmaceutical companies charge too much for drugs. Elsewhere, the drug makers AbbVie and Sanofi buy vouchers to get their drugs to market faster, and Valeant sees its value come back to earth after pressures to explain its business practices.