Latest KFF Health News Stories
Scrutiny On Insurance Mergers Intensifies As 15 State AGs Join Justice Department Probe
The group will look at Aetna’s plan to buy Humana and Anthem’s bid for Cigna. Elsewhere, the health care insurers providing individual plan coverage in Delaware are fined over regulation violations.
Shire-Baxalta $32B Merger Would Create Powerhouse Rare-Disease Drugmaker
Big companies used to steer clear of rare-disease drugs because there aren’t enough patients to make them profitable, but that has changed as the market has sustained high prices. In other pharmaceutical news, drug companies launch a cooperative effort to fight cancer, the Supreme Court lets a ruling on deceptive marketing of an anti-psychotic drug stand, and states look at ways to combat high prices.
Task Force Maintains That Fewer Mammograms Are Needed
The final set of guidelines from the government panel supports a range of choices for women when it comes to breast cancer screening. They recommend women in their 50s get a mammogram every two years, but women in their 40s should weigh the pros of early detection against the cons of a false positive, which could bring anxiety and unnecessary medical treatment with it. The guidelines are already proving controversial as advocates and lawmakers back early screenings.
CMS To Expand Care With 21 ‘Next Generation ACOs’
The accountable care organizations work to improve quality and lower costs, with measures as simple as making sure patients receive regular follow-up visits and stay on their medications.
Clinton Critiques Sanders On Health Care As Lead Narrows
Hillary Clinton is sharpening her tone against her Democratic primary opponent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The front-runner, at a forum aimed at young voters, attacked Sanders’ health care platform as “risky,” saying he would “rip up” the health law thus making it vulnerable to Republican governors. In other 2016 election news, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker is challenging Marco Rubio’s recurring claim that he wounded the Affordable Care Act.
HCA Executive Says Health Law Will Drive Growth For His Hospitals
The drop in uninsured is helping the hospital chain. Also in news related to the federal health law, the New Hampshire insurance department releases a report on participation in that state.
N.H. GOP Lawmakers Will Consider Extending Medicaid Expansion Under Alternative Financing
The state’s expansion is slated to expire in 2016, and the House speaker says he won’t support an extension plan that includes public funding. In other states, Louisiana’s new governor renews his pledge to move forward with Medicaid expansion, but the proposal by South Dakota’s governor could hit some turbulence in the legislature.
Kentucky Governor Notifies Feds That He Plans To Dismantle State’s Health Exchange
Republican Gov. Matt Bevin campaigned on the promise that he would shut down kynect, which more than 100,000 people use. Kentucky is one of 14 states that run their own state health insurance exchanges, but the governor has said it’s “redundant” to the federal exchange.
Enrollment Rules To Tighten In Effort To Crack Down On ‘Bad Actors’
Insurers have complained that people are waiting to sign up on the exchanges until they are sick, which is driving premiums skyward. The Obama administration announced Monday it will eliminate or rework language to fight those who are taking advantage of the system.
First Edition: January 12, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Slipping Between Medicaid And Marketplace Coverage Can Leave Consumers Confused
KHN’s consumer columnist answers questions about how people can handle moving between the government health plan for low-income residents and the private plans offered on the federal health law’s exchanges.
Hospitals Step Up To Help Seniors Avoid Falls
Falls are the leading cause of injuries for adults older than 65, but they don’t have to happen. A number of new initiatives are designed to make seniors stronger and less likely to take a tumble.
Viewpoint: GOP’s Repeal Bill Could Be A Test-Run; Another Side Effect Of High Deductibles
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in California, Kansas, Wyoming, Texas, Washington, Chicago, West Virginia, Texas and Ohio.
Researchers Say Exercise Can Help Patients With Cancer, Diabetes
Although many oncologists and patients themselves may think rest is best for battling cancer, new analysis suggests that those who incorporated exercise into their care plan reported significantly better quality of life, as well as improvements with peak oxygen consumption, fatigue and length of hospital stay. Another study finds that patients with diabetes should be given specific instructions — or “prescriptions” — regarding exercise.
NIH Readies For Launch Of Ambitious Precision Medicine Research Project
Meanwhile, NPR examines how opioids work on the brain and KHN details a new strategy that incorporates telenovellas to raise awareness about kidney donation among Latinos. Other headlines highlight recent developments regarding brain cancer and teen smoking.
U.S. May End Program That Entices Cuban Doctors, Nurses Into Defecting While Abroad
The gesture would aim to improve relations with Cuba, which says the “reprehensible” practice’s goal is to “deprive Cuba and many other countries of vital human resources.” In other health care professional news, hospitalists in Oregon unionize after outsourcing is brought to their medical center.
Abortion Battle Takes Center Stage As N.C. Ultrasound Law Goes Into Effect
The legislation requires doctors who provide an abortion after the 16th week of pregnancy to also provide an ultrasound of the fetus to state officials, a provision that has already been implemented in Louisiana and Oklahoma. In other news, Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger’s grandson says he sees the same reproductive rights battles that his grandmother fought still playing out 100 years later.
Advocate Touts Patient Engagement As Crucial To Trials — And Drug Companies Are Listening
Engaging patients on clinical trial design can make it easier to recruit and retain participants, and it can prevent researchers from having to change the experiments once they have begun, says Bray Patrick-Lake, a patient-engagement proponent.
Drugmakers Begin 2016 With Price Increases
Vanda Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer are among the companies that exercised their pricing muscle even as criticism continues about these costs.