Latest KFF Health News Stories
News outlets report on health issues in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Minnesota, Washington, Michigan, Utah and Pennsylvania.
Arkansas Governor Proposes Medicaid Integrity Unit
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says the investigators will use data and best practices to identify waste. In the meantime, Iowa’s children’s Medicaid program gets scrutiny over a proposal to allow private management.
Court Says Challenge To Florida Hospital Plan Can Go Ahead
Elsewhere, a deal to sell a California hospital chain meets less resistance at a public hearing than it did before, and a group of Texas hospitals sues to stop a doctor-owned hospital from getting an exception from federal law to double its size.
Government Watchdog Blasts Phoenix VA Hospital Over Urology Care
The report says some sick veterans died waiting for care at the Veterans Affairs hospital and that 45 percent waiting for urology services received delayed or no care.
Kasich Proposes Plan To Balance Budget In 8 Years
The Republican presidential hopeful’s proposal is light on details, but would transfer responsibility for Medicaid to the states, even after he successfully pushed his state to accept the health law’s expansion of the program.
FDA Warns IBM-Acquired Merge Healthcare About Monitoring Device Dangers
In other marketplace news, a judge orders records to be turned over related to a lawsuit over artificial hips made by a unit of Johnson & Johnson. And Bristol-Myers Squibb and Five Prime Therapeutics team to develop medicines for cancer and immune-system disorders.
Blood-Testing Startup Theranos Halts Most Finger-Prick Collections After FDA Pressure
In most of its tests, the company has stopped collecting blood drawn from the finger in tiny vials, or “nanotainers,” that the Food and Drug Administration considers to be unapproved devices. Theranos says its services are “accurate and reliable.”
Federal Prosecutors Subpoena Valeant In Prescription Drug Pricing Probe
Shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International slumped on news the company received subpoenas from U.S. attorney offices in New York and Massachusetts. The move is another sign that scrutiny of the biotech sector’s prices is likely to grow, according to one analyst.
UnitedHealth To Expand Into 11 Additional States’ Insurance Marketplaces
The largest U.S. insurer was initially hesitant about joining the state-based health insurance exchanges. California will be among the new states where UnitedHealth offers plans. News outlets also cover the insurance company’s third-quarter earnings reports.
Nearly A Third Of Medicare Beneficiaries Face Steep Premium Increases
The announcement about premiums and the lack of a Social Security cost-of-living increase made official what many seniors and politicians had been warning: 30 percent of beneficiaries will see their health insurance premiums soar in 2016. The White House and Congress are contemplating fixes, but the effort is mired in the GOP leadership problems on the Hill and budget talks.
Cigna To Pull Florida Plans From Health Exchange — Just Two Weeks Before Open Enrollment
Cigna’s Florida exit will impact 2016 plans that would have been available through the federal exchange starting Nov. 1. Also in the news, Pennsylvania regulators say the cost of premiums for individual health plans will rise in the year ahead; while Connecticut reports that the state’s uninsured rate drops below figures from the U.S. Census.
Medicaid Spending Rises 14% As Health Law Expands Eligibility, Report Finds
Because the federal government covers the cost of expansion for the first several years, states that opted for the program are not yet feeling any pinch, according to the research from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Obama Administration Expects Small Health Law Enrollment Growth In Upcoming Open Season
Some news outlets called the forecast of a small increase in enrollment through the health law’s insurance exchanges “pessimistic.” Officials acknowledged that cost was a concern for some consumers searching for coverage.
First Edition: October 16, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The clinics have agreed to disclose more fully which health insurance plans consider them “in network.”
Dementia Also Takes Toll On Unpaid Caregivers, Study Shows
The research shows 77 percent of those with dementia receive routine help with household tasks or personal care such as bathing and dressing. Only 20 percent of the 33 million people without dementia received similar help.
HHS: Remaining Uninsured Worry About Costs Of Coverage
The Obama administration expects 1 million more people to be enrolled in marketplace coverage by the end of 2016.
Medicaid Spending Soars — Mostly In Expansion States
New report finds the annual increase in Medicaid spending is the largest in at least two decades, spurred by the federal health law expansion.
Viewpoints: Kasich’s Medicaid Success; Abortion Issues And The High Court
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Mental Illness in Africa; Living With Lupus; Agriculture’s Impact On Nutrition
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.