Latest KFF Health News Stories
Worlds Apart: Vast Disparities In Treatment Separate Americans With HIV
Poverty and mental illness are among problems keeping about two-thirds of those infected — mainly minorities — from receiving treatment.
First Edition: December 24, 2015
NOTE TO READERS: KHN’s First Edition will not be published from Dec. 25 through Jan. 1. Look for it again in your inbox Jan. 4. Here’s today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Medicare Payment Changes Lead More Men To Get Screening Colonoscopies
The health law waived Medicare’s Part B deductible and dropped the 20 percent copayment for the preventive tests.
Viewpoints: Young Adult Enrollment Is Encouraging; Work Injuries Often Unreported
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in New Jersey, Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan.
Backlash Prompts Idaho To Delay Cuts To In-Home Care Medicaid Reimbursements
Disability providers, who were told to expect a 46 percent cut in the reimbursement they receive each day, say the move will hurt the quality of patient care. In other state Medicaid news, North Carolina alters its policy to cover breastfeeding services.
HCA Reaches $2M Settlement In Whistleblower Case
The executive director of the cardiovascular program at HCA’s Fairview Park Hospital in Georgia alleged that doctors at one of the chain’s hospitals were performing unnecessary heart procedures. Elsewhere, Illinois’ attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission seek to block a proposed merger in the Chicago area, and a Washington patient will receive $1.5 million after a negligence verdict was reached.
Who Should Take Statins? Task Force Is Updating Guidance For Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment
Meanwhile, news outlets cover other public health stories including lawmakers calling for emergency funding to help drug-dependent newborns, HIPAA loopholes in mental health cases and doctors encouraging good nutrition habits by shopping with patients.
Utah Can Halt Planned Parenthood Funding While Lawsuit Goes Forward, Judge Rules
Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is suing the state after Republican Gov. Gary Herbert cut off $275,000 in federal funds for sexually transmitted disease testing and sex education programs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will review how federal officials currently oversee fetal tissue research.
Failures Persist In Veteran Care, Even As Reforms Are Trumpeted In Washington
Despite the national outcry to improve the quality of VA care, a USA Today investigation finds veterans on the ground aren’t seeing a difference. “I no longer trust them to fix me when I’m broken,” Stanley Christian Jr., a helicopter pilot who flew in Vietnam, says. “And, you know, a 70-year old man get(s) broken.”
From Free To $100,000-A-Year?: Cost Of Experimental Autoimmune Drug Could Skyrocket
People suffering Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder, have found relief from an experimental drug that one pharmaceutical company distributes free. Now another company is seeking FDA approval, which would give it exclusive rights to distribute — and charge an estimated $37,500 to over $100,000 per patient, per year. Elsewhere, The Washington Post examines the trends in drug spending.
Clinton Reveals $20B Plan To Cure Alzheimer’s By 2025
About 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and by 2050 that number is expected to grow to 15 million, disproportionately affecting women and minorities. By then, if the government’s spending on the disease stays the same, it would cost Americans $1 trillion a year.
States See Boost In Federal Exchange Sign-Ups
Media outlets report on enrollment numbers from Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut and Kansas.
HHS Touts Strong Enrollment Numbers In Coveted Young Adult Demographic
More than 8.2 million people have signed up or renewed health coverage on the federal marketplace for 2016. Of those, 2.1 million are under 35, close to double what it was at this point last year.
First Edition: December 23, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Hands Off That Frozen Pizza! Docs Advise Customers As They Shop
An Orange County, California hospital system is posting doctors at supermarkets to help customers make healthier choices. It’s part of a larger national effort among hospitals to improve community health outcomes.
Viewpoints: Cruz’s FDA Plan Falls Short; Fixing U.S. Opioid Abuse; Parents’ Fear Of Concussions
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in Florida, South Carolina, California, Virginia, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri and Connecticut.
An investigation explores how the state’s mental hospitals focus on preparing some alleged offenders with mental health issues for trial rather than treating the underlying mental illness. Meanwhile, advocates say mental health issues will be at a “critical juncture” in the 2016 Kansas legislative session as momentum builds behind movements away from institutionalization and toward community-based care.
Iowa Governor: Medicaid Recipients Can Be Reassigned To Remaining 3 Companies
The Iowa Department of Human Services will enroll the 140,000 that need coverage after the state terminated its contract with a private company. Meanwhile, the delay in the state’s efforts to privatize Medicaid may leave some children without access to care.