Latest KFF Health News Stories
To Tackle Financial Distress, Hospitals, Health Systems Are Turning To Mergers
Modern Healthcare looks into the phenomenon of rising health care mergers and acquisitions being driven by financial pressures on health providers in the aftermath of the pandemic. Separately, Stateline explains how private equity-backed hospitals can see cutbacks and closures.
Another Study Finds Zika Virus Could Be Used To Treat Cancer
Researchers found that the deadly virus can be successfully used to tackle cancerous tissue in mice, and, stunningly, the treatment had very highly efficacy, and required just one injection. Separately, research into Zika infections in people found that reinfection is actually possible.
Insurance Marketplace Sign-Ups In Missouri Are Up 35% Over Last Year
Data on the record enrollments come from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Similarly, a record number of Marylanders signed up for coverage through the Maryland Health Connection, and ACA sign-ups during open enrollment in Connecticut are also at record highs.
Congress Passes Stopgap Bill That Funds Health Agencies Until March
Funding for federal health care programs was extended until March 1 or March 8 by the temporary spending measure passed by the House and Senate Thursday, including HHS, FDA, VA, community health centers, special diabetes programs, some medical education programs, and more.
Drugmakers Raise Retail Prices On 775 Drugs Like Ozempic, Xolair, Shingrix
Drugs and vaccines for weight loss, asthma, shingles, heart disease, osteoporosis, and other conditions were among the medications for which prices will be hiked the most. The price of a handful of drugs will be dropped including some insulin products and antidepressants.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
New Mexico Alleges Kids On Facebook, Instagram Are Often Sexually Harassed
Newly unredacted material about Meta’s child-safe policies is showing up during a lawsuit filed by New Mexico that alleges failures to protect young users of the social media platforms. Separately, Iowa is suing video social media platform TikTok over inappropriate content shown to children.
Viewpoints: How Does The Public Health Sector Regain Public Trust?; The Danger Of Weight Loss-Drugs
Editorial writers tackle public health, weight-loss drugs, ACA and more.
Research Roundup: Transplants; Fungal Diseases; C. Diff; Covid
Each week, KFF Health News offers a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
US Cancer Data Has A Dichotomy: Deaths Are Falling, But Cases Are Up
Though cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the U.S., new data from the American Cancer Society show that deaths from cancer are falling. ABC News notes that colon and breast cancer cases in younger people are showing a troubling uptick.
If You’re A Minority Child In The US, Your Health Care Is Worse: Report
Surprising no one, a meta-analysis of studies into health care quality for minority children in the U.S. found that quality is universally worse than it is for white kids. Reports also show that women and minorities in the U.S. experience more medical misdiagnoses.
Researchers Mapped Covid Virus 2 Weeks Before China Disclosed To World
The Wall Street Journal reports that a Chinese lab sequenced the coronavirus in December 2019. The Chinese government did not reveal details for another 2 weeks, raising further questions about information transparency in the early days of the pandemic.
Insurance Claims Study: Kentucky Is Top State For Ozempic Prescriptions
Claims data analyzed by PurpleLab show that in Kentucky, about 2 in 100 people were prescribed an obesity drug like Ozempic in 2023. Meanwhile, an interesting development in the sometimes controversial field of male birth control is in the news, with a contraceptive called “Plan A.”
San Francisco’s Overdose Deaths Reached Record Highs Last Year
Fatalities in the first 11 months of 2023 surpassed the previous peak of 726 deaths in all of 2020, new data from the medical examiner’s office show. In South Dakota an effort to make xylazine (the animal sedative showing up in illegal fentanyl doses) a controlled substance advanced.
CMS Approves Texas’ Plan For A Year Of Medicaid Coverage For New Mothers
Texas mothers will now be able to stay on Medicaid for a year after childbirth, in a move aimed at helping those on low-incomes. Meanwhile, also in Texas parents in Uvalde are said to be bracing themselves for a long-awaited report into police response failures in the mass shooting in the town.
Biden Admin Rule Forces Insurers To Not Dilly-Dally On Prior Authorization
A new rule now applies to health insurance companies that offer Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Obamacare plans. It forces insurers to explain specifically why they denied coverage, and to speed up the pre-approval process.
Copay Coupons Will Count Toward Deductibles
The Biden administration on Tuesday withdrew its appeal of a September ruling, meaning insurers must count drug copay coupons when calculating deductibles and patient spending caps, in most cases. Meanwhile, a report in The New York Times digs into the thorny issue of why drug prices are so astronomically high in the U.S.
Doc Pay Fix, Health Centers Fail To Make Spending Deal Cut In Talks
Stat reports that, for the moment, efforts have stalled to add health policy measures—including the Medicare doctor pay rates and more funding for community health centers—to the federal spending measures under negotiation.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers discuss private health information, IVF, a measles outbreak, and more.