Latest KFF Health News Stories
CMS Shuts Down Medicare Tool Following Discovery Of Bug That May Have Exposed Consumers’ Data
The tool was launched to help beneficiaries better organize their medication lists. The potential breach was contained though to about 10,000 authorized users.
A report from the Office of Inspector General for HHS found that the reforms were too narrow and weren’t implemented at all the facilities. The review came after it was revealed that the agency protected a doctor who was abusing young boys in his care for decades. Other Trump administration news comes from the CMS, Justice Department and FCC.
According to a report produced for Senate Democrats, the Consumer Product Safety Commission approved recalls in a way that actually generated more business for the company at fault. That’s because rather than getting new, safe products or refunds following a recall, consumers are often offered discount coupons for new products.
Pharma Still Reeling As House Passes Trade Deal Without Market Exclusivity Provision
The North American trade pact is moving swiftly through Congress. The legislation is noticeably missing a provision that would have granted market exclusivity for biologics for 10 years. The removal of the protection was a big win for Democrats and a huge loss for the pharmaceutical industry. In other news: an Ebola vaccine, nerve drugs, biotech stocks, a subscription model for medication, and more.
Senate Sends Sweeping Spending Bill With Tobacco Age Ban, Gun Violence Funding To Trump
The $1.4 trillion package contained wins for both parties. But many major health care issues — such as surprise medical bills — were left untouched. Congress faced a Friday night deadline to approve the funding to avoid a shutdown. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the legislation.
Many questions remain following the appeals court’s decision to kick the case back down to a federal district judge, but the Affordable Care Act does remain intact for now. Meanwhile, Republicans get some political breathing room as they head into the 2020 elections because it’s unlikely the lawsuit will be in front of the Supreme Court anytime soon.
Bloomberg Unveils ‘Public Option’ Health Plan That Echoes Ones Presented By His Moderate Rivals
With his health care proposals, Democratic presidential race late-comer Michael Bloomberg stands in middle-of-the-road ground rather than steering into the progressive lanes of the party, where universal care and “Medicare for All” are more favored.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) exchange started out with some teasing, but escalated into shouting and interruptions as they touched on well-worn arguments about the status quo versus the costs of “Medicare for All.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) jumped in to redirect Sanders’ anger toward congressional Republicans instead of his rival candidates. But overall, health care played a much smaller role at the final debate of the year as “Medicare for All” sinks in popularity.
First Edition: December 20, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Strict State Abortion Laws Drawing National Attention As City-Level Rules Skate Under Radar
Several cities have used zoning restrictions to create prohibitive hurdles for abortion clinics in recent years. The most recent one, in a city in Tennessee, would effectively ban abortions within the city’s borders.
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, California, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kansas, Wyoming, Louisiana, Georgia and Missouri.
Research Roundup: Measles Antibodies; The Primary Care System; Ultraprocessed Food; And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Despite the fact that buprenorphine has changed the lives of those struggling with addiction, it still doesn’t have widespread support. Some worry that the medication, an opiate itself, is just replacing one addiction with another. But as the opioid continues to devastate the country, more and more are embracing the recovery method.
New Rites Of Passage: Death-Care Guides Allow Families More Time To Deal With Bodies Of Loved Ones
In some ways, it’s a return to earlier times when family members had to bathe the body and dig the grave rather than have them whisked off by a funeral home right after they pass away. Public health news is on abuse charges that went untried, organ donations, spinal cord injuries, minority physicians, taking holiday breaks, mental health resources for Muslims, addiction risk factors for Native Americans, and dealing with aging parents, as well.
ProPublica investigates how much a New Jersey plan that covers teachers paid out for specialists because it doesn’t have limits on out-of-network bills. More than 70 acupuncturists and physical therapists earned more than $200,000 in 2018 from their teacher clients alone, and one brought in more than $1 million.
The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 29 states, mostly in the South and Midwest, will be hit the hardest, with more than 50% of their residents considered obese. Other food news is on diabetes and healthier eating for 2020, as well.
In Surprising Turn, Grassley Accuses McConnell Of Sabotaging Senate’s Bipartisan Drug Pricing Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has outsized power in deciding the Senate’s schedule, has not slated the Senate Finance Committee’s drug pricing bill for a vote, largely because the package does not have widespread Republican support. In other pharmaceutical news: “one-and-done” therapies, generics lawsuits, and insulin costs.
Court Decision Offers Republicans Some Political Breathing Room Heading Into Contentious 2020
It’s a widely believed that attacking the health law — and its popular provisions that protect preexisting conditions — proved to be a political vulnerability for Republicans during the 2018 elections. Because the case has been kicked back down to the lower courts, that means a final decision on the law’s fate might not come until after the 2020 election cycle.
“Tonight’s ruling is a chilling threat to the 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions and every other family who depends on the lifesaving protections of the Affordable Care Act,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Meanwhile, insurers and other industry groups who have been living with turmoil for years over the fate of the law were concerned the decision only drags out the uncertainty. President Donald Trump heralded the ruling, vowing to protect the law’s popular provisions without giving details on how he would do so.
