Latest KFF Health News Stories
ACA Marketplaces See Drop Among Customers Who Don’t Qualify For Federal Subsidies
From 2016 to 2018, 2.5 million people who were paying their entire Affordable Care Act premiums dropped out of the individual market. The administration says it’s a sign of Obamacare’s high prices, but supporters of the health law say it shows that Republican policies have undermined gains seen early in the law’s implementation.
More Patients Are Getting Hit With Surprise Medical Bills, And The Price Tags Are Going Up, Too
A study finds that over 42% of patients hospitalized or treated in an emergency room received surprise bills in 2016. “Out-of-network billing appears to have become common for privately insured patients even when they seek treatment at in-network hospitals,” the researchers concluded. As the costs of health care continue to grow for many Americans, two former collection agency executives are trying to make a dent by forgiving medical debt.
The attorneys general of both states said they would seek to overturn the new federal rule in court. Meanwhile, some states say the regulations could have serious implications for state economies.
Trump Administration Seeks To Thwart Immigrants Who May Use Public Assistance Programs
The rule would deny green cards to many migrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance.
Chief Adviser On Prescription Drug Pricing To Quit HHS
John O’Brien’s departure comes at a time when the political debate is intensifying over how to control drug costs. The Department of Health and Human Services says John Brooks, principal deputy director of the Center for Medicare, will “expand his current responsibilities to serve as senior advisor for drug-pricing reform.”
First Edition: August 13, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Louisiana Residents Can Go Online To Get Immunization Records As Part Of HHS-Backed Pilot Program
“This program will serve as a way to improve immunization rates throughout the state, reduce the administrative burden of immunization records requests for health care providers and empower patients to take greater control over their health,” said Dr. Alex Billioux, assistant secretary of the Office of Public Health. News on immunizations comes from Texas and Kansas, as well.
A selection of articles about health care from around the country, including North Carolina, New York, Louisiana, California, Florida and Massachusetts.
Opinion writers weigh in on these and other health topics.
Participation in Ohio Medicaid has dropped nearly every month the past two years, but numbers remain steady in SNAP and food bank enrollments. “We know roughly half the people who left Medicaid, it was for something related to the improvement in the economy,” Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran said. News on Medicaid is from Louisiana, as well.
News from state legislatures comes from California, Minnesota and North Carolina.
Newark Residents Promised Bottled Water Over Worries Of Dangerous Lead In Public System
After an EPA letter cited insufficient home filters distributed by city, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said bottled water will be provided to residents with lead service lines. Meanwhile, the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Oregon has also been coping with unsafe drinking water for months. In other environmental health news: heat islands impact cities in summer and the EPA refuses to require cancer-warning labels on Roundup weedkiller.
Some patients rushed to the University Medical Center Of El Paso needed more than one surgery after being hit with bullets from an AK-47 style rife. Life-saving treatment still continues. News on gun violence comes from Ohio, California, Massachusetts and Missouri.
Among the selling points — the benefits of rural life.
Kaiser Permanente’s Net Income Soars To $2B In Second Quarter
The not-for-profit health system cites strong equity returns and an accounting change as reasons behind the strong jump. Other hospital and health system news comes out of California, Connecticut, Minnesota and Louisiana, as well.
Opioid Crisis Prompts Law Enforcement, Libraries To Embrace Experimental Solutions
A controversial program in western Massachusetts designates a wing of the county jail for court-ordered addiction treatment for men who have not committed a crime. Meanwhile, a number of libraries nationwide add social workers to their staffs to help the growing number of patrons with drug addiction or mental illness. In other news on the drug epidemic: an alleged online opioid drug dealer goes on trial.
HHS Sets Timetable For New Rules On Reproductive Health Care Funding
The changes to the Title X program will bar federally funded family clinics from referring women for abortions.
U.S. Removed From Canada’s List Of Countries It Uses To Control Drug Prices
In addition to the United States, Switzerland was also kicked off the reference list the Canadian government will use to regulate prescription drug costs. Meanwhile, Allscripts, Rite Aid and Novartis are in the news. And Stat interviews the FDA’s digital health chief about artificial intelligence devices.
Dems Seek To Make Curbing Gun Violence A Central Issue Of Campaign For The White House
Candidates gathered at a forum organized by gun-control advocates that was held at the Iowa State Fair, which attracts about 100,000 visitors a day. Iowa also will hold the nation’s first presidential nomination caucuses in February 2020.
Major Medical Groups Push For Tempered Gun Control
And, in the wake of the recent spate of mass shootings, public opinion polling indicates that Americans believe gun violence is a problem and support more restrictions on guns.
