Latest KFF Health News Stories
The lawsuit highlights part of an ongoing war between insurance companies and providers over payment and billing issues, one that puts the patient right in the middle of the fight by sending payments straight to patients after they seek out-of-network care. In other health industry news: small company’s stock surge surprises investors; Johnson & Johnson sets ambitious goals; a CEO’s compensation package is revealed; and more.
Of the 25 largest PACs tied to physicians’ associations, 80 percent donated more to incumbent senators who voted against an expansion of background checks in June 2016 and 96 percent donated more to House lawmakers who didn’t co-sponsor a similar measure. “We think it’s important for those physicians to know where their dollars are going,” said Dr. Jeremiah Schuur, a co-author of the study. Gun news comes out of California, as well.
Desperate parents marched into the United States this weekend and demanded asylum hearings — a plan hatched by immigration lawyers who saw a quicker way to reunification than the bogged-down court system.
‘Tsunami Wave Of Women Veterans’ Puts Pressure On VA To Step Up With Health Care Services
About 500,000 women now use Veterans Affairs for health care, compared with 160,000 in 2001. VA officials say it is a priority to better serve those vets. Among basic issues the women face is finding doctors trained to deal with gynecological matters and ensuring that VA facilities have child-care services available when female veterans come for appointments. In other veterans’ health care news: alleged misconduct among VA physicians and nurses; a permanent director of the Veterans Health Administration; a new foundation geared toward veterans’ health; and more.
An Epidemic Of Nursing Home Closures In Rural Areas Leaves Vulnerable Residents With Few Options
More than 440 rural nursing homes have closed or merged over the last decade, and instead of being able to find new care in their homes and communities, many residents end up at different nursing homes far from their families.
At the crux of the matter: should fecal transplants be treated like a drug or like other organ transplants? The answer will determine how the FDA regulates the procedure, how much it costs and who gets to profit. In other pharmaceutical news: out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, patient advocacy groups’ ties to pharma; and kickbacks from drugmakers.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers express views about recent decisions on abortion.
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Ohio, California, Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Kansas and Colorado.
News from the state legislatures comes from Massachusetts, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Iowa.
The study’s findings will not change anyone’s “day-to-day life or medical practice any time soon,” said Heather Snyder, the Alzheimer’s Association’s senior director of medical and scientific operations. But they do give greater insight into what causes the disease. In other public health news, sleep, Ebola, trans fats, stress, child poverty, and health technology.
At least eight states, including some that experienced measles outbreaks this year, want to remove personal exemptions for the measles vaccine. And some states would remove the exemption for all vaccines. Currently 17 states permit personal and philosophical exemptions. Meanwhile, despite the outbreaks, hundreds of activists who oppose vaccination requirement turned out during a hearing for Oregon legislation that would tighten the state’s regulations.
The rule would prohibit taxpayer-funded family-planning clinics from making abortion referrals. Critics have said that the rule is targeted at Planned Parenthood in particular. Other news on abortion comes out of Tennessee, Georgia and Argentina.
The association wants Congress to boost subsidies, install a reinsurance program and resume reimbursements to insurers of cost-sharing reduction payments. In other health industry and insurer news: it appears unlikely that Congress will delay a health insurance tax next year and CVS taps a new chief information officer.
The current model is a statistical approach that gives more emphasis to certain measures over others in the star ratings based on a number of aspects, including variation in performance among hospitals for that measure or how much measures correlate to each other. CMS is asking for public comment on the model.
Bernie Sanders Calls On FDA To Allow Pharmacists To Sell Older, Lower-Cost Version Of $375,000 Drug
Until December, patients could get the drug for free through the FDA’s compassionate use program. Catalyst, the company that now sells the drug, has since triggered a firestorm of concern when it priced the medication at $375,000. In other pharmaceutical news: Maryland regroups after legal setback on legislation aimed at curbing price hikes; large majorities from both parties want Congress to focus on high costs; and more from the states.
Many of CanaRx’s buyers are city and county governments seeking to save money. “Such operations take advantage of unsuspecting Americans, by purporting to distribute safe and effective imported drugs, at least some of which are instead expired, mislabeled, subject to recalls or potentially counterfeit,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.
The legislation addresses a loophole in current law that enables some firearms to be transferred by licensed gun dealers before the required background checks have been completed. It’s a gap in safety measures that allowed a man to buy a gun and kill 9 people in a South Carolina church. It’s the second bill that passed the House in as many days to address background checks. In other news, conservatives see African-American advocates for gun rights as a way to gain new supporters.
