Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: February 1, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on these health care issues and others.
Opinion writers express views on health care reform.
Research Roundup: Long-Term Support For Older Americans; Outpatient Care; And Heart Health
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Texas, California, Georgia, Colorado and Ohio.
Abortion Debate Flares In Virginia After Lawmaker Defends Late-Term Abortion Bill In Viral Video
Democratic Delegate Kathy Tran was asked if her bill would allow abortion up until the moments before birth. The video has sparked backlash that only grew more heated after Gov. Ralph Northam talked about situations where an infant who is severely deformed or unable to survive after birth could be left to die. News on abortion comes out of Texas, Wyoming and Ohio.
Drug Prices May Be Going Up, But Thanks To Rebates, Consumers Are Actually Paying Less
Drug companies are offering bigger discounts to the middlemen who manage prescriptions for health plans, which means less of a hit to consumers’ wallets. In other pharmaceutical news: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and PhRMA, rationing insulin, and Anthem’s 2019 forecast.
This Former Football Star Had It All, It Seemed. Then He Killed Himself.
Jason Hairston suspected he had the degenerative brain disorder CTE. An autopsy confirmed his theory. In other public health news: gene-editing human embryos, diabetes, heart disease, independent seniors, drug recalls, and social media.
Might Need To Chuck Your Chicken Nuggets: Both Tysons, Perdue Recall Products For Different Reasons
No one has gotten sick from the bits of rubber and the allergen milk finding their way into the popular food, according to the USDA, but the more than 100,000 pounds have been recalled, and consumers are advised to return them to the store or throw them out.
The success rate was still low — less than 20 percent — but researchers were pleased with the results. “We know that patients are asking about e-cigarettes and many doctors haven’t been sure what to say,” said Dr. Nancy Rigotti, a tobacco treatment specialist at Harvard Medical School. “I think they now have more evidence to endorse e-cigarettes.” Others, however, warned against recommending e-cigarettes as a cessation treatment option.
Proposed Medicare Advantage Rate Hikes For 2020 Well Below What Plans Received In 2019
CMS is also giving Medicare Advantage plans more flexibility to cover benefits that will improve health for the chronically ill, thanks to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
“It matters because physicians use prescribed drugs on the presumption they have been adequately tested and rely on FDA approval,” said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a co-author of the research. “They feel comfortable that a group of independent experts have reviewed the data, but it’s a problem because physicians are relying on their perception of what FDA approved actually means,”
Health Law 2019 Sees Big Plunge Among New Enrollees In California While Overall Enrollment Holds
The federal decision to drop the mandate might be why there was a greater-than-expected drop off, officials said. California is considering adding a state mandate. Other news on the health law looks at the decline of employer-based coverage, problems when searching for insurance online, a push for Congress to keep advocating for the health law and more.
Tech giants like Amazon, Apple and Google are all trying to shoulder into the health field, and the companies that are already struggling in a tough landscape do not welcome new competition. The trade secrets lawsuit fight between the new health initiative led by Atul Gawande and UnitedHealth Group can be read as a sign of that growing tension.
With the opioid epidemic in full swing, many have turned to the courts to demand drug companies be held responsible for their alleged role in the crisis. In the high-profile lawsuits unfolding: Unredacted documents provide more details about the powerful Sackler family behind the painkiller OxyContin; testimony continues in the trial of Insys founder and four other executives who face federal charges of bribing doctors to prescribe their fentanyl spray; and the judge presiding over a massive lawsuit in Ohio wanted the cases settled out of court, but that no longer looks like a possibility.
‘If We Die, We Die’: Vulnerable Homeless Residents Hunker Down To Try To Survive Arctic Blast
Government officials and advocates race to help anyone who doesn’t have somewhere to go as the country is hit with deadly temperatures. The polar vortex has been linked to at least eight deaths so far.
The rules, which will be open to public comment, would permit veterans to get private care if they had to wait more than 20 days or drive more than 30 minutes for a VA appointment. Previously, the travel restrictions were set at 40 miles. That change will make a big difference to veterans who live in rural areas as well as high-traffic ones.
‘Medicare For All’ Was Once A Fringe Policy Proposal, Now It’s A Litmus Test For 2020 Dems
Progressive Democrats have seized on “Medicare For All” as a winning health strategy as they kick off their campaigns for 2020. But what does that mean in a party where leadership is advocating for incremental fixes to the health law instead of sweeping policy changes geared toward universal coverage?
First Edition: January 31, 2019
Note to readers: If you are in the D.C. area, please join us Thursday, Jan. 31, for a live taping of KHN’s weekly podcast, “What The Health,” hosted by Julie Rovner and her expert panel of health journalists. Registration begins at 12:30 pm. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and more.
