Latest KFF Health News Stories
Investigations by the New York Times and ProPublica revealed that the prestigious cancer center’s chief medical officer, Dr. José Baselga, had been paid millions by drug and health care companies and failed to disclose those ties more than 100 times in medical journals, and that hospital insiders had made lucrative side deals, sometimes for work they had done on the job. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is still reeling from the revelations.
The hospital groups fighting the Trump administration’s change to the 340B drug discount program said that the cuts impeded their ability to provide care for low-income patients. In his opinion, Judge Rudolph Contreras said that, while the HHS secretary does have the authority to make “adjustments” to the program, “he cannot fundamentally rework the statutory scheme.”
Among other things, the Medicare program itself looks a lot different — and more privately operated — than it did when Democrats first started advocating for a “Medicare for All” system. As the 2020 jockeying among Democrats commences, what exactly does that sweeping idea mean for its proponents?
For Native American Tribes, Government Shutdown Could Cripple Basic Health Care System
Native American tribes rely heavily on federal funding to keep their health clinics staffed. “Things do grind to a halt,” said Kevin Washburn, who served as the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs under President Barack Obama. “Indian Country stops moving forward” during a shutdown, Mr. Washburn said, “and starts moving backward.”
Trump Deflects Blame To Democrats Over The Two Migrant Children Who Died While In U.S. Custody
President Donald Trump on Twitter said Democrats “and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally,” are to blame for the deaths of an 8-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl in December. The Trump administration faces increasing scrutiny over the quality of care at detention centers for young migrants.
Thousands of Arkansas residents have been dropped from the state’s Medicaid rolls in the months since the new work requirements were put in place. But the story is more complicated than just people not being able to get jobs. Meanwhile, Mississippi’s Republican governor is mulling Medicaid expansion — quietly. And a look back at 2018’s Medicaid developments in the states.
Federal Judge Reed O’Connor, who ruled in December that the health law could not stand without the individual mandate penalty, issued a stay as the ruling is appealed “because many everyday Americans would otherwise face great uncertainty” otherwise. Although O’Connor expressed certainty in his decision, many legal experts have questioned whether the ruling will hold up in higher courts.
First Edition: January 2, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion pages focus on these health care topics and others.
Different Takes: Passing Of Health Law Relied On Unconstitutional Step; Dems Can Fix ACA In Congress
Opinion writers weigh in on last week’s ruling by a Texas judge declaring the Health Law is unconstitutional.
Research Roundup: Women’s Health In The U.S.; Medicaid Work Requirements; And Tribal Home Visits
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Hawaii, Massachusetts, Louisiana, California, Texas, New Hampshire, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa and Florida.
NIH Director Francis Collins said an advisory group of scientists, bioethicists and members of the public will be formed to address the issue. Other public health stories in the news focus on lying; drug development for epilepsy; U.S. child killed working; food safety; short days, dark moods; nightmares; GMO labeling; Marburg virus spread; breathalyzers in cars; year-end elective surgeries and more.
The combined lawsuit from local and state governments from all across the country is being closely watched by a nation held in the grip of the opioid epidemic. Experts expect a reckoning for the companies much like the Big Tobacco settlement in the 1990s.
Planned Parenthood Faces Accusations Of Discrimination Against Its Pregnant Workers
Despite its mission to champion women’s health, Planned Parenthood has been accused of sidelining or otherwise discriminating against pregnant employees, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees.
In Parting Shot, Hatch Criticizes Trump’s Proposal To Tie Drug Costs To What Other Nations Pay
The letter from outgoing Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) urges his colleagues to stand against the administration’s international pricing index model in a sign of emerging tensions in the Republican party over the best way to fight high drug prices. Meanwhile, drug costs may jump as much as 9 percent in the new year as pharmaceutical companies return to the status quo following their self-declared hiatus on price hikes.
The outcry from Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) follows a Washington Post investigation into the chronic shortage of organs, and the organization that oversees those life-or-death decisions.
Government officials say that the intent behind moving the Climate and Health program into a different division is to streamline work, but a watchdog group claims the agency is targeting the former head of the unit George E. Luber for speaking out against changes to climate policy.
Millennials Are In The Crosshairs When It Comes To Accruing Medical Debt
Young people who have less earning power and can lack insurance through their jobs are often saddled with daunting medical bills — more so than older generations. But there are steps to take to help alleviate that stress.
The announcement follows on the heels of the $70 billion deal between CVS and Aetna. “They’re all going after the combined pharmacy and medical offering as the value proposition,” said Ana Gupte, an analyst with Leerink Partners LLC. “That’s the big story. The question is, what will they be able to do, and what can they offer to employers?”
