Latest KFF Health News Stories
Republicans had already stripped away or blunted the more unpopular provisions in the health law, even if they never repealed it completely. What was left were the ideas that enjoy bipartisan support — such as protections for preexisting conditions coverage. And Republicans have struggled to come up with a viable replacement for the law, which has reshaped the country’s health care landscape to set certain expectations with the American public. Meanwhile, GOP senators blocked a resolution to intervene in the Texas lawsuit.
Health Law 2019 Sign-Ups Drop, But Beat Dire Predictions With Help From Last-Minute Surge
The number who enrolled totaled 8.45 million, down from 8.82 million at the same point last year — a decrease of about 4 percent. Sign-ups had been lagging at about 10 percent throughout the open enrollment season despite a more stable marketplace and lower premiums. While Democrats blamed the lower numbers on the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the law, CMS officials say a lower employment rate contributed to more people finding insurance elsewhere.
First Edition: December 20, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Media outlets focus on news from D.C., Ohio, Minnesota, California, Georgia, Missouri, Oregon, Colorado and Pennsylvania.
Tough Path Through Middle School Ensues For Tween Boys. Sweetness Fades And ‘Manhood’ Emerges.
It’s a time when many boys shut themselves off from the world, says psychologist Michael Thompson, leading to social problems. “Are you strong enough? Are you athletic enough? And in middle school: Are your muscles big enough?” he explains. “That’s middle school for boys, and that’s pretty crappy.” Public health news also focuses on diagnosing child abuse, the benefits of exercise, mental health on campus, chemicals’ toll on puberty, fewer livestock antibiotics, contraception, breast feeding, loneliness and more.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee report, which was the culmination of an 18-month investigation of alleged pill dumping in West Virginia, shows how mistakes and lack of oversight led to a massive influx of pills there. In other news on the epidemic: overdose antidotes, hep C testing, marketing of opioids, syringes, and more.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation that would allow the government to manufacture generic drugs if needed. But overall generic drug prices have been going down and only a small subset of generic drugs have less than three manufacturers.
CMS announced that it is seeking input on the issue, which marks the first time in the 53-year history of U.S. health accreditation system that its potential financial conflicts have come under regulatory scrutiny.
NIH Director’s Defense Of Fetal Tissue Research Prompts Anti-Abortion Groups To Call For His Ouster
Along with defending the scientific benefits of fetal tissue research, NIH Director Francis Collins said that the ongoing Trump administration review of the research is intended to “assure the skeptics.” Anti-abortion groups argue that the comments have undermined the review, and want to see Collins gone.
A ProPublica and PolitiFact investigation looks at how the VA Choice Program, often championed by conservatives as a way to improve veterans’ health care, has fared over the past four years. The real winners of the program, it turns out, are not the veterans utilizing the care but the private companies that profit from expensive contracts.
A GAO report released this week says that bureaucratic confusion and vacancies in key posts are largely to blame for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ failure to support suicide prevention efforts.
U.S. Surgeon General Calls For Aggressive Plans To Fight Youth Vaping In Rare Advisory
As e-cigarrettes become more popular among teens and worries rise about a new generation that could become hooked on nicotine, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams laid out strategies to combat the crisis and took aim at Juul, which takes in more than 70 percent of sales. In other news on vaping, addiction specialists’ phones are ringing.
HHS decided to drop the requirement that everyone in a sponsor’s household be fingerprinted and receive an extensive criminal background check. The Trump administration’s decision comes at a time of increased focus on the health and welfare of migrant children in U.S. custody following the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl.
The report was issued by the Trump administration’s federal school safety commission, which was formed in response to the Parkland, Fla. school shooting and is led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The panel also recommends that schools and communities examine ways to temporarily seize firearms from people who appear mentally disturbed, though it emphasized that such efforts should be carried out without affecting “Second Amendment liberties.”
GSK will hold a 68 percent stake and Pfizer the remaining 32 percent of the new joint venture, which will be the world’s largest over-the-counter medicines business. The move will represent a breakup of GSK, which currently generates around a quarter of its revenue from such consumer products, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Millions Of Americans Have Been Benefiting From The Health Law For Years–They Just Might Not Know It
Consumer protections were put in place through the Affordable Care Act even for people who don’t buy coverage on the exchanges. Now a federal judge’s ruling invalidating the law might jeopardize those popular provisions that Americans might not even realize are part of the ACA. Meanwhile, less than a week after that decision, the case is back in court, this time in front of a judge appointed by former President Barack Obama. And, the legal uncertainty is complicating Medicaid expansion politics.
Judge Richard Leon had previously voiced frustration over views that his role in approving the merger is simply a rubber stamp. Leon has written that he was “less convinced” than the government that asset sales made by Aetna would resolve antitrust concerns raised by the deal.
For Years, Patients Had Been Receiving This Drug For Free. Now It Has A $375,000 Price Tag.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Perspectives: In Our Quest To Lower Drug Costs, We Have To Keep The Patients In Mind
Editorial pages focus on these health care topics and others.
