Latest KFF Health News Stories
In a separate development, the San Carlos Apache Tribe issued a statement saying the woman involved in the case was a 29-year-old “enrolled member” who “has been in a persistent vegetative state and coma for over a decade.”
A new analysis of marketing data from the FDA, Medicare, other federal and state agencies, private companies and medical research finds a 69 percent increase, to $29.9 billion, over a recent 20-year period. “Marketing drives more treatments, more testing” that patients don’t always need, said Dr. Steven Woloshin, a Dartmouth College health policy expert.
“The president’s been really clear — prices of drugs need to be coming down, not going up,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who was reportedly a part of the meeting. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are looking to score some early wins with small drug pricing legislation.
Every NYC Resident To Be Guaranteed Health Coverage As Part Of Mayor’s Expanded $100 Million Plan
The NYC Care plan, which Mayor Bill de Blasio said would be funded without tax increases, is an expansion of the city’s existing MetroPlus plan that covers hospital bills for low-income residents. “No one should have to live in fear. No one should go without the health care they need. Health care is a human right. In this city, we’re gonna make that a reality,” de Blasio said during a news conference. The plan would also cover immigrants who are living in the country illegally. Meanwhile, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced plans to offer residents a public option which would be a step toward single-payer health care.
The lawsuit seeks the creation of a fund to pay for mental health treatment for children separated from their parents. In arguing that the case should be thrown out, the Department of Justice also said that the government officials named are shielded by qualified immunity.
Although the FDA is officially continuing to oversee food recalls, monitoring for outbreaks, and can call staff back to work to address any emergency situations, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that there is no question that “it is not business as usual” at the agency. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says his border wall will help with the opioid crisis, but experts say it won’t really be a deterrent for the flow of drugs into the country.
“We should be the guys and gals that are putting up things that make health care more affordable and more accessible,” said Jim McLaughlin, another Republican pollster. “No question Democrats had an advantage over us on health care.” In other health new from Capitol Hill: short-term insurance plans, single-payer and gun control legislation.
First Edition: January 9, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on these health care topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from New Hampshire, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee, Colorado and Minnesota.
Doctors in 12 clinical centers pull out all the stops to try to find a diagnosis and treatment for thousands of patients looking for miracles. Public health news also focuses on a mosquito-borne virus worse than Zika; the Dunning-Kruger effect; the poor’s smoking rates; race and Alzheimer’s disease; stroke risk; the birth of a podcast; the future of newborn DNA testing; what it’s like to have nut-allergies; the upside of breakups; and good news about braces.
This Algorithm Can Use A Photo Of Someone To Tell Which Of Their Genes Were Mutated
In a study using a condition called Noonan syndrome, the algorithm was correct 64 percent of the time, far more than the 20 percent success rate that would be expected from guesswork. “We went for this high-impact journal to prove beyond any doubt that this technology is good, it performs as we say, we can stand behind it, and now it opens a lot of doors to publish more,” said Yaron Gurovich, the company’s chief technology officer. Other health and technology news looks at telemedicine for psychiatry and robots.
While the use of fentanyl is expanding and overdoses and deaths appear to be under-reported, the U.S. territory neglected to apply for a federal $7.8 million grant to help get people into treatment. News on the opioid epidemic comes from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, also.
Republicans are arguing for new restrictions, such as work requirements, as lawmakers begin to work toward a compromise to keep Medicaid expansion alive in the state. “If I was a betting man, I’d think Medicaid will pass in some form,” said state Senate President Scott Sales (R-Bozeman). Medicaid news comes out of Louisiana, Idaho and Virginia, as well.
The state’s Senate and the Assembly have struggled in the past to find common ground. “I don’t want to overpromise on that right out of the gate,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said, even as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced his chamber would be taking up a bill protecting the coverage. Other health law news comes out of Connecticut and California, as well.
“The unfortunate thing is that for most consumers, because it’s standard charges not related to their coverage, it’s not that helpful,” Rick Gundling, senior vice president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, told Modern Healthcare. “It was an exercise that doesn’t add a lot of value to the consumer.”
CEO Of Nursing Facility Where Woman In Vegetative State Gave Birth Resigns
The Arizona Department of Health Services also said that it will be conducting an investigation of Hacienda HealthCare following the reports of the woman giving birth. The nursing home, which is south of downtown Phoenix, specializes in the care of people with intellectual disabilities.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) also said that he will try to make an executive order permanent that requires all health insurance policies in New York to cover contraception without copays, coinsurance or deductibles.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says he will also create a state surgeon general position via executive order and make California the first state to cover immigrants without legal status who are younger than 26 through Medi-Cal. Newsom did not provide details during his inauguration speech about how he is going to pay for these health care goals, though Democrats in the Legislature are generally supportive of his ideas.
The purchase could be very lucrative for Eli Lilly. Loxo Oncology’s drug Vitrakvi was approved by the FDA recently based on evidence that it can shrink tumors in 75 percent of patients whose cancer tests positive for a particular kind of genetic mutation.
