Latest KFF Health News Stories
And the White House called on the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to “monitor the competitive landscape” of providers to “prevent anti-competitive behavior.” In other hospital news: CMS star ratings, community benefit reporting, ER violations, and more.
The group argued that expanding Medicaid to low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act has had the unintended consequence of causing healthy, single adults to leave the labor force or reduce their work hours to keep or qualify for Medicaid benefits. Meanwhile, a left-leaning think tank warns that millions of children could lose health insurance because of the “public charge” policy.
A Federal Judge Is Making Noise About Halting CVS-Aetna Deal, But What Can He Actually Do About It?
Under the law, when the Justice Department strikes an agreement with companies, the deal must be cleared by a federal judge to provide a layer of oversight for those negotiations. In the CVS-Aetna case specifically, that means Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia can decide whether the agreement Justice struck with CVS and Aetna on their Medicare Part D businesses addresses anti-competitive issues. If he finds it does not, the companies can either appeal or renegotiate.
Justice Department Wants Whistleblower Case Against Gilead To Be Tossed By Supreme Court
The long-running suit involves allegations that Gilead misled regulators about contaminated ingredients used in various HIV medicines and falsified data to win marketing approval for the drugs. In its brief, the Justice Department argued the case may burden the FDA, but otherwise did not explain how it would not be in the public’s interest for the Supreme Court were to take up the case. Other pharmaceutical news looks at gift giving and gene therapy.
Although the Trump administration is touting the promises, experts say there’s nothing new to get excited about. “There are economic incentives for the Chinese to let opioid production flourish and fewer incentives to restrict their economy to cooperate with foreign law enforcement. We will have to wait and see how much the Chinese government cracks down on fentanyl producers,” said Jeffrey Higgins, a retired special supervisory agent with the DEA.
Although former President George H.W. Bush, who died over the weekend, took two major steps to address the AIDS epidemic, advocates say they fell far short of what was needed at the time. “I know this week it feels like we’re the skunk at the ‘Celebrate George Bush’ party, but this was our reality: We were kids and our friends were dying and the government was ignoring it because they were gay,” said Hilary Rosen, who lobbied for the Human Rights Campaign during the Bush administration. “He just didn’t lead at a time when we were desperate for leaders.”
The figures that Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) cited refer to nearly two decades of internal financial adjustments, not actual spending. For starters, the combined Pentagon budget from 1998 to 2015 was only $9.2 trillion. Fact checkers from media outlets explain.
The message was delivered in a letter that 46 House freshmen to the Democratic leadership team. Their request for a bipartisan focus on legislation is one of several. Others include holding monthly meetings between top leaders and freshmen and more committee hearings held outside of Washington. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, in a nod to the new power structure in Congress, has begun reaching out to Democrats.
First Edition: December 4, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health care issues.
Perspectives: Lessons On The High Rate Of Maternal Mortality And Who’s To Blame
Editorial pages focus on women’s health issues during pregnancy.
Opinion writers weigh in on problems associated with the opioid epidemic.
Media outlets report on news from Washington, Missouri, Virginia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Maryland, Florida, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Oregon, Kansas, Arizona, Connecticut and Iowa.
The flood of children entering the state’s care because of the opioid crisis is further straining a system already taxed. Meanwhile, a clinic in Virginia will be the first in the state to provide a program for pregnant women trying to fight addiction.
Drug Could Be An Inexpensive Life Saver For Millions Of African Children With Sickle-Cell Disease
There is currently no treatment for sickle-cell disease in Africa. While more research needs to be done on hydroxyurea, a drug invented to fight blood cancers, early tests show the inexpensive, easy-to-give pill is safe. In other international health news, researchers say progress is slowing on eradicating polio.
Mysterious ‘Havana Syndrome’ Strikes Another Canadian Diplomat As Experts Remain Flummoxed
The newest case marks the 13th time a Canadian officer or family member has reported these “unusual health symptoms,” while more than 20 Americans have also been affected. In other public health news: cancer treatment, the placenta, Christmas gifts for kids, suicide, gun violence, and more.
This year, the FDA approved three drugs meant to prevent migraines and those, along with less expensive and less invasive techniques to stimulate the body’s response to pain through neurostimulation, are giving optimism to headache specialists and their patients after years of little progress.
NIH Director Francis Collins called He Jiankui “a scientist who apparently believed that he was a hero. In fact, he crossed every line, scientifically and ethically,” after it was announced that he gene-edited human embryos using CRISPR. The reaction has been echoed across the scientific community for the past week. But were there missed opportunities for others to intervene along the way? Meanwhile, the scandal might have rocked the science world, but Wall Street was unfazed.
After Years Of Rising Deductibles For Workers, Some Employers Are Tapping The Brakes
Instead of continuing the trend of passing on the burden of higher costs to employees, some companies are looking to address the underlying reasons for the spending. Among other strategies, some organizations are bypassing insurers and negotiating deals with hospitals directly and a growing number are offering their own clinics. Meanwhile, experiments that work to improve a patient’s social factors, such as housing, are finding big savings.
Building An Empire On The Back Of A Crisis: How This Company Makes Millions Housing Migrant Children
Southwest Key has stockpiled tens of millions of taxpayer dollars with little government oversight and possibly engaged in self-dealing with top executives. The New York Times offers a look at the company and its leader, who calls himself El Presidente.
