Latest KFF Health News Stories
People Over 65 Who Miss Initial Medicare Part B Enrollment Window Can Face Coverage Gaps
Unless covered by an employer plan, people should sign up for Part B in the recommended time frame around their 65th birthday, but there are several problems that keep many from doing so. News on Medicare enrollment season comes out of Minnesota and Arizona, as well.
Shopping For A Plan On The ACA Marketplace? Funding Cutbacks Mean Fewer Guides To Help
Open enrollment begins Thursday on the exchanges created by the federal health law for people who buy their own coverage. But without navigators, some people may find the process of choosing a plan more difficult. Meanwhile, people who get their insurance through their jobs are also often picking plans this time of year and have a number of important choices.
Administration’s Bid To Revamp ACA Exchanges Shifts Decisions To States
Recent policies advanced by the Trump administration will offer much greater leeway to states in determining what type of insurance can be sold through the federal health law marketplaces. Meanwhile, a federal judge suggests that he won’t rule soon on a suit seeking to stop the sale of short-term insurance plans that do not offer comprehensive benefits.
‘Politics Are Really Difficult’ For Trump’s Plan On Medicare Drug Costs
Drug pricing experts say the proposal rolled out by the president Friday to tie what the government pays for Medicare drugs administered in doctors’ offices to what other countries pay for the drugs faces many obstacles. Drugmakers, doctors and some members of Congress are not on board yet. Peter Bach, who studies drug pricing policy, said, “It’s a really tough row to hoe.”
Preexisting Conditions Protections Emerge As Campaign-Trail Flashpoint
Democrats are on the offensive, criticizing GOP claims that they will protect people with preexisting conditions by pointing to the long-term Republican effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which sets out some of those safeguards. But other health policy issues are also in play, including the future of the health care safety net, the opioid epidemic and interesting ballot initiatives.
First Edition: October 29, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Research Roundup: Work Requirements; Emergency Department Denials; Children’s Homelessness
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from California, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Georgia, Colorado and Iowa.
Mandatory reporting is required for diseases like West Nile Virus and flu and improves tracking, health officials say. The CDC reports 155 suspected cases of acute flaccid myelitis this year. “We’ve learned more these cases from Facebook and support groups than from the CDC,” said Mehdi Ayouche of Chanhassen, Minn. Her daughter is one of seven Minnesota kids who have contracted the illness.
Some places are offering gift cards and rewards for getting the flu shot with them. The vaccinations are completely covered by the health law, so it gives people a reason to choose one store over another. Meanwhile, getting the vaccine is the best way to prevent sickness and death from the flu, yet coverage among adults last year was only 37.1 percent, a drop of 6.2 percent from the previous season.
On the flip side, 27 states including Florida and Texas said they plan to cut or freeze rates for inpatient hospitals. Medicaid news comes out of Ohio, Iowa and Idaho, as well.
Powerful California Nurses Union Eyes National Audience For ‘Medicare For All’ Campaign
Previously, the California Nurses Association, which represents 100,000 nurses across California, focused on the state’s efforts to shift to single-payer health care. But the organization is rebranding its efforts to go national. In other news, a new poll reveals single-payer’s popularity with younger Americans.
Uttam Dhillon is now the Trump administration’s third-consecutive acting administrator for the DEA — which oversees the federal response to the opioid epidemic. Some law enforcement groups have voiced opposition to Dhillon’s appointment. Meanwhile, the FDA is likely to approve a powerful opioid despite the disapproval from the head of the agency’s advisory panel.
Caitlyn Jenner is a transgender rights activist who made waves by supporting President Donald Trump. But following the report that the administration is considering a new definition of gender that would eliminate protections for transgender individuals, she wrote an opinion piece saying that she was “wrong.”
The moves come amid heightened government scrutiny of the e-cigarette industry, with the FDA trying to curb an “epidemic” of vaping among young people. Altria only has a tiny slice of the market, but the decision could pressure other companies, like Juul, to follow suit.
Stat’s annotated excerpt of her stump speech demonstrates a political candidate going all-in on Big Pharma, as Sen. Claire McCaskill’s (D-Wis.) fights to retain her seat. In other news from the elections, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) talks about her support for “Medicare for all” during a debate with Republican challenger Chele Farley.
Pharma Comes Out Swinging Against White House Plan In Opening Salvo Of Likely Fierce Battle
PhRMA, a lobbying group for pharmaceutical companies, called the proposal “price controls” and said it was “disappointed the administration put the needs of patients aside with these proposals.” There will likely be escalating pushback from the industry against the new proposal intended to curb high drug prices.
President Donald Trump says his plan will take aim at “global freeloading” with his plan, which would run essentially as a pilot program within the Medicare Part B program. “Same company. Same box. Same pill. Made in the exact same location, and you would go to some countries and it would be 20 percent of the cost of what we pay,” he said.
