Latest KFF Health News Stories
Following Barrage Of Lawsuits, Government Reverses Course On Grants For Preventing Teen Pregnancies
The Trump administration had informed 81 groups last August that their grants would end in 2018 rather than in 2020, but multiple judges ruled the move was unlawful.
The new guidance, which officials say will cut back on the companies’ “abusive behavior,” concerns the rebates that drug makers have to pay back to states when a patient receives one of their medicines. In other pharmaceutical news: the administration is preparing to put action behind its rhetoric on drug pricing; some say Medicare’s new negotiating powers could lead to increased hospitalizations; and more.
Following a recent analysis of the cost of the program, questions arise about how the government would pay for a “Medicare For All” system. But New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) says it’s not an impossibility. The single-payer issue also makes campaign waves in Ohio.
For the party, the issue has become one like same-sex marriage and abortion rights where there’s very little gray area. Democrats have coalesced around a gun-control message, and candidates are falling in line.
Accountable care organizations were set up under the Affordable Care Act with the intention of improving quality and efficiency. But government data shows that they’ve fallen short of the savings that were projected. “After six years of experience, the time has come to put real ‘accountability’ in Accountable Care Organizations,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement. “Medicare cannot afford to support programs with weak incentives that do not deliver value.”
First Edition: August 10, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Doctors Can Steer Patients Toward Better Value, Lowering High Consumer Costs
Editorial pages focus on this health topic and others.
Longer Looks: Telemedicine Abortions; Short-Term Plans; And Catholic Hospitals
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Minnesota, Michigan, California, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida.
Residents near the leak have complained of nausea, headaches and nosebleeds after a ruptured well began spewing gas as well as benzene and other air toxics in October 2015. It took nearly four months to seal the well, and residents have since filed hundreds of lawsuits against the company.
“Just like the term ‘designated driver’ changed perceptions about drinking and driving, the term ‘Family Fire’ will help create public awareness to change attitudes and actions around this important matter,” said Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. In other public health news: online dating, dementia, sperm count, suicide, and heart health.
Inducing Labor In Healthy Women At 39 Weeks May Actually Cut C-Section Rates, Surprising Study Finds
The common mindset leans more toward letting women’s pregnancies run their course, but the study is being billed as a game-changer for those who have uncomfortable end-of-term symptoms.
Insys To Pay $150M To Settle Criminal, Civil Investigation Into Marketing Techniques For Its Opioids
The company has figured prominently in the ongoing federal investigation into drugmakers’ role in the opioid epidemic because several former executives and employees have been arrested in connection with allegations of bribing doctors to boost sales of Subsys, its product that contains fentanyl. News on the crisis comes out of New York and Massachusetts, as well.
The national ad campaign includes Alaska and Maine, whose senators have a history of supporting abortion rights and are being watched closely for their votes on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, in Connecticut, a panel discusses what would happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
A new study looked at legal immigrants’ health spending just as a federal proposal to penalize them for using Medicaid gains steam with Republicans.
The Associated Press fact checks Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) spin on the report that analyzed the cost of the senator’s “Medicare For All” plan, which is gaining steam in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Subsidies For Health Law Coverage Racing Past Cost Of Medicaid Expansion
Some worry that the spending weight that the subsidies place on the government is not sustainable, but few have any hope for fixes to the system as the law remains a political hot spot.
Would A ‘Netflix’ Subscription Model Work For Pricey Hep C Drugs? Louisiana Wants To Find Out
The state would pay a fixed amount of money for the drugs for a certain amount of time. While some are praising the effort, other experts say that because costs are coming down already, that it’s unclear whether that type of deal would really save the state money.
CVS Wants Pharma To Stop Pointing Fingers At The Middlemen When It Comes To High Drug Prices
“Drug manufacturers want you to believe that increasing drug prices are a result of them happy to pay rebates and that PBMs are retaining these rebates. And this is simply not true,” said Larry Merlo, the CEO of CVS, which owns Caremark, one of the biggest pharmacy-benefit managers. Meanwhile, the American Medical Association speaks out against CVS’ attempts to acquire insurer Aetna. And Rite Aid and Albertsons call off their merger.
Medicare’s Power To Negotiate Drug Prices Will Harm Patients With Chronic Illnesses, Advocates Warn
Medicare Advantage’s negotiating tool — requiring patients to try lower-cost treatments before the more expensive ones — is derided as a “fail first” process to those who oppose the strategy. “Consumers may have to go through one or more drugs before they can get a particular treatment they really need,” said Ellen Albritton, a senior policy analyst at Families USA. Meanwhile, there are already signals that implementing the new rules is going to be complicated.
