Latest KFF Health News Stories
CMS ruled in Idaho’s case that skirting the regulations is still illegal, but agency officials were willing to work with the state to offer the plans as short-term coverage. Meanwhile, other states are exploring their options to stabilize their marketplaces.
Will Opening Health Data Floodgates To Patients Help Save Money And Lives? CMS Hopes So.
CMS wants to make patients’ data more accessible to them and to third-party tech innovators, with the eventual goal of making health data as easy to pull up as any other app on a cellphone.
Trump’s Physician Tapped To Lead VA After President Dismisses Shulkin Following Weeks Of Controversy
While Dr. Ronny Jackson has been praised for his work as a physician, critics call into question his lack of management experience. Meanwhile, both veterans groups and lawmakers on the Hill praised David Shulkin for his work during his tenure at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health issues.
Perspectives: There Was A Time When Drugmakers Were Considered Heroes And Not Villains
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland, California, Missouri, Florida, Arizona, Massachusetts, New Orleans and Iowa.
High-Profile Negotiations Between Piedmont Healthcare And Blue Cross Come Down To Wire
Media outlets report on hospital and health system news from Georgia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
LGBTQ Rights Organization Releases Rankings For Hospitals Across The Country
The Human Rights Campaign bases its rating system on factors such as patient nondiscrimination and staff training.
Debate Brewing Over Service Dogs And If They Truly Help Veterans With PTSD
And if they do, who should pay for them?
Pregnant Women Left Without Safety Net As Hospitals Across Country Close Maternal Services
Often times, the closures are being seen in rural areas where the communities are already isolated and impoverished. In other women’s health news: fertility clinics, Planned Parenthood’s tweets, abortion rules, misdiagnosing women, pregnant inmates, and a midwife delivering her own baby by c-section.
“I haven’t slept since 1979,” said Kevin Charest the chief information security officer for the Health Care Service Corp., which is responsible for protecting the records of the nearly 15 million participants in Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Texas and four other states. “If you knew what I knew, you wouldn’t sleep either.”
The proposal, which is expected to be approved early next month, would limit Medicare coverage for longterm high-dose prescriptions. Critics say the move will leave patients who need help with pain management scrambling. In other news on the epidemic: how the crisis has affected the workforce; a mobile wound-tending unit; curbing opioid use through insurance companies; suicides; and more.
So far, CMS has given three states the green light to require able-bodied adult Medicaid enrollees to work or volunteer in order to get health coverage. The costs of standing up systems to monitor and enforce those rules, however, has drawn scrutiny. Medicaid news comes out of Utah, Maine, Mississippi and California, as well.
The FDA gained authority to regulate e-cigarettes in 2016 after years of pushback from the industry. Manufacturers were supposed to submit their products for review by August, but last year FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he would delay the deadline until 2022.
Aetna To Offer Drug Rebates Directly To Consumers, Following In UnitedHealth’s Footsteps
Typically insurers say they generally pass rebates to their clients, such as employers. Beginning in 2019, though, Aetna will automatically apply the rebates at the time of sale to insured plan members.
Trump Drawing Out Dramatic Public Standoff With Shulkin In Characteristic Method
It’s been reported that President Donald Trump wants to fire embattled VA Secretary David Shulkin, but he has yet to make the final move against the secretary who maintains support both on Capitol Hill and with veterans.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages feature these health topics and others.
