Latest KFF Health News Stories
Arizona Submits Request To Add Work Requirements To Medicaid Program
The state made a similar request last year and was denied, but officials are hopeful the new administration will be more receptive to the idea. Outlets report on Medicaid news out of Mississippi and Oregon, as well.
ProPublica offers a look at waste in the industry and talks to health care leaders or policymakers about how it could be reduced.
The Latest Target In Series Of Gene-Editing Breakthroughs: Hearing Loss
The field is breaking down barriers with startling frequency. In other public health news: sitting and heart health; hot tea and eyesight; the rain and pain; salad and the brain; and more.
‘We Should Be Really Alarmed’: U.S. Life Expectancy Drops Due To Staggering Rate Of Overdose Deaths
The United States has not seen two years of declining life expectancy since 1962 and 1963, and the numbers paint a grim picture if the opioid epidemic is not brought under control.
This Drug Used To Be $50 A Bottle, Now It Goes For $15,000. Lawmakers Want Answers.
The drug, Keveyis, received orphan status in 2015, which triggered a huge price spike. Now lawmakers are seeking an analysis from the company about why it went up so much. In other pharmaceutical news: a report finds that drugmakers have avoided more than $1.3 billion in Medicaid drug rebates between 2012 and 2016; the president’s desire to cut regulations could actually backfire at the FDA; and a settlement over drug coupons could be the start of a broader crackdown.
What’s In A Word?: On Front Lines Of Linguistic Battle, Career Officials Resist Ban
The Trump administration is looking to literally change the conversation with its list of words that agencies should avoid. But the effort has sparked a firestorm among advocates, Democrats and even the officials in charge of drafting the budgets.
‘It’s Just Very, Very Stressful Here’: State Officials, Parents Dismayed Over CHIP Funding Mire
It seems likely that Congress will push any decision on CHIP funding until next year, and states and parents who rely on the program are starting to panic.
Tax Bill Isn’t All Negative News For Health Industry: Independent Doctors See Perks In Package
The legislation sharply reduces the personal income tax rate for owners of pass-through entities, which is how most physician and dental practices are organized.
Trump Boasts Tax Package ‘Essentially’ Repeals Health Law. That’s Not True.
The tax legislation kills the individual mandate, a key component of the Affordable Care Act, but many of it’s parts remain in tact.
Collins Concedes Insurer Subsidies Won’t Make It Into Spending Bill Despite McConnell’s Promise
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had promised Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that in exchange for her vote on the tax package, he would push through legislation shoring up the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. But the pact faced strong resistance in the House.
First Edition: December 21, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Tax Cut… Check. CHIP Funding… Still On The To-Do List; The Impact Of Seven Little Words
A selection of opinions on health care from news outlets around the country.
Perspectives: The Drug Industry Really Doesn’t Want You To Know It’s Ripping You Off
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Pharma Is Pocketing More Profits Even As Outrage About Costs Boils Over, Report Finds
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Minnesota, Virginia, Kansas, Florida, California, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Cities, Counties Saying ‘Enough Is Enough’ As They Challenge Opioid Makers In Court
“It’s not that we want to profit from litigation, we want to stop it through litigation,” said Michigan’s Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. Detroit and Macomb are the latest to take the court route as a way to battle the opioid epidemic, and Nashville may be close to follow.
EPA Bans On Toxic Chemicals In Consumer Products Indefinitely Postponed
The chemicals, which have caused death from inhalation and been linked to cancer and other negative health effects, can be found in paint strippers and cleaning agents. In other public health news: glioblastoma, racism-induced stress, diabetes, vaccines, toxic shock syndrome, and more.
Arkansas Cuts 80,000 From Medicaid In 2017 After Eligibility Review
Another 7,198 enrollees are set to lose coverage Jan. 1 after state officials received information indicating they are eligible for Medicare. In other developments, congressional Democrats blast the House disaster relief package for not meeting Puerto Rico’s Medicaid needs, Oregon appears likely to lose a Medicaid managed care company and Connecticut lawmakers postpone a special session aimed at fixing a glitch in their program.
Storm Brewing On Capitol Hill Over Drug Discount Program
Pharma and hospitals are going head-to-head over cuts to the 340B drug program, which requires pharmaceutical companies to give steep discounts to hospitals and clinics that serve high volumes of low-income patients.
The price of the treatment could be more than $1 million. But the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the treatment signals a new era in gene therapy because it is the first to target a disease caused by mutations in a specific gene.
