Latest KFF Health News Stories
Perspectives: With Federal Government Stalled Over Drug Prices, States Should Be Allowed To Act
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
A Pill To Knock Out Hookworm Costs 10,000 Times More In U.S. Than In Tanzania
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Georgia, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Hampshire and California.
Massachusetts Ranks As Healthiest State, While Mississippi Clocks In At The Bottom
The report from the United Health Foundation found that states in the lower rankings struggled with particularly high rates of poverty among kids, smoking and obesity.
‘Fantastically Promising’ Trial For Drug To Treat Huntington’s Giving Hope To Formerly Hopeless
Patients and doctors often say Huntington’s is like having Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease — all at the same time. In other public health news: mental health and guns; the flu shot; a president’s health; gluten in medication; and more.
There’s No HIV Cure Yet, But With Each Promising Case, Scientists Become More Excited
There have been a few unique cases recently that have offered movement forward toward an eventual cure.
‘This Isn’t A Wave. It’s A Tsunami’: Opioid Epidemic Creating Flood Of Kids Into Foster System
An already strained system is being stretched even further with a new generation of children displaced from their homes in one way or another because of the addiction crisis. In other news, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration says a 2016 law needs to be revised because it makes regulating opioids more difficult for the agency.
Medicare Websites Add New Quality Ratings For Consumers
The data has been added to the sites where people can compare inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals. Medicare officials also announced that they plan to continue a pilot program aimed at reducing non-emergency ambulance transports.
Idaho Weighs Plan To Improve Coverage For Some Poor Residents
It’s not yet clear if the state’s legislators will accept the plan, which would allow working adults to buy subsidized health insurance on the state’s health care exchange and very sick adults, like those with stage-4 cancers, to be covered by Medicaid. News outlets also report on Medicaid news in Louisiana and Connecticut.
Trump’s Order To Roll Back Birth Control Mandate Gets Its Day In Court
California’s lawsuit against the new rules that allow employers to cite religious or moral objections to providing workers coverage for birth control says that they violate the U.S. Constitution by overvaluing religious beliefs and discriminating against women.
Governors Urge Congress To Help Restore Families’ ‘Peace Of Mind’ By Renewing CHIP
The bipartisan group highlighted the strong support the program has always received from both sides of the aisle. Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expired earlier in the year, and it has been overshadowed by some of the bigger health debates on Capitol Hill.
The industry is poised to win big if Republicans pass their tax legislation.
House Lawmakers: Ball Is In Senate’s Court On Bills Stabilizing ACA Marketplaces
Reps. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said the House is taking a wait-and-see approach to the legislation aimed at shoring up the exchanges. Meanwhile, the White House backs the measure, according to Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).
Top Democratic Senators Ask For Open Enrollment To Be Extended Through January
The enrollment window was shortened this year and will end on Dec. 15 for the federal exchange and for some states.
House Republicans Unveil Plans To Delay, Suspend Affordable Care Act Taxes
The plan would include another delay of the Cadillac tax. The legislation, if it’s passed, would be a boon for some in the health industry who have been pushing for relief from the taxes for years.
First Edition: December 13, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: The Tax Bill As The GOP’s Obamacare; What About This Massive Merger?
A selection of opinions on health care from news outlets around the country.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The Quandary Physicians Face Because Of The Potency Of Fentanyl
In other opioid news, a county in Tennessee is looking to join nearly 200 other jurisdictions in a lawsuit alleging that some drug manufacturers and distributors contributed to the nation’s addiction crisis.
Segregation Patterns Are Deeply Embedded In Boston Health Care, Spotlight Investigation Finds
The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigations team reports on the racial divide in care that’s plaguing the city. Meanwhile, Native Americans are getting lost in the health care system, and many point to the role racism plays in the problem.
