Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medi-Cal Programs: Being Required To Send Immediately Out-Of-Date Directory Is ‘Ridiculous’
California officials are being asked to review the requirement that massive, printed books be sent out to people who enroll for Medi-Cal. Outlets report on other Medicaid news out of South Carolina and Wyoming.
Transgender Patients Worry They’ll Be Trapped If Trump Revokes Insurance Protections
The Trump administration is working to revise a section of the health law that says federally funded health programs cannot discriminate on the basis of sex, which the Obama administration made clear required states to cover transgender care through their Medicaid programs.
After Feds Scale Back Money For Zika-Related Research, Sanofi Ends Vaccine Project
Sanofi was the only major pharmaceutical company working on a vaccine for the virus with a near-term market goal.
Calls For Transparency In Health Care Prices Are Only Getting Louder. But It’s Not That Simple.
Part of the problem is that it’s tough for a provider or an insurer to come up with an accurate cost estimate for a particular service.
Regulators Still Grappling With Uncertainty As Deadline To File Rate Proposals For 2018 Arrives
Some states are preparing to file alternative premiums for different scenarios while others are holding off on a final decision. In other marketplace news, Anthem plans to scale back coverage in Missouri, consumers brace for double-digit increases and Utah is stuck paying $10 million to cover debts from an insurance company created under the health law.
Bipartisan Health Plan Gains Support Even As Trump Urges Senators To Let Marketplace Implode
The proposal from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) focuses on shoring up the individual exchanges. Meanwhile, states have been working for years to put in place bipartisan compromises to make the health law sustainable, and they might become a source of inspiration for federal lawmakers.
Senate Parliamentarian Just Put A Ticking Clock On Repeal Via Reconciliation
Senators have until the end of the month to make changes to the health law using the reconciliation method. After that they’ll either have to get the 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster or restore the ability to use a 51-vote majority for repeal.
Congress Returns To Grueling Schedule Including Two Health Care Hearings This Week
Governors and state insurance commissioners are expected to testify at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearings this week. The chairman of the committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), has set an ambitious timeline for drafting legislation to shore up the health law marketplaces. Meanwhile, hard feelings over the failed replacement efforts may complicate future health policy discussions.
First Edition: September 5, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: What About That War On Drugs? Updates And Adaptations For Medical Education
A selection of opinions on public health issues from around the country.
Policy Perspectives: Medicare For All? Single-Payer As The Democrats’ ‘Party Consensus’
Opinion writers offer their thoughts on some big-ticket health reform concepts that range from Medicare for all to drug costs.
Research Roundup: Health Debate’s Impact On Views Of ACA; Treating Opioid Addiction In Medicaid
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from California, Massachusetts, Texas, Maryland, Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Minnesota and Iowa.
Texas Law Banning Common Abortion Procedure Temporarily Blocked
Proponents of the state’s law say it would ensure the “humane termination” of the fetus, but opponents argued it would require women seeking abortions to undergo medically unnecessary and untested procedures. Meanwhile in Arkansas, three patients are asking an appeals court to review a decision to allow the state to block funding to Planned Parenthood.
Ohio Pharmacists Say Low Reimbursements May Force Them To Quit Serving Medicaid Patients
One pharmacists says that the largest Medicaid managed care firm pays his store $38 for a drug that costs the pharmacy $50. Meanwhile in Florida, members of Congress ask federal officials to check out Medicaid care for children in that state with some serious health problems, and Oregon officials finish their efforts to update Medicaid rolls and remove those ineligible.
End-Of-Life Talks Taking Backseat To Promises Of Immunotherapy Miracles
“In the oncology community, there’s this concept of ‘no one should die without a dose of immunotherapy,’” said Dr. Eric Roeland, an oncologist and palliative care specialist. “And it’s almost in lieu of having discussions about advance-care planning, so they’re kicking the can down the street.” In other public health news: prostate cancer, home visits for moms, later-in-life fatherhood, herpes vaccine tests and more.
Claims That ACA’s Medicaid Expansion Fueled Opioid Crisis Puzzle Experts
A new report shows that the overdose death rate rose nearly twice as much in states that expanded Medicaid compared with states that didn’t, but experts say the analysis misses some crucial facts and skips standard steps that researchers use to rule out coincidences. In other news on the epidemic: Advocates urge the Food and Drug Administration to pull high-dose opioids from the market, the administration still hasn’t officially declared a national emergency, Arizona files a lawsuit against a drugmaker for its marketing tactics and more.
Chemical Plant Explosion Adds To Long List Of Public Health Concerns Wrought By Harvey
Toxins and chemicals from the plant and other sites are contaminating the water that’s flooding Houston. Media outlets report on public health and other news from the city.
If Anyone Can Work Miracles To Get Bipartisan Solution On Health Care It May Be These Two Senators
In the current political atmosphere, it may seem like a long-shot to come up with something both sides can agree on. But Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have deep experience with working across the aisle on tough bills.
Hickenlooper, Kasich Unveil Bipartisan Health Plan Aimed At Shoring Up Marketplaces
Six other governors are backing the plan that Govs. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and John Kasich (R-Ohio) have worked on for months.
