Latest KFF Health News Stories
What Do Lawmakers Do When They Need Prescriptions Filled? They Don’t Walk Into The Nearest CVS
It’s a little-known perk, but lawmakers have their pills delivered directly to the Capitol, so they can just walk down and pick them up. That also means the pharmacist in charge of filling the prescriptions knows a lot more about the leaders of the country than most pharmacists know about their customers.
Rep. Walden Delays House Vote On Children’s Insurance To Seek Compromise With Democrats
Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expired last month. Although both parties support the program, they are divided about how to pay for it in this bill.
Trump’s Birth Control Mandate Not Scientifically Sound, Researchers And Doctors Say
The rules provide moral and religious exemptions to a requirement that employers provide coverage plans that include contraception.
Gottlieb Says He Can Be Most Effective At FDA, But Dodges Question On Nomination Talks
“I feel like I want to continue to follow through on the policies we’ve put out and it’s where I think I can be most effective,” said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, whose name has been floated as a replacement for former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump names an acting secretary for the agency.
Federal Officials Weigh Iowa’s Request To Revamp Insurance Enrollment System
Iowa is seeking to move out of the federal marketplace system and set up a state-run exchange instead. State officials say that would help lower premiums, but that could come with higher out-of-pocket costs for consumers. News outlets also report on enrollment issues in Florida and Kansas.
Trump’s Health Care Executive Order Expected This Week, But What Will It Really Do?
Media outlets examine what’s expected in the administration’s proposal to allow for association plans, which may give small employers and individuals the ability to secure the same kind of benefits and lower prices that large employers have been able to get.
First Edition: October 11, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Media outlets report on news from California, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, Oregon, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas and North Carolina.
Thousands Of Conn. Seniors, Disabled May Lose Help Paying For Medicare Under Budget Proposal
“For my folks, if they wind up losing this … it could make the difference between getting a prescription or having food on the table,” says lawyer Kevin Brophy.
Democratic Candidates Looking To Unseat Wis. Governor Vow To Expand Medicaid If They Win
Meanwhile, Gov. Scott Walker says doing so would send the state back into a recession.
Lack Of Mental Health Services Blamed For Disparity In Suicide Rates Between Rural, Urban Areas
Although the rates have been increasing all across the country, researchers found that rural areas are hit particularly hard. In other public health news: blood pressure, surgery scars, autism and smoke exposure.
Saline Shortage Looms After Hurricane Disrupts Production In Puerto Rico
Hospitals and others in the health industry are watching the aftermath of the hurricane with worried eyes because Puerto Rico is a hub of manufacturing for pharmaceuticals.
10 Years Ago This Lawyer Went Up Against Pharma Over Opioids And Won. Now He’s Ready For Round Two.
Back in 2007, Purdue settled with individual patients who alleged that it had underplayed the addiction risk of its medications. It was a huge case for lawyer Paul Hanly and a rare win against makers of painkillers. Now, in an entirely different landscape — one where these companies are becoming the targets of states who want to try to curb the national crisis — Hanly is gearing up to go again. Meanwhile, PBS looks at how the brain gets addicted to opioids in the first place.
California Governor Signs One Of Strictest Drug Transparency Bills In Nation
The pharmaceutical industry has fought hard to kill the legislation, and it will likely be a legal target now that the bill is law.
Washington Is Latest State To Sue Trump Administration Over Contraception Mandate Rollback
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says that the new rules violate the First Amendment by “requiring individuals to bear the burdens of religions to which they do not belong,” as well as the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.
“We have yet to receive any explanation of the cut. We have met or exceeded every one of our performance metrics. There was never any feedback that gave us any indication that we were not going to receive the same amount,” says Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, the executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. The Trump administration slashed funding for theses navigators by more than 40 percent nationally, with some places seeing cuts of nearly 90 percent.
First Edition: October 10, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Stopping Gun Violence; Helping Patients Once They Leave The Hospital
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Different Takes On The Health Law: Trump’s Determination; Undermining Cost Cutting
Opinion writers take a look at a variety of benefits and problems they see in the health law.
