Latest KFF Health News Stories
Media outlets report on news from California, Texas, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida and Maryland.
Rule Aims To Make Liver Donation More Equitable, But Not Everyone’s On Board
“People in NY need to take care of people in NY. If they can’t, well they should move somewhere else,” one person wrote as part of the public comment period for a rule that would change the geographic lines that determine access to donor livers. In other public health news: cancer, trauma from a child’s death, vaccines, injuries from contact sports, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome and more.
Massachusetts To Begin Far-Reaching Probe Of Addiction Treatment Scams
State Attorney General Maura Healey’s office is conducting an investigation of people who allegedly prey on those with an opioid addiction by sending them to treatment centers hundreds of miles from home for expensive and often shoddy care paid for by insurance benefits obtained by using fake addresses.
STD Rates In U.S. Climbing And At The Same Time Resistance To Treatment Is Growing
“Several drug trials are going on now that we hope will provide new treatments for gonorrhea,” said Dr. Gail Bolan, the director of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But these treatment trials take years, and we don’t know if these new drugs will be safe and effective.”
Nobel Prize Awarded To American Scientists Studying Mysteries Of Circadian Rhythms
Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young win the 2017 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their work examining the biological clock of living organisms. “Since the seminal discoveries by the three laureates, circadian biology has developed into a vast and highly dynamic research field, with implications for our health and wellbeing,” the Nobel citation reads.
In Blow To Pharma, Maryland Law Punishing Price Gouging Allowed To Go Into Effect
A group representing pharmaceutical makers asked a judge to stop the law from going into effect, but U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis found that “an erroneous grant of a preliminary injunction would cause substantial harm by permitting the sale of essential drugs to Maryland residents at unconscionable prices.”
Nation Could Be Hit With Drug Shortages After Hurricane Slams Puerto Rico
The agency is closely tracking 40 high-priority drugs that are deemed essential and could run short nationally following potential damage to the island’s dozens of drugmaking plants. Meanwhile, the hurricane killed most mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus.
Montana Says Medicaid Expansion Saved Money; Arkansas Says Costs Were Less Than Anticipated
Montana officials say the state saved more than $30 million since the expansion program began in 2016. Arkansas reports that the program was much larger than officials expected but the state’s share of the costs was less than they budgeted for. Meanwhile, New Hampshire lawmakers are preparing for a debate next year on whether to keep the expansion, and some Medicaid enrollees in California are frustrated by the few doctors who accept Medicaid payments.
Funding For Popular Children’s Health Program Expires Without Congressional Action
Efforts to renew the funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides coverage to 9 million kids, is expected to begin soon in the House.
Insured People Who Republicans Have Dubbed ‘Victims’ Of ACA Get Hit Again By Health Law Uncertainty
These consumers may have to shoulder soaring premiums if Republicans don’t act to stabilize a marketplace that’s been weakened, in part, by recent Trump administration moves. Meanwhile, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Chief Andy Slavitt accuses President Donald Trump of purposely raising premiums.
Where Did It All Go Wrong? A Look At How Repeal Efforts Foundered
President Donald Trump was supposed to have a bill repealing the Affordable Care Act on his desk on Inauguration Day. What happened?
After Promising ‘Repeal’ For 7 Years and Failing, The GOP Is Worried About Facing Its Own Voters
“When something has been committed to and it doesn’t happen and then it doesn’t happen again, I think it’s self-evident it isn’t a good thing,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) who’s retiring rather than seek a third term next year. Meanwhile, the Democrats are going to seize their chance to turn the tables on the Republicans who have been hammering them for years on health care.
With Health Care At Pivotal Crossroads, HHS Pick Could Signal What Path Trump Wants To Take
Some of the names getting attention are Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief Seema Verma, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, among others.
Price’s Resignation Is Latest Bump Of Turbulence For Trump Administration
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned Friday after uproar grew over reports that he’d used private jets for government travel when cheaper public transportation options existed. This departure is just the latest in a string of officials either stepping down or being fired under President Donald Trump.
First Edition: October 2, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Tom Price Out As HHS Secretary Following Uproar Over Cost Of Private And Military Travel
President Donald Trump accepted Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resignation on Friday. Acting Assistant Secretary for Health Don Wright will takeover at the agency.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Editorial writers examine a range of health policy issues that are in play at the federal and state levels.
Tough Talk: This Price Is Not Right
News outlets express their thoughts on the private jet travel costs that Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has racked up in just a few months. Though his tab appears to be the highest, he is not the only member of the President Donald Trump’s cabinet to demonstrate this behavior.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
