Latest KFF Health News Stories
Vets Who Are Denied Benefits Face Antiquated Appeals System That Can Take Decades
The Department of Veterans Affairs pays benefits to about 5 million people, but more than 470,000 veterans have been denied and are appealing. Those appeals can be mired in bureacracy for years. Also in the news, an Arizona-based company that oversees care for some veterans is hoping to extend its contract — even as it’s a target of a federal grand jury investigation.
Digital Pill Approved By FDA, But Some Worry It’s The Medical Equivalent Of A Tattletale
The pill has sensors that alert doctors to when patients take their medication. But some warn the device could breed mistrust.
Senate Keeps Medical Expense Deduction, But It Could Still Be Cut During Tax Bill Negotiations
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is once again calling for lawmakers to include the repeal of the health law’s individual mandate in their tax plan.
Decades-Old Law Lets Insurer Skirt Health Law Regulations, Providing Tempting Model For GOP
Tennessee Farm Bureau Health Plans is still allowed to use patients’ health status to determine their rates and eligibility, which is illegal elsewhere under the Affordable Care Act. In other news, The New York Times looks at how red states have been subsidizing blue states’ health insurance for years.
Supreme Court To Hear Free Speech Case Involving Calif. Pregnancy Centers
A California state law requires pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion options to its patients. The centers say the law violates their right to free speech by forcing them to convey messages at odds with their beliefs.
Former Pharma Executive, Health Law Critic Tapped For Top HHS Spot
President Donald Trump, in announcing the nomination, says Alex Azar will be “a star” at lowering drug prices, but his ties to the industry raise immediate concerns from critics.
First Edition: November 14, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Former Pharma Executive Alex Azar Tapped By Trump To Lead HHS
President Donald Trump, in announcing the nomination, said Alex Azar’s would be “a star” at lowering drug prices.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Media outlets report on news from Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Tennessee, California, Texas and Ohio.
Medical Practices Borne On The Battlefield Can Become Standard Care For Civilians
A look at six common practices that have their roots in war-time care. In other public health news: falling, Alzheimer’s, ankle replacements and racism.
A Stat and Boston Globe investigation found that these workers are bused into these facilities and can be cut off from their family and friends. “I felt like a prisoner,” said Michael Barone, a special education aide in a New Jersey public school. In other news: scientists try to find ways to combat chronic pain without opioids; experts are trying to figure out how people with chronic pain can be treated with opioids but avoid addiction; and more.
Advocates Worry GOP’s Plan To Cut Orphan Drug Tax Credit Will Hurt Patients
The credit reimburses drug developers for half of their research costs on treatments meant for diseases with patient populations fewer than 200,000 people.
Fallout From Price: Internal Feuds, Pressure From Congress Rock HHS Long After Secretary’s Departure
Tom Price stepped down from the top position at the Department of Health and Human Services after information came out about his use of taxpayer-funded private jets. But the investigation didn’t end with his resignation.
Maine Gears Up For Funding Fight Next Year Over Medicaid Expansion
The governor says he won’t implement the expansion approved by voters in a referendum this month unless lawmakers fully fund it. Elsewhere in the news, other states consider the Maine experience while considering their own voter referendums on expansion, one family in Iowa bemoans the experiences trying to get specialized care for their son from his Medicaid managed care plan, West Virginia officials consider work requirements for Medicaid enrollees and health care jobs are at stake as Ohio cuts reimbursement rates.
Trump Administration Chips Away At Initiatives That Base Payments On Quality Over Quantity
Experts have said that paying doctors for quality care instead of just the number of appointments they take would help rein in burgeoning medical costs. But the Trump administration wants to slow efforts to shift toward that model.
Pace Of Health Law Enrollment For First Days Surged Over Last Year, But Will It Continue?
The high numbers even after the Trump administration slashed the outreach budget for sign-ups surprised experts.
After Navigators’ Budget Slashed, Consumers Being Directed To Get Help From Private Brokers
But advocates worry that shifting from a nonprofit model to one where the agent stands to make a commission will ultimately hurt consumers. Meanwhile, a study finds that competition in the Affordable Care Act exchanges has gone down, Democrats seize on health care as a political weapon, and five states ask a judge to halt the rollback of the health law’s birth control mandate.
First Edition: November 13, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
