Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Parsing The Policies: What About Pre-Existing Conditions? Insurance Market Stability? Coverage For People With Disabilities?

Morning Briefing

Editorial and opinion writers examine how the health policies currently being debated will affect people who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act as well as how forces within the health insurance marketplace would be altered by the Republicans’ plan and how vulnerable populations could be impacted.

Different Takes On The Politics Swirling Around The Senate GOP’s Health Plan

Morning Briefing

Opinion writers offer their thoughts on the high political stakes in play regarding the legislation that the Senate Republican leadership has named The Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017. But will it be better?

For Those With Alzheimer’s, Coping With Other Symptoms Can Be Worse Than Memory Loss

Morning Briefing

“You don’t die of Alzheimer’s,” Greg O’Brien says. “You die of everything else. But first, you live with it all.” In other public health news: strokes, racial disparity in transplants, managing chronic diseases, toilet-training newborns, obesity and more.

As More Rely On Gig Economy, The Idea Of Employee Benefits May Be Facing An Overhaul

Morning Briefing

“I think we also want to start imagining the next era of a safety net, where people can do the work they enjoy and need to do, and can get the benefits that they need,” says Sara Horowitz, executive director of the Freelancers Union.

Congressional HIV Panel Sends Trump Bipartisan Request For Explanation Of Policies

Morning Briefing

The letter from the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus follows the resignation of the six members of a presidential advisory group and concerns about administration policies to fight the disease and help people with it. Also in the news, President Donald Trump signed a law to make it easier to remove employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Secrecy, Juicy Scandals And Money, Money, Money: Why Efforts Against GOP Health Bill Have Foundered

Morning Briefing

The Democrats have been trying to get their message across, but they haven’t been able to gain as much traction as the efforts against the Affordable Care Act seemed to. Meanwhile, a look at what one of the top officials involved in running the ACA thinks about the Republicans’ plans.

Republicans Say Costs Will Be ‘Much Lower’ Under Their Bill — But Experts Disagree

Morning Briefing

They say millions of Americans will pay more for an insurance policy that comes with a much steeper deductible, and it could also make it much harder to find a comprehensive plan covering various conditions ranging from heart disease to depression that would not be prohibitively expensive. Media outlets look at what else is in the measure, and how it will affect consumers and the industry.

GOP’s Politically Volatile Move To Cut Medicaid Spending Would Impact Consumers, States

Morning Briefing

The Associated Press and New York Times offer analyses of how the fundamental changes in the Medicaid program being considered by Congress could impact average Americans. The Wall Street Journal also delves into a new controversy about the disparity in Medicaid funding for hospitals in the Senate plan. Kaiser Health News takes note of the large number of seniors that use Medicaid to help pay for their long-term care services. And other outlets explore state-specific concerns.