Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Price Defends Trump’s Budget Plan For Medicaid, Saying A Reduction In Growth Is Not A Cut

Morning Briefing

Although the Congressional Budget Office says the administration’s budget would reduce Medicaid funding by $610 billion in the next decade over current expectations, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services says you can’t consider it a cut because the amount of money would continue to grow.

NIH To Award $1B To Young Researchers After Dropping Plan To Cap Support To Some Labs

Morning Briefing

The controversial proposal to limit the size of federal grants to individual labs raised concerns among senior scientists, so National Institutes of Health offered this compromise. Also in the news: a House panel is expected to again take up its investigation of a lab problem two years ago.

Powerful GOP Chairman Backs Insurance Subsidy Payments: Americans ‘Should Not Be Left Out To Dry’

Morning Briefing

The uncertainty surrounding the payments has created instability in the marketplace, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) says. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price dodges questions on the subsidies during a Senate committee hearing.

Different Takes: The GOP, The Senate And The Lack Of Health Policy Transparency; An Examination Of Single-Payer Ethics

Morning Briefing

Editorial writers parse these and other issues, including the role of Medicaid, how it is working and what the Republican plan would change; as well as other issues related to the future of the Affordable Care Act and efforts to curb health care spending.

Renowned Scientist With Narcolepsy: Having A Neurological Condition Can Actually Be A Boon

Morning Briefing

Biologist George Church may have narcolepsy, but he’s come to realize just how much he’s benefited from it. He thinks neurodiversity — like having autism or obsessive-compulsive disorder — can actually give people an edge in certain circumstances. In other public health news: breast cancer, lymph node removal, parenting, late-night snacks and a deadly drug in Georgia.

Mo. Governor To Convene Special Session To Address Abortion Issues

Morning Briefing

Republican Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens wants to target an ordinance approved by St. Louis aldermen in February banning employers and landlords from discriminating against women who have had an abortion.

Wisconsin Seeks Federal Approval To Add Drug Testing, Work Requirement To Medicaid

Morning Briefing

Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is asking for a federal waiver so it can implement new requirements on able-bodied, childless adults who receive Medicaid. News outlets also report on Medicaid news in Illinois and Iowa.

Once Wall Street’s Darling, Now-Bruised Valeant Tries To Recover From Missteps

Morning Briefing

The company is selling its iNova Pharmaceuticals unit for $930 million, while Chief Executive Joseph Papa reiterates that Valeant is focusing on its core, which includes dermatology, eye care and gastrointestinal care.

A Lonely Fight: This Republican Has Ideas On NIH Spending, But Not Many Like-Minded Allies

Morning Briefing

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) wants to shake up the agency by cutting indirect costs and using the savings to fund thousands of research projects instead. Meanwhile, scientists are wary of proposed federal funding caps for grants to individual labs.