Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Medical Attention On Infant At Childbirth Can Sometimes Be At Expense Of Mother’s Health

Morning Briefing

The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world, and ProPublica and NPR report that 60 percent are preventable. In other public health news: the “gravity blanket” health claim retracted; bird flu surges; Brazil declares end to Zika emergency; self-checking for skin cancer; and more.

Fueled By The Opioid Crisis, Hepatitis C Cases Skyrocketing

Morning Briefing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says access to clean syringes and a limit on Medicaid barriers to curative treatments for hepatitis C can reduce rates of death from the disease and transmission of the virus to others.

Experts Chide Price For Saying Addiction Medications Don’t ‘Move The Dial Much’

Morning Briefing

Using buprenorphine or methadone to treat opioid addiction is considered the standard of care. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is touring states to talk about the epidemic that’s raging through the country, and senators warn President Donald Trump that cutting funding to the drug office will hamper efforts to curb that crisis.

As 2018 Marketplace Premiums Appear To Be Heading Up, Trump Suggests He Might Cut Subsidies

Morning Briefing

The early indications from insurers suggest that premiums for plans sold on the health law’s marketplaces will rise on average again next year. Meanwhile, in an interview with the Economist, President Donald Trump talks about the cost-sharing subsidies that the federal government pays insurers to help cover expenses of low-income customers, saying “we don’t have to subsidize” Obamacare. “You know if I ever stop wanting to pay the subsidies, which I will,” Trump said. “Anytime I want.”

Approval For GOP Health Plan Ticks Up Slightly To 21 Percent

Morning Briefing

But 75 percent of respondents – and 59 percent of Republicans – say it is a “bad idea” to allow states to opt out of cost-lowering protections for those with preexisting conditions. A separate poll looks at the percent of Americans who are worried about losing access to care.

In Repeal-And-Replace Package, Senate Gives New Look To Pegging Tax Credits To Income

Morning Briefing

The approach – which Politico says would make the insurance subsidies “look a lot like Obamacare” – is billed as a breakthrough in the upper chamber but would likely face difficulties among House conservatives.

Different Takes: Recast Health Policy Debate On System Flaws, Patient Needs; Learning Health Care Lessons From Spain

Morning Briefing

Opinion writers offer views on how to move forward in efforts to reform the nation’s health care system, including thoughts on what’s right in Obamacare, specific ways its shortcomings need to be addressed and deep problems in the GOP’s American Health Care Act.