Latest KFF Health News Stories
Regardless Of Where Children Start In Life, Exposure To Lead Drags Their Trajectory Down
A new study finds that the effects of lead are long-lasting, and have a negative impact on social mobility as adults.
Fetal Heartbeat Bill In Iowa Legislature, If Passed, Would Be Strictest In Country
“This is an all-out assault on women and a sneak attack from Republicans at the last minute,” said Democratic Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a ranking member of the House Human Resources Committee.
California Activists Behind Planned Parenthood Videos Charged With 15 Felonies
Prosecutors say David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt filmed 14 people without permission between October 2013 and July 2015 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and El Dorado counties. The videos added fuel to congressional Republicans’ crusade against the organization.
Breakthrough Eczema Treatment Won’t Come Cheap
The drug will cost $37,000 a year. The Food and Drug Administration also has approved the first drug to treat severe multiple sclerosis.
Tom Price Is A Sharp Critic Of Obama-Led Shift Toward Value-Based System For Medicare
The Health and Human Services Department secretary says the move could undermine the traditional doctor-patient relationship.
Trump To Create Opioid Panel To Assess Federal Funding, Create Best Practices For Treatment
The president’s proposed executive order, however, left many Democrats on Capitol Hill scratching their heads because much of the information the commission appears to be seeking to establish is already well-known after an extensive public debate last year. Meanwhile, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is pursuing answers on drugmakers’ role in the opioid epidemic.
Trump Suggests Surprise $1.2B Cut To NIH, But GOP Lawmaker Says It’s A Nonstarter
“You can’t come in at the last minute in a budget, to be fair, you weren’t a part of, and negotiate these kinds of changes,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in response to the proposal. “I just don’t think it’s doable.
Florida Lawmaker’s Plan To Cut Medicaid Budget By $239 Million Has Hospitals On Edge
Hospitals are deeply concerned that the proposal, which would likely also bring a similar reduction in federal funding, could deeply cut into their revenues. Meanwhile, Georgia officials are preparing to add another insurer to the Medicaid managed care program
After House Health Bill Collapses, Some States Reconsider Implementing Medicaid Expansion
Some states have been reluctant because they feared Congress was going to end the expansion, and that is now less of a concern, experts say. But in Tennessee, the governor says he’s not ready to make that move.
Kansas Lawmakers Send Medicaid Expansion Bill To Brownback
Many conservatives expect the governor to veto the legislation since he has in the past been very critical of the health law’s Medicaid expansion. But he has not yet said what he will do.
Republicans Hold High-Risk Maneuver To Sabotage ACA
But if they employ it, the blame for the resulting chaos could fall at their feet. Meanwhile, insurers now have only a few months to decide if they’re going to participate in next year’s marketplace.
Republicans Get Second Wind On Replacement, But Set No Definitive Timeline This Go-Round
House Republicans are pressing leadership to not give up on repeal and replace, but many know they face long odds. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, at a bipartisan event held out the White House, said he expects everyone to be able to reach a deal “very quickly.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Short Shrift For Mental Health Coverage; Medicare’s Firewall From ‘Harmful’ Changes
A collection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On What Happens Now: Can Obamacare Be Fixed Or Will It Be Left To ‘Explode’?
Opinion writers offer their thoughts on this question, outline ways the health law can be spared and examine the direction in which the political winds could send the ongoing debate.
Different Takes On Who’s To Blame For The Demise Of The House GOP Health Plan
Editorial pages across the country offer their thoughts on the blame game as well as the policies and politics that led to last week’s dramatic outcome.
Media outlets report on news from D.C., California, Missouri, Colorado, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Clinic Seeks To Turn Marijuana From ‘Gateway Drug’ To Gateway To Treatment
A small but growing number of pain doctors and addiction specialists are overseeing the use of marijuana as a substitute for more potent and dangerous drugs. In other public health news: the opioid epidemic, lead standards, childhood trauma, multiple sclerosis, Zika, HPV vaccines and concussions.
White House Shies Away From Planned Parenthood Defunding Talk
Press secretary Sean Spicer says the Trump administration won’t commit to including the hot-button issue in the upcoming spending bill. In other women’s health news, some states are still moving to protect access to contraception and Democrats try to reconcile their platform with a need to include anti-abortion voters.
McAuliffe Says Health Bill’s Collapse In Congress Signals Need For Virginia To Expand Medicaid
But the state’s Republican lawmakers, who have consistently opposed such a move, appear unlikely to accept the governor’s suggestion. News outlets also examine a proposal in Georgia to revamp Medicaid, a look at how the program for low-income Americans has evolved since the 1960s and a request from Wisconsin to add drug tests for eligibility.
