Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

After Talks, Some Republicans Remain Glum

Morning Briefing

Republicans met on Tuesday to discuss plans to push forward with repeal and replace, but deep party divides over issues such as Medicaid may derail ambitious goals for voting on legislation before the Fourth of July. One Republican senator noted: “The Areas We Have Consensus On? Let’s See, Obamacare [stinks].”

In Mich., No-Fault Auto-Insurance Could Leave Patients On The Hook For Hospital Bills After Car Accidents

Morning Briefing

In other state hospital news, council members are pushing to increase funding for Nashville General Hospital in Mayor Megan Barry’s budget, Tampa General has a new CEO and New Hampshire’s Crotched Mountain Specialty Hospital will close its doors by the end of the summer, among other developments.

Want To Know The Symptoms Of ‘Cyberchondria’? Well, Googling It Will Only Make It Worse

Morning Briefing

Searching for medical conditions online has become a problem in and of itself. Stat offers a look at the most commonly Googled diseases. In other public health news: health inequality, diabetes, arthritis drugs, pets as probiotics, breast cancer and more.

Advocates For People With Disabilities Fear GOP Medicaid Plans Could Cut Their ‘Lifeline’

Morning Briefing

Eric Jacobson, executive director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, a state advocacy group, says, “Medicaid is the lifeline for people with disabilities.” The bulk of spending on the federal-state health care program goes to cover care for seniors, people with disabilities and children. Meanwhile, in Michigan, officials and health care providers try to raise support for the Medicaid expansion in the state. And Sen. Susan Collins, a key Republican in the upcoming health care debate, voices some support for expanding Medicaid in Maine.

Some States Looking At Loss Of Key Competitors And Dramatic Price Hikes For 2018 Marketplaces

Morning Briefing

Insurers are in the process of filing their rate requests with state officials now, but uncertainty about how Republicans in the federal government will alter the program is helping fuel concerns that prices will go up and some insurers will back out of the health law’s exchanges.

New York Takes ‘Aggressive’ Steps To Keep Obamacare Marketplaces Stable

Morning Briefing

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders the state health department to bar health insurers that withdraw from the New York exchange market from participating in other state programs including Medicaid, an action that could pose a financial threat to some companies.

Not Wanting Health Care To Consume Entire Calendar, GOP Leaders Aim For Summer Vote

Morning Briefing

“I don’t think this gets better over time,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). “So my personal view is we’ve got until now and the Fourth of July to decide if the votes are there or not. And I hope they are.”