Latest KFF Health News Stories
Patients And Providers Alike Anxious Over Future Of Health Care Coverage
Many are worried that if the health law is dismantled, they’ll lose their coverage.
GOP Town Halls Drawing Raucous Crowds Demanding Answers On Health Law
In meetings across the country, constituents are showing up in droves to make their voices heard.
Republicans May Want To Erase Health Law But First They Have To Save It From Collapsing
With all the uncertainty swirling around the future of the health law, Republicans are caught in the position of having to stabilize a marketplace that they never wanted in the first place. Meanwhile, some proposed plans are trying to curb overly generous coverage and are drawing a reaction similar to how the “Cadillac Tax” was received.
Immigration Ban Highlights Just How Much U.S. Relies On Foreign-Born Doctors
Doctors studying in the United States are given the option to either return home or work for three years in an area that is medically underserved. Meanwhile, the ban has forced one doctor to cancel a trip to Iran to perform life-saving surgeries.
Price Sworn In As HHS Secretary After Contentious Nomination Process
While Republicans praised new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price as having a “thorough understanding of health care policy and the damage that Obamacare has caused,” others continued to speak out against him. “This guy is a wrecking ball,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said. “He is not a secretary. He is going into this agency to destroy it.”
First Edition: February 13, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Medicare And Social Risk Factors; When The Goal Is Fewer Abortions
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Opinion writers offer a variety of views on the latest health policy developments.
Research Roundup: Wages And Health Spending; Workplace Injuries; Mexico City Policy
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Outlets report on news from Georgia, Colorado, Texas, California, Michigan, Kansas, Virginia, Massachusetts, Louisiana and Florida.
States Consider Abortion Regulations
Ohio, Arkansas, Texas are mulling restrictions, while Colorado bats down two bills that would have tightened rules on the procedure in the state.
Scientists Want To Use Smell That Attracts Mosquitoes To Malaria Patients As A Trap
Malaria parasite pump out a smell that scientists could use to lure mosquitoes and then wipe them out. In other public health news: lead toxicity, the health effects of the A-bomb, lung screenings, baby boxes and mammograms.
New Cancer Drugs Come Under Fire For Prices And Failing To Show Effectiveness
Researchers and patients are critical of drugs being brought onto the market that are expensive but offer little advantage in the fight against cancer. Meanwhile, Politico Pro looks at a new instance of an old drug getting approval for treating a rare disease, and pharmacy managers are looking for a way to explain their business.
Zenefits Lays Off Nearly Half Of Its Remaining Workers
The troubled company has cut 70 percent of its staff since its height in September 2015.
Facing Long Odds, Anthem Plans To Appeal Cigna Merger Decision
Meanwhile, the $1.85 billion breakup fee is likely to cause further tension between the two companies.
It Seemed Like An Easy Fix To Stop Doctors From Pushing Pills. Years Later It Still Hasn’t Begun.
As a result of the many delays, the government is still covering prescriptions written by doctors who have been kicked out of Medicare and even some who have pleaded guilty to crimes.
As House Republicans Step Up Efforts To Revamp Medicaid, GOP Senators Meet About Concerns
House committees weigh measures that would restructure Medicaid eligibility and would transform the program into a block grant system that would give states more control and perhaps less funding. But some Republican senators from states that have expanded Medicaid under the health law held a meeting this week to discuss their views about possible changes. News reports also look at Medicaid developments in Kansas and Missouri.
As Protesters Storm Town Halls, Some GOP Lawmakers Hunker Down, But One Stands His Ground
Hundreds are turning out to town hall meetings — taking a page from Republicans’ playbook when the Affordable Care Act was passed — to get answers on the future of the health law.
Look No Further Than Idaho To See How Difficult It Is To Come Up With An ACA Alternative
The state chose not to expand Medicaid and has been struggling for years to come up with a system that makes sure people have access to affordable health care. Meanwhile, a new study examines why the Affordable Care Act succeeded in some states and not others.
Democrats Using Report Of Devastating Job Losses From ‘Repeal’ To Put Heat On GOP
The report, which did not take into account any replacement efforts, found California would have the highest number of job losses at 334,000, followed by Florida at 181,000, Texas at 175,000, then Pennsylvania with 137,000. In other news, some doctors organizations are staying quiet on repeal plans for now, and insurers are struggling with the uncertainty surrounding their industry at the moment.
