Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pharma Silent On Immigration Ban Despite Relying Heavily On Foreign Labor
“My guess is pharma is waiting to see how it plays out and which side the public opinion goes,” said Hank Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford Law School. “I think that’s prudent — but another word for prudent, of course, is ‘cowardly.’” Meanwhile, hospitals are already feeling the effects of the ban, and hundreds of medical students and doctors want Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to cancel its fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida in light of the order.
Reading Between The Lines, Anti-Abortion Movement Celebrates Trump’s Supreme Court Pick
Although Neil Gorsuch has little history on abortion, he has written extensively on “inherently valuable” human life and sided against the health law’s contraception mandate by calling out a provision that would require the objecting businesses to “underwrite payments for drugs or devices that can have the effect of destroying a fertilized human egg.”
GOP’s Solution Of Selling Insurance Across State Lines Has Already Been Tried — And It Failed
Although it’s touted as a way to drive down costs, the idea of selling insurance across state lines is riddled with complications that deter many regulators from adopting the option. Meanwhile, some Republicans are criticizing their own party for being caught flat-footed on repeal and replace following the elections. And a variety of business and labor groups are concerned about tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance.
Open Enrollment Finishes Strong, But Some Say Demand Was Lower Than Previous Deadline
The new administration pulled outreach efforts last week, and as the Tuesday deadline arrived, enrollment volunteers noticed a decrease in demand from last year.
Democrats Boycott Price’s Hearing, Saying He Misled American People
The Senate Finance Committee was scheduled to vote on Tom Price, the Trump administration nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, but Democrats refused to show as part of a larger campaign to oppose the president’s Cabinet choices.
Despite Calling Drug Prices ‘Astronomical,’ Trump Takes Mostly Conciliatory Tone In Pharma Meeting
The president met with the heads of some of the country’s biggest drugmakers on Tuesday. He said that they need to lower drug costs, but that he also plans to roll back regulations and help streamline the approval process to make things easier for the industry.
First Edition: February 1, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Democrats Boycott Price’s Hearing, Saying He Misled American People
The Senate Finance Committee was scheduled to vote on HHS nominee Tom Price, but Democrats refused to show as part of a larger campaign to oppose the president’s Cabinet choices.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on news from Massachusetts, Georgia, Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Colorado, Connecticut, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Once Quiet Vaccine Advocates Find Their Voices In New Skeptical Era
With a president in the White House who is sympathetic toward the anti-vaccination movement, many who had never found a need to do so before are rising up in protest. In other public health news, lung cancer screenings, pinworm medication, strokes, baby-monitoring apps and teething tablets.
Christie Moves To Protect Coverage Of Opioid Treatment In Case Of Repeal
Some question, however, whether New Jersey can actually provide the treatment it’s mandating because of a lack of beds in the state. In other news, a New Hampshire boy saves his father from an overdose.
Buoyed By A Trump White House, Ernst Sponsors Senate Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood
A separate bill also sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, would roll back a federal rule enacted in the waning weeks of the Obama administration preventing states from withholding federal Title X family-planning funds from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
Funding Influx Not Helping VA To Beef Up Staff At Medical Centers
NPR reports that the hiring pace has not gone up and that new hires are not going to facilities with the longest wait times. In other Veterans Affairs news, the budget deficit at a medical center in Vermont raises questions.
The Insulin Market And Price Fixing: Patients Take Action
A lawsuit was filed Monday alleging that the three makers of insulin — Sanofi, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly — conspired to increase the price of their product.
Obama Administration Report On Medicaid Examines Future Growth Of Costs
The report, released this week but prepared by Obama administration officials, says spending by states and federal government together increased 4.3 percent in 2016. Continued growth could “displace spending on other important programs, or additional taxes or other revenue sources could be required to fund Medicaid,” according to the report. Meanwhile, news outlets report on a Fitch analysis of Medicaid’s impact on localities and developments in Ohio and Alabama.
Coverage Reassurances Only Offer Partial Solace To Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
Despite promises that people with pre-existing conditions will still be able to get coverage if the health law is replaced, many patients worry about what that will actually look like in terms of their wallets. Other stories also examine the ways repeal may affect Americans across the country.
GOP To Take Up Bills Relaxing Rules Insurers Say Have Created Unbalanced Marketplace
While they scramble to dismantle and replace the health law, Republican lawmakers are taking a piecemeal approach to rolling back some regulations that insurers claim have driven up premiums. Advocates, however, say the rules protect customers and create better quality of coverage.
Open Enrollment Deadline Arrives Amid Anxiety Surrounding Future Of Health Law
Sign up numbers have been tracking slightly ahead of last year’s tally in what could possibly be the last chance for customers to enroll under Obamacare.
Disability Advocates: DeVos’ Lack Of Knowledge On IDEA Is ‘Disturbing And Offensive’
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will vote on Betsy DeVos’ nomination to head the Department of Education. In other news, The New York Times looks at her connection to brain centers that experts call questionable.
