Latest KFF Health News Stories
Calif. Regulator Advises Feds To Block Aetna-Humana Mega-Merger
The recommendation comes a week after California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones also weighed in on the Anthem-Cigna deal. While he does not have the authority to block either merger, his opinion could influence the Department of Justice’s decision.
Illinois Co-Op Latest To Sue Feds, Saying It Was Shortchanged $72.8M
A provision in the health law was meant to help unprofitable insurers and stabilize consumer prices during the first three years of the new exchanges. But Land of Lincoln Health has become the fifth cooperative to file a claim against the government because of it. Meanwhile, the number of small-group options on the New Hampshire marketplace will fall by about a third, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota will stop selling plans to individuals and families next year and Colorado residents will vote on replacing Obamacare with a single-payer system in the state.
Need For Hospice And Palliative Care Bills Pushed By Medical Professionals
As congressional lawmakers consider new legislation, doctors and patients testify on chronic illness care issues. Meanwhile, in other news from Capitol Hill, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell meets with Republicans over abortion rules, investigators look into pathogen mishandling at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and senators strike a GMO labeling deal.
How An Obamacare-Hating Governor’s Programs Fueled La.’s Medicaid Expansion Success
Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents have enrolled since the state expanded Medicaid earlier this month — and part of that can be traced to former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s policies.
Supreme Court’s Immigration Decision A Setback To California’s Health Coverage Efforts
If the court had upheld the deferred action programs, more than half a million immigrants in the country illegally could have become eligible for state-funded health insurance.
White House Blasts Republican Zika Bill As ‘Totally Inadequate,’ Threatens Veto
The upper chamber has promised to kill the legislation anyway, and with only a few working days left before the August recess where both the House and Senate are in Washington, it doesn’t look like funding negotiations will be settled soon.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Cancer In Appalachia; Doctors In Syria; And Dying Without Insurance
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Outlets report on health news from California, Illinois, Maryland, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
Nurses At Los Angeles Medical Center Prepare Set To Strike
About 1,300 nurses will begin a four-day work stoppage Thursday over disagreements with Kaiser Permanente over staffing and pay. Meanwhile, a nurses’ strike at five Allina hospitals in Minnesota has yielded no resolution so far and nurses in Massachusetts are threatening a one-day strike.
Having An Older Sibling Can Trigger More Alert Immune System
Researchers have found that having an older sibling can help protect younger ones from things such as allergies and hay fever. Also in the news, a study on SIDS and the law overhauling U.S. chemical safety rules.
Scientists Find Contagious Cancer In Clams, Begging The Question — Will It Arise In Humans Too?
It’s possible, one scientist says. But no one should start to panic yet. In other oncology news, the president signed a law to document and track cancer clusters around the country, a New Hampshire task force investigates a cluster in its state and several prominent cancer centers announced they’ll collaborate with a biopharmaceutical company to help accelerate research on new, life-saving therapies.
U.S. Supply Of Fentanyl Being Fed By Vast, Unregulated Network In China
While U.S. law limits trade in key ingredients used to make fentanyl, the chemicals are unregulated in China or by United Nations policing conventions. Meanwhile, as the opioid crisis grips the nation, there’s a push for doctors to prescribe alternative pain treatments, a hard-hit Maine town comes together to fight it and the surgeon general says the path to solving the problem is to think of opioid addiction in terms of illness rather than as a crime.
The Dark Side Of Stem Cell Tourism: ‘If Something Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Is’
After Jim Gass suffered a stroke in 2009, he desperately sought treatment in clinics in Argentina, China and Mexico. Instead of being cured, though, he came back with a growth on this spine that was unlike anything doctors had seen before. His story now serves as a cautionary tale against stem cell tourism. Meanwhile, KQED offers a close look at stem cell research, and a Wisconsin company hires an executive to lead its cell manufacturing.
Demand For Abortion Pills Spikes In Latin American Countries Hit Hard By Zika
The requests for the drug nearly doubled, and while researchers can’t prove a direct link, countries that were not afflicted with the virus saw no change in orders.
After Failing Three Years In A Row, Panel Advises Against Nasal Flu Spray
A panel of experts tells the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there is no evidence that AstraZeneca’s FluMist protected people against the flu, and recommend that people get the shot instead.
Drug Lobby Calls For Scrutiny Of Outside Group That Makes Drug Pricing Recommendations
The goal of the Institute of Clinical and Economic Review is to develop an independent pricing system. But a global pharmaceutical lobby questions its ties with insurers. In other news, Medicare Part D spending on compounded drugs jumps 600 percent and startup Blink Health says it helps patients obtain medications more cheaply.
Democratic Senators Ask DOJ To Block Health Insurance Mega-Mergers
Seven Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee warn that proposed mergers between Aetna and Humana as well as Anthem and Cigna would have “detrimental impact” on “premium prices, jobs and health care costs for consumers.”
In Ky., Bevin Issues Ultimatum To Feds On Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Matt Bevin tells the the federal Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services that if his plan is not approved there will be no expansion at all. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, health officials report that more than 220,000 have enrolled in the state’s expanded low-income health insurance program.
