Latest KFF Health News Stories
The industry has long-focused on the amyloid protein but after 190 drugs failed in human trials, researchers are starting to look at tau, another protein which spreads through the brain as Alzheimer’s progresses.
HHS Sued Over Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors Being Denied Contraception, Abortion
The minors are being placed in the care of religion-based agencies, whose policies, the ACLU says, conflicts with a First Amendment prohibition on establishment of religion. In other news, a Florida health agency is ordered to pay Planned Parenthood’s legal fees for a case about an abortion method and NARAL speaks out against Colorado’s single-payer initiative.
Ky. Governor’s Medicaid Plan Draws Complaints About Impact Of Tougher Eligibility, New Fees
Advocates argue that the changes Gov. Matt Bevin has proposed would drive tens of thousands of low-income residents out of the program. Also in the South, Louisiana is going the other direction and has signed up more than 225,000 people as part of its expansion of Medicaid.
When Out-Of-Network Doctors Offer Services At In-Network Hospitals, Patients Pay The Price
More and more Americans are getting slapped with sky-high surprise medical bills.
Facing Large Losses, Blue Cross Blue Shield Retreats From Minnesota Marketplace
The state’s largest insurer says that it is on track to lose $500 million over three years on policies purchased by individuals.
Private Equity Quietly Takes Over Emergency Services — And The Consequences Are Dire
The firms have applied cost-cutting, Wall Street-like methods to health care with little oversight or regulation, and vulnerable patients are paying the price.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: GOP’s Chance Of Replacing Obamacare; Lack Of Transparency In Health Care Costs
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Laws To Curb Opioids; Cancer Spending; Special Enrollment Periods
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Fulton State Hospital In Mo. Marks ‘Milestone’ In Reconstruction Project
In other hospital news, Sun Valley Hospital in California agreed to pay $1 million to settle a case alleging that hospital employees put a woman with mental illness into a taxi and then lost track of her for three days.
Mich. AG Files Charges Against Firms Over Water Crisis: ‘They Failed Miserably In Their Job’
The companies face civil charges of professional negligence and public nuisance. In other news, Milwaukee gets a $1 million loan to replace the lead water pipes and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., wants federal regulators to determine if PFOA should be banned.
Facing Deep Funding Cuts For Children With Disabilities, Texas Democrats Ask Feds To Step In
As Texas officials prepare to cut $350 million in state and federal funding from Medicaid, which covers pediatric therapy services, Democrats in the state look to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to intervene. In other news, a look at those who fall into the “coverage gap” in Missouri.
Opioid Epidemic Straining Already-Taxed Medical Examiner Offices
Some offices are so stretched for space from the influx of deaths stemming from the crisis that they are having to consider renting refrigerated trucks to store bodies.
Deleting The Wrong Genes And Other Possible CRISPR Blunders
Stat takes a look at what can go wrong when humans start editing their genes. Also in the news, the secret to successful weight loss, the link between muscles and brain power, things you should know before getting a screening for colon cancer and a pilot program tries to tackle preterm birth rates.
Google Glass Helping Children With Autism Better Identify Emotions On Other’s Faces
A new project aims to validate the technology as a learning aid for kids who can struggle to understand social interactions, make eye contact or recognize facial expressions. In other health IT news, there’s a growing movement to focus “digital health” efforts on the more vulnerable populations instead of just those who can afford it.
Drug Prices: An Issue At The Ballot Box And The Pharmacy Counter
The Sacramento Bee analyzes an advertisement regarding a California ballot initiative called the Drug Price Relief Act. Meanwhile, KHN takes a look at how middlemen such as pharmacy benefit managers play a role in setting the price of drugs.
Meanwhile, ProPublica reports that a Florida doctor — who at one point was the state’s second-highest prescriber of antipsychotic drugs in the Medicaid program — has pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
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.
